Call of Duty

[teetee]

I was call for the Old Bailey last year and half of me wanted to do it the other half didn't want to be away from work for to long as I wold have much preferred to be on holiday instead!

Week before I got a call thought they were confirming with me but they said that I wasn't needed, I had a mixture of disappointment and relief   

They said if planned cases plead not guilty near the trial time they cannot always get another case arranged to fill the gap.

I await my recall.

 

[swindsor]

I was a juror in June this year.  It was a full two weeks trial and involved fourteen separate counts of ancient child sex abuse allegations - both complainants are now in their forties and are relatives of the defendant.   He was found guilty on all counts on a full 12/12 basis.   It wasn't pleasant to hear all the allegations but it was interesting.  I have been to court many times before - in my job as a PA to a Criminal Defence Lawyer, I hasten to add - so knew what to expect. The other eleven jurors were all very nice people and from all different backgrounds.  I did enjoy it but it was disruptive to my routine and work but I would do it again.  I was lucky in that I got picked for a two week trial but some people who were called up the same two weeks as I was spent most of the time reading, pacing up and down the jury hall and waiting to be called - and when they were called some cases only lasted one day or even half a day but they still had to attend court every morning of their jury service period.  I really didn't want to do it but I am pleased that I did. 

[Anne]

And did you never tell anyone, including your hubby, anything at all about the cases?

What do you think?

[Scunner]

You can tell me all about it next month  

[Highlander]

Slightly off topic but I really enjoy watching the 12 Angry Men film.

[Menthol]

TA has served on juries three times now - think he fits the ethnic jury member profile quite well    and is hoping he has done his but for British justice.

I have only served on the jury at a Coroner's Court a number of years ago. We had to decide whether the guy who waited in bushes for an approaching train and then laid down on the tracks making sure his neck was on the rail had committed suicide or whether it had been an accident or to come up with an open verdict.

Found it one of the most frustrating and harrowing experiences ever.  Because he left a wife and 2 children, other jury members were saying they wouldn't get a life insurance pay out if the verdict was suicide. I was insistent that we had all sworn to come to a conclusion on the evidence we were given and insurance pay outs didn't come into it.

He'd told several people that he'd just found out his wife was cheating on him with 2 other men. He had threatened within earshot of 7 people to take his life just the day before the horrific event and said he would either jump off a bridge or lay on the railway tracks to kill himself. He also wrote his brother a 'goodbye' note.

The poor train driver that hit this unfortunate young man (his body parts were scattered over a half mile stretch of the track) was barely able to speak in court and had 3 attempts at giving evidence. He was completely broken by his experience and had been unable to bring himself to drive a train again.

I could not believe that we spent 2 days to come up with a verdict. Jurors saying 'what if he had changed his mind at the last second and hadn't meant to go through with it'.