Jury out in coach's child abuse case

The jury in the child sex abuse trial of Jerry Sandusky has begun deliberations, but without hearing a shocking new accusation from Mr Sandusky's adopted son that he, too, was abused by the former American football coach.

Prosecutors told the jury that Mr Sandusky, who coached the college team Penn State, was a "serial predatory paedophile" who targeted young boys yearning for a father figure, while the defence said he had been ruined by overzealous prosecutors and false accusers hoping for a payday from civil lawsuits.

As jurors started their deliberation, a news report surfaced that Matt Sandusky, 33, had met prosecutors this week to tell them he had been molested by his adoptive father. Matt Sandusky, who was adopted as an adult after living with the family as a foster child, had denied until now that he was ever sexually abused, according to the Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Jerry Sandusky, 68, is accused of abusing 10 boys over a 15-year period, sometimes in Penn State University locker rooms.

The defence wrapped up its case after little more than two days of testimony without calling Sandusky to the stand. He faces more than 500 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

Reuters