Jury service

[Meg 50]

Senior daughter ( SD) has been called for Jury service at the Old Bailey in September.

When I commented that she had no reason for deferral/excusal this time (last time she was just 18 and in the Upper Sixth and got out of it - she'll be 35 by this one), she said she was looking forward to it.

Has anyone done Jury service there recently?

1) there's a subsistence allowance/Smartcard for meals during trials - which is better?



there's various tales around:
2) Look Middle class enough and you'll be rejected by the defence
3) look thick enough and you WILL be selected - the defence don't want jurors with brains.

are they urban myths, or is there more than a grain of truth in them?

[Manoverboard]

Jury Service for Mobietta at Dorchester County Assizes resulted in different allowances, this is because you may attend but not be selected.

The trials were a complete fiasco .... bring back Judge Jefferies was the cry.

[Meg 50]

she's been advised to buy one day travel cards initially and they will be reimbursed (that rather than oyster cos there's a receipt)- as well as the subsistence allowance

[Dancing Queen]

I would hate it ... my worst nightmare that I might ever be called

[oldbluefox]

I can't last through one hour of Midsomer Murders so not sure how I would manage a full and proper trial. I am also one of those who sees things from both sides. I used to be indecisive but now I'm not so sure.

[gfwgfw]

Jury Service for Mobietta at Dorchester County Assizes resulted in different allowances, this is because you may attend but not be selected.

The trials were a complete fiasco .... bring back Judge Jefferies was the cry.

MOB

You may not know this, but I used to have a firkin or six of Eldridge Pope's best ale when the Honourable "Bloody" Judge was in town

Lubooo lots

The Irrastical Giant of Cerne Abbas
s

[Meg 50]

I would hate it ... my worst nightmare that I might ever be called

mine too. But since she spends most of her waking hours reading crime fiction/ watching CSI she thinks it'll be wonderful. Kinda think she's in for being somewhat underwhelmed...

[Kenmo1]

I was called for jury service about 20 years ago and, if I remember correctly, it was to do with some sort of loan scam. I was reasonably educated to 'O' level G.C.E. at grammar school so not a total idiot but that loan scam was so complicated it was totally beyond my understanding. Unfortunately, I just followed the crowd and agreed with what the other jurors said. He was found guilty - I just hope that was the correct decision as I would hate to think someone ended up in prison because I didn't really understand all the twists and turns of the scam.

I would hate to have to sit on a jury for one of the terribly complicated, long drawn out cases which sometimes crop up at the Old Bailey.

Meg, your daughter has my best wishes for a quick, straightforward trial for her period of jury service.

Maureen

[gfwgfw]

Years since, I had to attend various courts as part of my indentured apprenticeship

It was clear that the judge seriously swayed the Jury with his summing up before the ladies and gentlemen retired to consider their guilty / not guilty verdict

In my humble opinion the British judiciary is the now best in the world by a country mile

Graham

[Jan Rosser]

I did jury service many years ago at Cardiff Crown Court and seem to remember hanging around a lot. They would send you away if you weren't chosen and I spent a lot of time wandering around the shops - too far to go back to work - my husband said he wouldn't allow me to work in Cardiff - I spent too much money

On a more serious note I was chosen for two juries - one a child abuse case which i dreaded but the following day the accused pleaded guilty - I don't know how I would have dealt with that and the other embezzlement and again he changed his plea.

My husband served on a jury trying a murder with no body - took five weeks and the defendant was found guilty but he wouldn't discuss it with me so don't know how they came to that conclusion. All these television programmes glamorise what is a very serious situation to be in - hope your daughter copes okay Meg.

[Stephen]

Just attend swinging a knotted rope in one hand and pointing the thumb down with the other. That should automatically get you excused...........or locked up for contempt

[Dark Knight]

I would hate it ... my worst nightmare that I might ever be called

mine too. But since she spends most of her waking hours reading crime fiction/ watching CSI she thinks it'll be wonderful. Kinda think she's in for being somewhat underwhelmed...

I think your daughter may well find the trial by jury much more prosaic than an episode of CSI
there is an anecdotal tale of an American juror , asking the why they did not fingerprint the grass at a crime scene like they do on CSI, she was promptly let go by the selectors

[Silver_Shiney]

The trials were a complete fiasco .... bring back Judge Jefferies was the cry.

and that was from the defendant!

[Gill W]

I would hate to have to sit on a jury for one of the terribly complicated, long drawn out cases which sometimes crop up at the Old Bailey.

Mr husband was on the jury for a fraud case at the local Crown Court that went on for about two months - he loved it.

[Dark Knight]

my elder sibling is a judge and told me, some cases go on for months, not weeks
all members of the jury are instructed not to use any form of social media or even read the papers or watch the news in some of the more "public" cases and they may be away from home for extended periods of time
not a duty I would relish

[Frank Manning]

Yes I have sat on three juries, and I did enjoy all three. The jury room was an odd experience though. It should have prepared me for some of the contraryness on this forum!