Jury Service: Bunch of Arse

[Gwylan]

I've done it and it was quite an eye-opener.

Most of the jurors I was with were really diligent. paid attention and did their best to reach a fair verdict. But in one case, there was one plonker who plumped for a not guilty verdict as he didn't believe the key witness ("He's an African, they're all liars"), it was quite a shock to come across such unabashed racism.

I was the foreman and I managed to correct the clerk of the court when she got the charges mixed up - that was the real highlight.

 

[Spicy]

I never been asked despite the fact that I am an upright, respectable citizen!!

 

[JAMC]

Is it right that you can refuse jury service on religous grounds?

 

[El Presidente]

There were one or two bigots on the jury today that I was overhearing prior to them returning to the jury box. "These Pakis all look after themselves, can't trust them" was one fine and upstanding comment

 

[Happy Seagull]

I got called up for jury service a couple of years ago but couldn't be arsed with it. Had the choice to put it off but opted to throw the letter in the bin and pretend i never got it. Still haven't heard from them again yet

 

[Robot Chicken]

I had to do it a couple of years ago, I got on two trials, one guy was up for sexual harrassment because he touched some girl's bum. I wanted a really juicy case, but this was at Hove Crown Court. I didn't get on the drug smuggling case sadly, but we heard about it later.

 

[JAMC]

A friend of mine from work got called up for jury service.
He sat in on a big case of murder. Two brothers who had killed their partner in a drinks/ciggie smuggling racket. He thought that he was going to be there for weeks but after three days they had to have a re-trial with a new jury due to new evidence coming to light.

 

[cheshunt seagull]

Did it at the Old Bailey in th 80s. 1 week sitting around waiting to be called and then 5 weeks on a company fraud case. Could have been a lot shorter if it hadn't been for the old buffer of a judge's weak bladder which meant that we all had to leave the courtroom every 20 minutes. The judge also had a bottle of smelling salts to keep him awake, which the rest of us could have done with. The only time he woke up fully was when a PA in a low-cut blouse was in the witness box.

At the end we spent 6 hours trying to come up with a 10-2 verdict, with me holding out as one of the awkward 3 voting not guilty. At 5.00 another not guilty voter said he was fed up and did not fancy a night in a hotel and changed his decision. The defendants were duly packed off to Wandsworth and Holloway Prisons.

Overall, a pretty depressing experience.