A four-day fraud trial almost had to be abandoned in its final stages after a juror sent one of the barristers a Valentine card.

　　Legal discussions were held after the woman's amorous intentions towards prosecutor Dyfed Thomas were discovered.

　　A re-trial was considered over fears the jury would appear biased towards the Crown.

　　Mr Thomas's admirer had handed the romantic missive to security staff at Swansea Crown Court to pass on to him during a break in the case.

　　He brought the card to the court's attention and the trial was paused mid-way through Judge Catherine O'Leary's summing up.

　　She eventually decided that the woman should be dismissed from the jury and the case allowed to carry on with eleven jurors.

　　A spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that the juror had been sent home on Thursday.

　　She described the incident as "fairly unusual", adding it took the court "quite a while" to decide what to do.

　　She said it was decided that it would be acceptable to carry on, providing the remaining jurors felt the incident had not affected their objectivity.