Jury Service

[KrustyTheKray]

Not been called up myself, but a guy at work has just done two weeks of it and been bored silly!

Think he had a case that lasted a day, then it got thrown out.

Other than that all it was all waiting around doing nothing.

By all accounts a total waste of two weeks.

If i done it, i'd love a nice big juicy case. Bet the Old Bailey would be good for jury service.

Matt The Shrimp, as your a lawyer, do you get called to the bar very often? Any juicy cases you've dealt with? I know you cant really go into it, i accept that.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Did it earlier this year. 1 case took about 4 days, not very nice at all (ie. involved a child, thankfully not sexual). Rest of the time sitting about, bored, reading.

Odd mixture of characters in the jury, one woman who was so timid she'd just mutter, one woman who was so forthright she'd shout down anybody, and one stupid **** who nearly screwed the whole case by talking about it to his brother-in-law (who worked in child protection).

Quite happy I haven't got to do it again for at least 2 years, it's really boring.

 

[J]

Quote[/b] (MK Shrimper @ Sep. 29 2006,17:59)]Did it earlier this year. 1 case took about 4 days, not very nice at all (ie. involved a child, thankfully not sexual). Rest of the time sitting about, bored, reading.

Odd mixture of characters in the jury, one woman who was so timid she'd just mutter, one woman who was so forthright she'd shout down anybody, and one stupid **** who nearly screwed the whole case by talking about it to his brother-in-law (who worked in child protection).

Quite happy I haven't got to do it again for at least 2 years, it's really boring.

boooooooooooooo

 

[MightyShrimper]

How do you get called up to do it and do you get paid for it?

 

[MK Shrimper]

It was just "luck" I guess, random choice from the electoral role. If your job won't pay you, you can claim some form of compensation, but it's peanuts. You get mileage from home to the court (nothing spectacular).

£5 a day lunch allowance.

A friend at work also did it, an in-depth mortgage fraud case where she had to trawl through mountains of paperwork and her case went on for a month.

Small highlight of an otherwise incredibly boring two weeks was the court usher and the defence barrister... Top legal totty!

 

[Davros]

My matey did it, and he had to read the verdict to the Judge.... It was gulity, and the family of the accused started making throat cutting gestures towards him... lucky fella!

 

[RobM.]

So what happens with a fraud case that lasts 6 months? Do employers  have to let you go? I know mine wouldn't be too happy!

 

[SteveYatesSocks]

I did jury service about twenty years ago. Over the two weeks I did two cases - the first was an abh case and the other was motoring offences. Both cases lasted three days and the motoring one was boring and straightforward - they're lying your honour GUILTY. Fine and a ban for one driver and six months inside for the other.

The abh was interesting though as it involved a tangled love affair that ended with one guy attacking another with a meat cleaver. I still remember the blood-stained meat cleaver being passed from juror to juror for close examination. When the jury retired for its deliberations we took a count of who thought what and it came to 8 not guilties and 4 guilties. A couple of hours later and after going through the evidence again we came up with a majority decision of 11 guilties and 1 not guilty which the judge accepted. The guy had a long record of previous violence and was sent down for three years.

Fortunately, he didn't recognise me some years later when I walked past him in Southend.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (SteveYatesSocks @ Sep. 30 2006,13:05)]I did jury service about twenty years ago. Over the two weeks I did two cases - the first was an abh case and the other was motoring offences. Both cases lasted three days and the motoring one was boring and straightforward - they're lying your honour GUILTY. Fine and a ban for one driver and six months inside for the other.

The abh was interesting though as it involved a tangled love affair that ended with one guy attacking another with a meat cleaver. I still remember the blood-stained meat cleaver being passed from juror to juror for close examination. When the jury retired for its deliberations we took a count of who thought what and it came to 8 not guilties and 4 guilties. A couple of hours later and after going through the evidence again we came up with a majority decision of 11 guilties and 1 not guilty which the judge accepted. The guy had a long record of previous violence and was sent down for three years.

Fortunately, he didn't recognise me some years later when I walked past him in Southend.

Reminds me, the mother of the woman who we sent down (I was the foreman as well) who got up in court, told us all what a wonderful mother her daughter was, blah de blah, works in a post office very near where i work. I popped in there just a few days after the trial was over....fortunately wasn't there or I would of been attacked with a whole host of stationary items.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Rob...not too sure, I think they don't have an option unless you're essential to them...