[Help] Jury Summons - Jury Service

[jonny.rainbow]

I have just read that you are only 40% likely to be selected for jury duty once in your lifetime.

Have a feeling I’ll end up in the 60%.

 

[jcdenton08]

My jury service was rather dull. Some tax avoidance thing with a car import scam.

The police brought the case and did an awful job of providing and presenting evidence.

We found him not guilty very quickly. Not because we thought he didn’t do it but because the evidence was simply not there. We could not convict.

Anyway, that took one afternoon and one morning and then we were released. Spent a paid week down the pub and never got called back.

Worked out pretty well.

Just in case anyone is concerned, it is entirely legal to discuss closed cases once discharged, as long as deliberations are not discussed. This below case was over ten years ago now and in a different part of e country where I lived at the time.

Spoiler: Trigger warning - details of sexual assault case I was juror on

One of the sexual assault cases I was on the jury for, the prosecution was shocking. It was a Muslim family (this is relevant), a mixture of British Muslims and recent family immigrants. One such recent immigrant was the Uncle (late 30’s) of the alleged victim, a 14 year old niece.

The trial lasted ten days due to the need for an interpreter for the accused, it was one count of sexual assault (by touching), and two counts of sexual assault (forceful kissing).

The prosecution’s evidence was basically he-said-she-said. Which isn’t that uncommon. The alleged victim in the case perhaps wasn’t sympathetic to some of the jurors. The family was split and there had been multiple fights and arguments, with one member of the family appearing for the defence.

The biggest problem was the CPS prosecutor, who kept getting the victim, the accused, and her family’s names wrong. She completely confused us with when - even whether it was last year or the year before - the alleged assaults took place. The alleged locations of the assaults kept changing. And we were all just thoroughly confused and unable to convict, despite half the jury voting guilty.

We were split 6-6, told to go back for deliberations, still 6-6, told the judge would accept a 10-2 majority… still split, so mistrial.

In truth, and this absolutely should not happen and does, the defence barrister pulled a naughty. He brought up supposed previous allegations the alleged victim had made against another family member (this is absolutely not allowed in open court). Despite the judge telling us to disregard and rebuking the defence barrister, I feel this had an impact. Although legally I can’t say whether it was discussed in the deliberation room.

 

[The Clamp]

Just in case anyone is concerned, it is entirely legal to discuss closed cases once discharged. This below case was over ten years ago now and in a different part of e country where I lived at the time.

Spoiler: Trigger warning - details of sexual assault case I was juror on

One of the sexual assault cases I was on the jury for, the prosecution was shocking. It was a Muslim family (this is relevant), a mixture of British Muslims and recent family immigrants. One such recent immigrant was the Uncle (late 30’s) of the alleged victim, a 14 year old niece.

The trial lasted ten days due to the need for an interpreter for the accused, it was one count of sexual assault (by touching), and two counts of sexual assault (forceful kissing).

The prosecution’s evidence was basically he-said-she-said. Which isn’t that uncommon. The alleged victim in the case wasn’t sympathetic to some of the jurors. The family was split and there had been multiple fights and arguments, with one member of the family appearing for the defence.

The biggest problem was the CPS prosecutor, who kept getting the victim, the accused, and her family’s names wrong. She completely confused us with when - even whether it was last year or the year before - the alleged assaults took place. The alleged locations of the assaults kept changing. And we were all just thoroughly confused and unable to convict, despite half the jury voting guilty.

We were split 6-6, told to go back for deliberations, still 6-6, told the judge would accept a 10-2 majority… still split, so mistrial.

In truth, and this absolutely should not happen and does, the defence barrister pulled a naughty. He brought up supposed previous allegations the alleged victim had made against another family member (this is absolutely not allowed in open court). Despite the judge telling us to disregard and rebuking the defence barrister, I feel this had an impact. Although legally I can’t say whether it was discussed in the deliberation room.

Good point. Mine was 22 years ago.

 

[BN9 BHA]

I should imagine it’s fine if you have a boring job and will get paid by your employer to attend…..get paid to get out of your boring job for a while.
Also fine if you’re retired or unemployed.

As a self employed small business owner I would be well out of pocket attending, just looked to see what a self employed person can claim and it’s very low.
Hopefully I will never get called

 

[jcdenton08]

I should imagine it’s fine if you have a boring job and will get paid by your employer to attend…..get paid to get out of your boring job for a while.
Also fine if you’re retired or unemployed.

As a self employed small business owner I would be well out of pocket attending, just looked to see what a self employed person can claim and it’s very low.
Hopefully I will never get called

You’ve done it now

 

[Weststander]

They removed all the copouts years ago eg my vocation such as NHS is far too important.

Instead I managed to get a few months stay as I didn’t want my service to clash with our kids summer hols.

And the compensation pay is rubbish.

But at the time I really enjoyed the two week long trials I jury served on. I took an interest in doing it properly, sifting through the subjective evidence and got on well with the other jurors. The inevitable two lazy “he’s obviously guilty” types, didn’t want to be there, thankfully they didn’t hold sway.

 

[Questions]

Pretty sure you can duck it once if you have a reasonable excuse, but the second time, you gotta go.

Alternatively, just tell them that you're a racist

I hear you’re a racist now Ted

 

[LamieRobertson]

We were reduced to 11 when one of the blokes with us doing jury service was allowed to leave, after the trial we were on went over into a 3rd week (we'd already sat on a couple of trials during the initial 2 week period). The guy was self employed and said it was costing him fortunes to be off work, so the judge dismissed him - so there is some wiggle room. Judge wanted a 9/11 majority for a guilty verdict to be carried. We didn't get it (hung jury). It went to a retrial a few months later, and they convicted her within a few hours!

I was called for jury service and requested that I be excused as being self employed and the type of work I do, I would have lost my business if any trial had gone on for more than say two weeks

 

[jcdenton08]

I hear you’re a racist now Ted

Feckin’…. Greeks!

 

[BN9 BHA]

You’ve done it now

I would have to work on a Saturday to make up the money

 

[Questions]

My jury service was rather dull. Some tax avoidance thing with a car import scam.

The police brought the case and did an awful job of providing and presenting evidence.

We found him not guilty very quickly. Not because we thought he didn’t do it but because the evidence was simply not there. We could not convict.

Anyway, that took one afternoon and one morning and then we were released. Spent a paid week down the pub and never got called back.

Worked out pretty well.

Yeah but he went on to kill 12 people you bastard

 

[Weststander]

We were reduced to 11 when one of the blokes with us doing jury service was allowed to leave, after the trial we were on went over into a 3rd week (we'd already sat on a couple of trials during the initial 2 week period). The guy was self employed and said it was costing him fortunes to be off work, so the judge dismissed him - so there is some wiggle room. Judge wanted a 9/11 majority for a guilty verdict to be carried. We didn't get it (hung jury). It went to a retrial a few months later, and they convicted her within a few hours!

Being nosey. Did you believe her guilty and were surprised by the waverers?

 

[BN9 BHA]

I was called for jury service and requested that I be excused as being self employed and the type of work I do, I would have lost my business if any trial had gone on for more than say two weeks

Did they accept that and you won’t get called again?

 

[worthingseagull123]

Desperately need to get out of this. I wont bore you with personal reasons, but if anyone has any experience here in what worked for them that maybe I've not thought about it be much appreciated. Thanks.

Can’t you just say you are prejudiced against everyone?

 

[jcdenton08]

Can’t you just say you are prejudiced against everyone?

Again, no, I’ve covered this.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Did they accept that and you won’t get called again?

They did …..it was over five years ago…..I’ve not been asked again……yet!

I would have been out of pocket ….but it was more to do with keeping my customers happy…..contracts fulfilled etc …I basically can’t be ill….its my livelihood

 

[Eeyore]

Feckin’…. Greeks!

They invented gayness

 

[Easy 10]

Being nosey. Did you believe her guilty and were surprised by the waverers?

Oh I absolutely had her guilty, she's an absolute LOON. Check out the article below. Here she is holding a vibrator to her crotch outside court.

Neighbour from hell jailed over bottle attack

A WOMAN described as the neighbour from hell was jailed for two years after smashing a bottle over the head of a man in her flat.

www.theargus.co.uk

3 or 4 of the other jurors didn't believe there was enough evidence to disprove her claims of the bottle attack being in self defence. It was frustrating, but they weren't for swaying. I Googled her name after the trial, and lo and behold, she had a charge sheet as long as your arm (and is still going strong it would seem, now I've checked her out again!). As the article says, the next jury took an hour to find her guilty. We were chewing over it for more than a couple of days.

 

[Algernon]

Genuinely I was called for jury service when I was close to 7 years old.
My parents went mad at me asking what I'd done to receive a letter from the courts before realising it was a request to sit on a jury.
I presume I'll never get called now.

 

[Bozza]

The key thing is when you have been called for.

If it's some time away, you can defer and you'll be permitted without challenge, but you'll have to give future dates you can and will attend.

A second deferment is very difficult to achieve, although I am currently in the position of having done just that. As such, there's almost nothing that will get me out of serving next June.

If your service commences in the next week or so then you will find it more difficult. Jury administration is handed from the central service to the local court (Lewes if you're in these parts). To defer at that stage you will probably have to provide some sort of evidence to back up your reason.