London, Feb 20 (AP) A British jury was dismissed today after failing to reach a verdict in the trial of Vicky Pryce, the ex-wife of a former UK cabinet minister who resigned after lying for years about a speeding ticket.
Pryce had pleaded not guilty to obstructing justice for taking the fall for a speeding penalty for her then-husband, Chris Huhne, in 2003. She claims she was coerced by her husband into taking the license penalty points for his speeding offense.
Huhne who had repeatedly denied wrongdoing entered a last-minute guilty plea to the same charge just before his trial was due to start earlier this month. The case shattered his political career: he resigned as a UK lawmaker the same day he pleaded guilty.
The judge in Pryce's trial at London's Southwark Crown Court discharged the jury today after jurors said it was "highly unlikely" they could reach even a majority verdict.
Pryce, an economist who has worked as a senior adviser in both the private sector and in government, will now face a retrial.
The details of her case riveted Britain, as deeply personal and embarrassing revelations about the powerful couple's 25-year marriage emerged.
Pryce and Huhne split in 2010 after it was revealed that he was having an affair with his public relations adviser.
