Usa news: Ms Carroll smiled to reporters as she left the courthouse. Photo: Getty Images
A jury in a civil case 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.

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

“Today, the world finally knows the truth,” Ms Carroll said in a written statement following the verdict. “This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed.”

Mr Trump’s lawyer said the former president plans to appeal the decision.

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

The former president – who has denied Ms Carroll’s accusations – did not attend the two-week civil trial in the Manhattan federal court.

Ms Carroll, 79, held the hands of both her lawyers as the verdict was read in court and smiled as 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.”