The Ministry of Justice said the matter was being taken "very seriously" and had been referred to Chief High Court Judge.Justice Brewer said the article was "precisely the sort of thing" he had warned the jury about at the trial's outset.
"The internet is everywhere and in various forms and your key duty is to decide this case on the evidence you hear in the courtroom. That's fair, and to be influenced by matters you might be curious about, well that would be unfair," he told the jury this afternoon.
"After you have heard all the evidence and before the lawyers address you, I intend to ask each of you individually whether you have complied with the directions not to make enquiries . . . just so in the closing phases of the trial we know what the situation is with regard to your ability to decide the case impartially."
The Crown's case is that just before 8pm on May 24, 2014 the defendant deliberately ran Blessie Gotingco down in his car as she walked home along Salisbury Rd from work.
It is alleged he then bundled her into his silver BMW and took her back to his home where he raped her, slit her throat and stabbed her to death, before dumping the body at a nearby cemetery.
Detective Roger Taylor yesterday told the jury about finding a distinctive fish-fileting knife in the defendant's kitchen drawers that appeared to be covered in blood and hair.
Today the court heard of another allegedly significant find in the man's garage.The witness said during the search he had found a "carpet-style" car-boot tray inside a cardboard box.
"I noticed when I picked it up it was heavily bloodstained as well" Mr Taylor said.
The trial has been adjourned until Friday to give the defendant chance to consider how he will cross-examine Mr Taylor and ESR scientists who are expected to tell the court his DNA was found inside the victim.
The trial is scheduled to run until the end of next week.
