In the first criminal trial against a former US president, the jury has retired to deliberate the verdict. In the New York trial against Donald Trump, Judge Juan Merchan dismissed the 12-member jury from the courtroom on Wednesday after giving them mandatory instructions, several journalists present in the court reported. The jury must now reach a unanimous verdict. Normally, this takes between a few hours and several days. In the event of a guilty verdict, Judge Merchan will determine the sentence on a separate date. If convicted, Trump faces a prison sentence of several years, which could al…