E Jean Carroll: Jury finds Trump sexually abused writer in NY department store

A jury in a civil lawsuit has found former President Donald Trump sexually abused a magazine columnist in a New York department store in the 1990s.

But Mr Trump was found not liable for raping E Jean Carroll in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman.

The jury also found Mr Trump liable for defamation for calling the writer's accusations "a Hoax and a lie".

It is the first time Mr Trump has been found legally responsible for a sexual assault.

The Manhattan jury ordered Mr Trump to pay her about $5m (£4m) in damages.

Because the trial was in civil court - rather than criminal - Mr Trump will not be required to register as a sex offender. 

The jury of six men and three women reached their decision after less than three hours of deliberations on Tuesday.

Mr Trump did not attend the two-week civil trial in the Manhattan federal court and has denied the accusations.

Ms Carroll held the hands of both her lawyers as the verdict was read in court and smiled softly when she was awarded damages by the jury.

Mr Trump's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, shook her hand as the trial ended, telling her: "Congratulations and good luck."

Ms Carroll did not stop to speak to reporters as she left court.

After the verdict, Mr Trump posted on his website Truth Social in all capital letters: "I have absolutely no idea who this woman is.

"This verdict is a disgrace - a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time!"

The trial saw tense exchanges between Ms Carroll and Mr Trump's attorneys.

Ms Carroll's legal team called 11 witnesses to corroborate her claims that Mr Trump had assaulted her in the lingerie department of the luxury store in 1995 or 1996.

They included two women who also say they were sexually assaulted by Mr Trump decades ago, and two long-time friends of hers who said she told them about the encounter with Mr Trump shortly after it occurred.

On the stand, Ms Carroll described in graphic detail what she alleges happened in the luxury Manhattan department store and the trauma she says she has endured as a result.

"I'm here because Donald Trump raped me and when I wrote about it, he lied and said it didn't happen," she told the court.

Mr Trump called no witnesses and appeared only in a video of a deposition that was played for jurors in which he denied rape.

"It's the most ridiculous, disgusting story," Mr Trump said in the video. "It's just made up."

This is a breaking news story and will be quickly updated.