Jury Duty

[Strokes]

Wasn't I a proper cockend

Good news, I got out of it anyway. They rang me up and said "we've got too many people, do you want to give it a miss".... errrrr yes.

I would absolutely love to do it, I'm still in the same situation I was back then... but **** my employer now. They have shown no loyalty to me.

Some things never change

[separator]

I've had to give evidence in a magistrates court before after witnessing an assault at work, hated the whole experience, not helped by the fact that the bloke got 6 months, appealed and I had to go back to court. Still, got a couple of days at Horseferry Road & Westminster magistrates courts out of it. Would hate to do jury service

[Legend_in_blue]

I've done it twice in three years. 

 

I don't want to do it again.  Give someone else a chance!

 

It's also true that you can make a little bit extra on top of your salary paid by the court system if you're clever with the expenses!

[stripeyfox]

I was at Sheffield University when I got called up for jury service. I didn't even know I was on the electoral roll?

I loved it. Sheffield Crown Court was a stinky old building & we were in court 1 - the main one. It was 1998 & they've had a new courthouse built since then.

This is the main court. The dock is on the right & the jury sat in the left corner, just in front of the judge.

The first week was awful. A load of people sitting in a basement with no windows & nothing to do, except sit there waiting for a trial to begin - so we could get called up. For a whole week I turned up, sat there for 8 hours & went home again.

The Monday of the second week, I finally got called up. Walked into the court for the first time, sat down, not really knowing what to expect. I could see three men sitting in the dock opposite & they looked rough as fvck. Two of them were brothers & were both bouncers. Did the hand on the bible stuff & read out some sort of oath. The usher then stood up & read out the charge.........murder. I shit myself.

The murder was actually in Hull, where an alcoholic who weighed about 7 stone was beaten to death at a party. One of the defendents was there for helping to cover up the murder & he was dismissed after a few hours. He would later face a trial of his own.

It was pretty graphic stuff & the trial went on for a whole week. These 2 huge men had beaten a frail man to his death - kicked, punched & beaten with copper piping. The photos of the scene will stay with me forever. The dead man's face had been caved in. Photos of hair sticking out of a crack in a wardrobe door, where his head was when they kicked him with such force it had left an impression of his skull in the door. Photos of a shoe with a piece of the dead man's skin attached. Copper piping with blood, skin & hair attached.

The problem was that the murder had happened at like a half-way house for alcoholics. All of the witnesses were alcoholics & unreliable. It was clear to the jury that the two men were guilty & we would have said as much, given the opportunity. It all seemed pretty straight forward to us. The jury were constantly being asked to leave the court, as all sorts of plea bargaining was going on that we weren't privvy to. They ended up pleading not guilty to murder, but guilty to manslaughter - which was accepted by the court. The jury was no longer required. They were eventually sentenced to 3 years each for manslaughter. They had already done 12 months on remand, so would be out in 6 months.

Disgusted with the outcome of the trial, but found it all very fascinating & genuinely enjoyed it. I got on well with the other jury members & found their input interesting too. A varied bunch of people & all decent folk. A business owner, a brickie, a secretary, etc. An old dear who sat there doing her knitting in the numerous quiet moments.

At the end of my 2 weeks jury service I got asked if I could do an extra week. I would have loved to, but I had to sit my first year exams the following week.

I did speak to another chap one morning from a different trial. He was a juror on a fraud case. He had been there 2 months so far & he hated it. I don't suppose all trials are going to be interesting. It was horrendous, but feel quite lucky to have got the trial I did.

I didn't get anything quite as graphic as that. I nearly got in a very high profile case which was in the national press when I was selected in the final 15 to go to the court but then was one of the three who didn't make the cut.

[cambridgefox]

Wasn't I a proper cockend

Good news, I got out of it anyway. They rang me up and said "we've got too many people, do you want to give it a miss".... errrrr yes.

I would absolutely love to do it, I'm still in the same situation I was back then... but **** my employer now. They have shown no loyalty to me.

Im an imposter!when you quoted Simon it said aka Cambridgefox.Reading his we'll put together sentences,punctuated and the inclusion of big boy words I assume people realised it wasn't me.

[ROB-THE-BLUE]

I did it a few years ago and actually found it a very interesting experience. I believe you can defer your call-up if your circumstances make it difficult.

[cambridgefox]

I was at Sheffield University when I got called up for jury service.  I didn't even know I was on the electoral roll?

 

I loved it.  Sheffield Crown Court was a stinky old building & we were in court 1 - the main one.  It was 1998 &  they've had a new courthouse built since then.

 

 

This is the main court.  The dock is on the right & the jury sat in the left corner, just in front of the judge.

 

The first week was awful.  A load of people sitting in a basement with no windows & nothing to do, except sit there waiting for a trial to begin - so we could get called up.  For a whole week I turned up, sat there for 8 hours & went home again.

 

The Monday of the second week, I finally got called up.  Walked into the court for the first time, sat down, not really knowing what to expect.  I could see three men sitting in the dock opposite & they looked rough as fvck. Two of them were brothers & were both bouncers.  Did the hand on the bible stuff & read out some sort of oath.  The usher then stood up & read out the charge.........murder.  I shit myself.

 

The murder was actually in Hull, where an alcoholic who weighed about 7 stone was beaten to death at a party.  One of the defendents was there for helping to cover up the murder & he was dismissed after a few hours.  He would later face a trial of his own.

 

It was pretty graphic stuff & the trial went on for a whole week.  These 2 huge men had beaten a frail man to his death - kicked, punched & beaten with copper piping.  The photos of the scene will stay with me forever.  The dead man's face had been caved in.  Photos of hair sticking out of a crack in a wardrobe door, where his head was when they kicked him with such force it had left an impression of his skull in the door.  Photos of a shoe with a piece of the dead man's skin attached.  Copper piping with blood, skin & hair attached.

 

The problem was that the murder had happened at like a half-way house for alcoholics.  All of the witnesses were alcoholics & unreliable.  It was clear to the jury that the two men were guilty & we would have said as much, given the opportunity.  It all seemed pretty straight forward to us.  The jury were constantly being asked to leave the court, as all sorts of plea bargaining was going on that we weren't privvy to.  They ended up pleading not guilty to murder, but guilty to manslaughter - which was accepted by the court.  The jury was no longer required.  They were eventually sentenced to 3 years each for manslaughter.  They had already done 12 months on remand, so would be out in 6 months.

 

Disgusted with the outcome of the trial, but found it all very fascinating & genuinely enjoyed it.  I got on well with the other jury members & found their input interesting too.  A varied bunch of people & all decent folk.  A business owner, a brickie, a secretary, etc.  An old dear who sat there doing her knitting in the numerous quiet moments.

 

At the end of my 2 weeks jury service I got asked if I could do an extra week.  I would have loved to, but I had to sit my first year exams the following week.

 

I did speak to another chap one morning from a different trial.  He was a juror on a fraud case.  He had been there 2 months so far & he hated it.  I don't suppose all trials are going to be interesting.  It was horrendous, but feel quite lucky to have got the trial I did.

That case sounds hard going on all counts.Thugs and pictures.

That courtroom needs a damn good spruce up looks absolutely filthy or was it the murder scene?

In bygone days I went on work experience with the Police,Sting didn't like me in his personal space and said" don't stand....." They obviously wouldn't let you do that now,we had car chases,told to run back in the car when someone kicked off,photos of people killed in car crashes and when in the cells a post office raid gang was caught and they had to cover us with blankets and rush us out, unless that was a joke they were having on us to make us crap ourselves.loved it.

My jury service,I had 2 cases.First one was some scummy idiot who had stolen some money of an old dear.He was that thick it was funny listening to him.From the travelling community.Guilty as fook but got off on the 2nd morning due to a technicality .

Might have mentioned this on here before 2nd case was a case where an uncle had been touching the nieces (2 families)in the loft conversion.Not the best case when I first heard it and you thought scum as the kids were about 13,14, but as the case went on you realised something wasn't right.

The blokes sisters had fell out with their mother.He looked after his mum and paid her mortgage and when she died he got everything.Within a month that's when they raised this case.Alarm bells rang and then a builder gave evidence that the loft conversion that they all talked about Wasnt built for years after the alleged incedent.Just shows the lengths people go to.

Sometimes wonder 25 years later how their lives turned out.

.

[The Blur]

I would be not allowed to do it because I am deaf and would need an interpreter. The interpreter will be classed as the "13th" or "16th" member of the jury thus breaking the law so all deaf people are allowed to do it.  It is really daft because an interpreter will only translate and do not offer any judgements or opinions so he/she does not act as an extra member of the jury. There is a small campaign going at the moment about it but nobody is really that bothered because there are much more bigger issues out there at the moment. 

[stripeyfox]

I understand that many people's initial reaction is to "try and get out of it". Before I was called, I often thought about how I'd feel about being a juror and to be honest, the idea terrified me. But once I got the letter, I was clear in my own mind that I wanted to do it.

We had a very mixed group of people in the jury panel (there was around 40 of us to cover three trials going on at any one time). We had one juror who "celebrated" their 21st birthday whilst on jury service, and we all chipped in to have a mini "party" in the jury room at lunchtime.

It was very interesting and for the most part, enjoyable. Certainly made a change from my normal day to day job! One of the court clerk's said that they'd even had a couple who met on jury service end up getting married!

I'd urge anyone who gets called to embrace it.

[Rincewind]

I've  only done a mock one. It was when I went  on a tour of the old magistrates  court. We did  a case  called Girl on a Blue Bycicle. Which actually was famous and occurred in the 20/30's. A girl was murdered a nd bloke up for it was ex-army. Unfortunately we got the result wrong as jurors. Found him not guilty because of poor evidence but he confessed or was overheard boasting a few years later.There is abook of it somewhere. It happened outside a Leicester village.

 Not sure asto how I would feel being on a jury. I would hate to get it wrong whether for or against the defendant and not sure if I could contribute too much. You can only do your best though. I  think cases are rarely 100% proved even if a guilty vertict is returned and there would always be that thought in my head.

[Guest MattP]

I'd love to be called up for jury duty, especially if it was for a particularly compelling or heinous crime.

 

If you want to get out of it can't you just say you're racist or homophobic etc?

 

Edit: Babylon was a feisty one back then

 

Always reminds me of Curb that.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94zkBGm1IoU

[pSinatra]

That case sounds hard going on all counts.Thugs and pictures.

That courtroom needs a damn good spruce up looks absolutely filthy or was it the murder scene?

In bygone days I went on work experience with the Police,Sting didn't like me in his personal space and said" don't stand....." They obviously wouldn't let you do that now,we had car chases,told to run back in the car when someone kicked off,photos of people killed in car crashes and when in the cells a post office raid gang was caught and they had to cover us with blankets and rush us out, unless that was a joke they were having on us to make us crap ourselves.loved it.

My jury service,I had 2 cases.First one was some scummy idiot who had stolen some money of an old dear.He was that thick it was funny listening to him.From the travelling community.Guilty as fook but got off on the 2nd morning due to a technicality .

Might have mentioned this on here before 2nd case was a case where an uncle had been touching the nieces (2 families)in the loft conversion.Not the best case when I first heard it and you thought scum as the kids were about 13,14, but as the case went on you realised something wasn't right.

The blokes sisters had fell out with their mother.He looked after his mum and paid her mortgage and when she died he got everything.Within a month that's when they raised this case.Alarm bells rang and then a builder gave evidence that the loft conversion that they all talked about Wasnt built for years after the alleged incedent.Just shows the lengths people go to.

Sometimes wonder 25 years later how their lives turned out.

.

 

That's the courtroom when it closed, after they had built the new courthouse.  I think the old courthouse is a pub now?

 

When we were being sworn in, the defendents can ask for a different juror (not sure if they have to give a valid reason or they simply don't like the look of you?).  I've got a thick Leicester accent, but in Sheffield everyone thought I was a Cockney.  I thought they would refuse me for looking about 16 years old & being a dirty southerner.

 

I never got to hear the defendents as they never got to give evidence, but they didn't look the brightest.  They moved the body outside & tried to suggest it had all happened in the street.  How they were going to explain the bloodbath inside, his skin attached to their shoes, etc I've no idea.  They had given an alcoholic some money to go & get some alcohol from the local Spar.  He went missing for a couple of hours & came back wrecked.  He had drank it all, minus the money & minus any alcohol.  So they kicked the crap out of him.

 

The witnesses were tragic & were most likely pissed when they gave evidence.  The defence lawyer ripped them to shreds.  One of the witnesses told the court how he had once been an executive for a famous Nottingham chemist.  I suppose he was trying to show how he was somehow more believable because of this?  He was the biggest pisshead of the lot. The only reliable witness was an 80 year old woman who lived in the flat underneath who confirmed the time of the incident, because she remembered she was watching Heartbeat & couldn't hear the telly.

[stripeyfox]

I've only done a mock one. It was when I went on a tour of the old magistrates court. We did a case called Girl on a Blue Bycicle. Which actually was famous and occurred in the 20/30's. A girl was murdered a nd bloke up for it was ex-army. Unfortunately we got the result wrong as jurors. Found him not guilty because of poor evidence but he confessed or was overheard boasting a few years later.There is abook of it somewhere. It happened outside a Leicester village.

Not sure asto how I would feel being on a jury. I would hate to get it wrong whether for or against the defendant and not sure if I could contribute too much. You can only do your best though. I think cases are rarely 100% proved even if a guilty vertict is returned and there would always be that thought in my head.

That's a reasonable summing up. You don't know if you get it right or wrong. And it is equally important to consider the defendant as well as the victim. We struggled on one case because the defendant, the alleged victim and the key prosecution witness were all proved to have inconsistencies in their stories.

It weighs heavy on your mind to know you've sent a man to prison without ever being totally sure that it is the correct decision.

I ended up being jury foreman and felt it was important to make sure everybody contributed, even the jurors who were more quiet or shy. I also set out a "cooling off period" where we agreed that once we'd reached a decision we'd wait half an hour before calling the clerk so that anyone who felt they weren't happy could say so.

I'm sure you'd make a good contribution Ken!

[Freesolo]

anyone else got any ideas how to get out of it... not sure i'll get away with not speaking english!

 

Don't kno if anyone has mentioned this as a idea, I would go to my Doctor and tell him/her that you are suffering from anxiety or depression, its more than enough to get off with doing Jury duty something that is only going to cause you more stress and anxiety

[stripeyfox]

Don't kno if anyone has mentioned this as a idea, I would go to my Doctor and tell him/her that you are suffering from anxiety or depression, its more than enough to get off with doing Jury duty something that is only going to cause you more stress and anxiety

If you are genuinely suffering from a "mental health" problem then you can be exempted with a supporting letter from your doctor.

[Babylon]

Can I just state to all the people giving me advice, thanks for the posts, but I don't need to get out of jury duty... this thread is 10 years old!!!

[Freesolo]

Can I just state to all the people giving me advice, thanks for the posts, but I don't need to get out of jury duty... this thread is 10 years old!!!

did you go through with your Jury duty? What was the outcome? 

[ADK]

That case sounds hard going on all counts.Thugs and pictures.

That courtroom needs a damn good spruce up looks absolutely filthy or was it the murder scene?

In bygone days I went on work experience with the Police,Sting didn't like me in his personal space and said" don't stand....." They obviously wouldn't let you do that now,we had car chases,told to run back in the car when someone kicked off,photos of people killed in car crashes and when in the cells a post office raid gang was caught and they had to cover us with blankets and rush us out, unless that was a joke they were having on us to make us crap ourselves.loved it.

My jury service,I had 2 cases.First one was some scummy idiot who had stolen some money of an old dear.He was that thick it was funny listening to him.From the travelling community.Guilty as fook but got off on the 2nd morning due to a technicality .

Might have mentioned this on here before 2nd case was a case where an uncle had been touching the nieces (2 families)in the loft conversion.Not the best case when I first heard it and you thought scum as the kids were about 13,14, but as the case went on you realised something wasn't right.

The blokes sisters had fell out with their mother.He looked after his mum and paid her mortgage and when she died he got everything.Within a month that's when they raised this case.Alarm bells rang and then a builder gave evidence that the loft conversion that they all talked about Wasnt built for years after the alleged incedent.Just shows the lengths people go to.

Sometimes wonder 25 years later how their lives turned out.

.

Doesn't really say much about the quality of the police investigation if that loft wasn't even built. Always thought the police were supposed to do the gathering of evidence and then the CPS could choose to prosecute if it thought there was sufficient evidence.

[StanSP]

How do you get selected for this? Is it genuinely just random and if so, who chooses? If you're in a certain job do you get bypassed for selection?

[stripeyfox]

How do you get selected for this? Is it genuinely just random and if so, who chooses? If you're in a certain job do you get bypassed for selection?

It is random from the electoral roll. Anyone aged 18-75 can be called. There are some exemptions: Armed forces, legal professions or if you've been in prison can exempt you I think.

[Fatty Arbuckle]

Wasn't I a proper cockend

Good news, I got out of it anyway. They rang me up and said "we've got too many people, do you want to give it a miss".... errrrr yes.

I would absolutely love to do it, I'm still in the same situation I was back then... but **** my employer now. They have shown no loyalty to me.

Reading your posts now I would never have imagined you posting like that previously! I guess its a growing up thing, im sure I was the same but luckily for me I dont think there's any written proof! I think there's a lesson here for a few of todays posters!

Anyway, enough of my preaching and back on topic, I've always wanted to get called up for jury duty.

[Babylon]

Reading your posts now I would never have imagined you posting like that previously! I guess its a growing up thing, im sure I was the same but luckily for me I dont think there's any written proof! I think there's a lesson here for a few of todays posters!

Anyway, enough of my preaching and back on topic, I've always wanted to get called up for jury duty.

Probably just a bad day... Ha ha.

[peterborofox]

My girlfriends friend got chosen for this. She is Polish and was pretty pissed and concerned about doing it. She doesn't speak fluent English although she understands and speaks more than she lets on. She sent the forms back saying she can't do it because she hasnt been in this country the required five years which is criteria. Unsure if she has had a response yet.

Begs the question of should non British people be allowed on a jury? Just seems odd for it to happen when there must be many examples of Eastern European people especially not speaking great English and not being here long enough. Youd think the relevant authorities would know how long people have lived here etc before asking? Also you wouldn't expect foreigners to have a great knowledge on our laws etc in some crime cases.

Just thought it was odd how she got chosen really.

[ozleicester]

Interesting topic, hope more people contribute to this (and the legal system ).

 

Oh, and i cant tell the difference between Babs 2005 and 2015  

[DB11]

Begs the question of should non British people be allowed on a jury? Just seems odd for it to happen when there must be many examples of Eastern European people especially not speaking great English and not being here long enough. Youd think the relevant authorities would know how long people have lived here etc before asking? Also you wouldn't expect foreigners to have a great knowledge on our laws etc in some crime cases.

Are you being serious? Since when have members of the jury ever had to have a knowledge of the law? They decide matters of fact there are people paid a lot of money to decide on areas of law.

A jury is meant to represent society and there are people of different nationalities that live in England, and are tried in England, so of course they should be eligible for jury duty.