You on the jury?... Seriously though, this thing where almost anyone can be called for jury service, I've always found interesting. See in cases like these, I know I'd always start from a position of guilty let's kill him right now. Which surely should make me a bad choice. Lots of people get called to do it, that don't want to and I'm one of them. So if I we're to stand up right at the start of the proceedings and exclaimed to the bar "Look let's stop wasting tax payers money on this **** and hang him right here and now, I've brought the rope" Surely they'd send me home??? 'Con'tempt of court?
Done it twice and if you are working you won't make any money doing it. First time I was unemployed but made a bit from the meal allowance and travel to Beverley costs.
Can’t mention jury service without this Does Magna Carta mean nothing to you? Did she die in vain? Brave Hungarian peasant girl who forced King John to sign the pledge at Runnymede and close the boozers at half past ten! Is all this to be forgotten?
I did it about 10-12 years ago, (which is also my stock estimate for most things nowadays...) Anyway, 60 of us for our 'jury service' 12 men and women / non-binary etc, good and true (& 3 reserves for each jury) during my 'exciting 2 weeks' (actually 9 1/2 days - sent home on the Final Friday pm) - Only 1 case (4 planned each day) went to full trial (I won't go into details..) Every other case the 'Plea Bargained' at the last moment, this ensuring the 'perp' (© Chazz) got a nice part off his sentence as a remand prisoner with more rights and entitlements, and this time knocked off their 'sentence'... I did get to the final 15 one afternoon, and I was the first one to decline to swear on the bible and had to 'affirm' instead My overall opinion on jury service changed after that experience . If you take it to the last day, there should be no sweetener for leaving it that late. As it saved the court time and money there was a reduction in sentence. The court ushers told us at one point the court had gone 3 months without seeing an actual trial... Take a good book and be prepared to be bored.
I ended up on the jury of a death by dangerous driving case, but most of the people that arrived at the same time as me, didn't get a case at all and were going stir crazy by the end of the first week. As Ron says, it's really boring unless you're one of the lucky few who actually get a case.
Fingers crossed I actually get one then, I was talking to a client about it the other day and they apparently got called once she ended up on a trial that lasted approx 6/7 months
I have done jury service twice, four trials and 1 not guilty, 2 guilty and one stopped on the second day when they changed their plea to guilty, after the prosecution had done its bit. All of the cases were theft related. What was quite odd was that the not guilty was sent down for 8 years after pleading guilty to stealing yachts from marinas.
So the same jury will judge on more than one trial then? Didn't realise that. How do you know long/how many trials you're going to be used for?
There was a group of about 80 when I did mine. I didn't sit with the same people for each trial. I went in on the Monday and was sent home straight away, but called in on the Tuesday afternoon. The first trial lasted a day and the second two and a half. All together I only sat in the court about 6 days. I never saw the same people more than once throughout it.
In the simplest terms, you don't. It is quite a complicated thing. Going by my experience and what others have said on here a summary. When called the standard term is two weeks / 10 working days. It is not unusual for about 60 to turn up on the Monday morning even though there may be only two scheduled cases, 12 per jury plus the defendant is allowed to object to 3 of those so 3 reserves are needed. So really they only needed 30 people. Not sure how the clerk of the court picked them but a list of names is read out of those selected. the rest get sent home with an instruction to turn up tomorrow. If picked for the jury that case may be over in that day or could last for days. Once the case you have sat on is over you go back to the come again tomorrow group. As a side note I thought there were more lets give him another chance types than the they're all guilty lets hang him ones.
I was called for jury service at Beverley Crown court years ago. The case I sat on lasted 3 days, it was a mixed race guy off Bransholme accused of dealing cannabis. After the selection process and the swearing in had taken place, the jugde suggested a brief recess before starting proper. When we retired to the jury room a discussion was had as to who would be the foreman, when this was sorted a rather stuck up middle aged lady announced that you only had to look at the defendant to see he was guilty, alarmingly a couple of others agreed. British justice at its finest. What was a little startling was that the defendant was on bail and used to catch the same train back into Hull as a few of us jury members, well he did for the first two nights anyways