The jury in the trial of man accused of raping his friend following a night out in Dublin has been discharged having been unable to reach a verdict.

The 29-year-old, who cannot be named to protect his friend’s identity, claimed he suffers from sexsomnia - a condition that can lead to a person having sex while asleep

The alleged rape was said to have happened while they shared a bed in another friend’s apartment in September 2008.

After over eight hours of deliberations, the jurors told the judge they were not even able to reach a majority verdict.

The case has been put back until later this month to fix a new trial date.