Bloody hell, two years to the minute after the last jury summons I've got my fourth summons. Edinburgh High Court (sitting in UCI Fort Kinnaird) again.
I've served on one and missed the ballot on two before now. I'm happy to do my civic duty but I'm getting a bit fed up with it. The one I served on was stressful enough even though it was just the sheriff court but I would have hated sitting through the last one at the High Court given how awful the charges were.
You can bet this one isn't going to be unpaid parking tickets. Argh.
And sitting in a cinema for 2 weeks during Covid doesn't fill me with joy.
Can any reader beat 4?
I've done zero, never been asked. That beats 4 doesn't it?
Nope - 1, 30odd years ago. Only lasted 3 days, really dull.
My wife has received three separate summons. Each time when she was heavily pregnant.
Tell them you're having a baby any day now. They let you off for that.
I'm tempted to go on holdiday the week before so that I have to self-islolate 🙂
4 times in the last 20 yrs .
MustB coz I is un upstandin citeezin.
Another no.
Guilty; taken from here etc and thence to a place of execution to be hanged by the neck until thou art dead.
And sitting in a cinema for 2 weeks during Covid doesn’t fill me with joy.
Do you get vouchers for the pick-n-mix?
Never been asked here either.
I've never received a summons - shame 'cos I imagine it to be interesting to see the legal system operate*.
*Although I fear that through experiencing it, I would be disappointed in discovering it too to be a farce.
I’m tempted to go on holdiday with Perchy the week before so that I get pregnant and have to self-islolate 🙂
Zero - I got called up many years ago but it was the week of the exams on my MSc.
I was excused but also told that if I was ever called up again I couldn't get out of it.
If you display some ill-judged opinions on social media the week before the trial, will they relieve you of the burden?
I'm afraid that I can mo longer assist you in that regard.
A trip to the vet's after panthercub number 3....
3 week vat fraud here, hanging was too good for them.
Although I fear that through experiencing it, I would be disappointed in discovering it too to be a farce.
That indeed, wuz my experience
I’ve never received a summons – shame ‘cos I imagine it to be interesting to see the legal system operate*.
*Although I fear that through experiencing it, I would be disappointed in discovering it too to be a farce.
In non-Covid times you can just turn up at (virtually) any trial, and observe justice in action. 95% of it will be dull as dishwater. I'm not sure you'd declare it a farce, but if you do decide its ridiculous, imagine you were accused of something you didn't do before defining the better solution.
In non-Covid times you can just turn up at (virtually) any trial, and observe justice in action. 95% of it will be dull as dishwater.
We did that in Boston (USA) - one of the group was a solicitor for the CPS so when we passed a court he said he wanted to see how it worked over there. It was indeed a a bit dull and we were trying to work out an exit plan when they called a recess, then the judge asked us for a chat to see why a bunch of tourists were visiting his court and he gave us the full lowdown on everything that was going on (drugs bust apparently).
Undoubtedly, but you might get locked up for contempt
Never been called up. I'm 42 now. Is that just luck or should I be worried that they have profiled me as not fit for jury duty.
an oap I know got called
she wrote to them saying she would love to do it, but
shes 77 and had to have a private room in order to do dialysis 4 times a day while everyone else waits
she was excused.
Once (defered). Then when it came round I had to turn down a chunk of work to keep my diary clear (pissing off the client to boot), then they sent me home at 11.59 so they didn't have to pay me even a day.
Not so much a farce, just run by self important selfish ****s.
Was called up around 31/2 years ago, was at the Old Bailey but was sent home 3 days in as they ran out of trials, was called up again about 26 months later (so just outside the 2 year window when you can refuse. Deferred until January this year and spent until Tuesday the second week sat in a waiting room before they sent me home again. Both times I was worrying about being unfortunate to get a long trial as my work is not something where they can just drop another drone into my seat and 2 weeks off is bad enough.
I have sat on two juries, one ned on ned violence and another domestic abuse. Been called up about six times, some just got cancelled and others i never got called to sit
Both times I was worrying about being unfortunate to get a long trial
In Glasgow if they think the trial will go on for more than a week they will try and tell you before. Not sure if that is the case everywhere
47 and never been called up. I’d also quite like to get called up and see the mechanics of how the justice system works. As above though, I can imagine the novelty wears off quite quickly.
I’d also quite like to get called up and see the mechanics of how the justice system works.
Badly I suspect.
Read The Secret Barrister....
47 and never been called up. I’d also quite like to get called up and see the mechanics of how the justice system works.
Lots of waiting will quickly bore you.
As a juror you don't get to see much more than you would if you were in the public gallery, less in some situations as you aren't allowed to hear some things. I've only served once, a High Court case sitting in Aberdeen. Being a high court case it's likely to be pretty serious I'm afraid.
That's me done for 5 years now and I'll likely be able to use a medical exemption from now on.
Equal on 4, only actually made it once, sherrif court, not called. All in the space of 10 years.
51 and never been called. Having read the Secret Barristers book, I'm quite glad
42 and only been called once, Elgin Sheriff Court. It was for some rather unsavoury historical charges. They did tell us before that it was expected to run for more than a week. My boss wrote them a letter asking that I be excused if possible as I was needed at work to complete a critical order. I'm not sure if it worked but I wasn't picked anyway thankfully.
It lasted 3 days and was found unanimously guilty.
Never been asked. Wouldn't object but I agree that four times is taking the piss a bit.
I imagine I'd feel marginally better being judged by 12 random people than a magistrate after reading The Secret Barrister.
I only know one magistrate and he's a raving Covid-19 conspiracy theorist. Doesn't inspire confidence that he could weigh up the evidence in Court.
I've done Edinburgh Crown Court and ended up at jury spokesperson for a child abuse case. Went in the first morning all light hearted and thinking it would be a laugh and a scive...harrowing to listen to. The first prosecution witness was the defendant's son 😪😕
Would love to do it again as it was fascinating. But half the jurors made their mind up in the first ten minutes and didn't give what they had to hear the attention that was needed.
I've done Edinburgh Crown Court and ended up at jury spokesperson for a child abuse case. Went in the first morning all light hearted and thinking it would be a laugh and a scive...harrowing to listen to. The first prosecution witness was the defendant's son 😪😕
Would love to do it again as it was fascinating. But half the jurors made their mind up in the first ten minutes and didn't give what they had to hear the attention that was needed.
Wear a square black hankie on yer heid during selection. You'll either be jailed or excused duty.
Once. Rape case. I was convinced the verdict should have been [i]not guilty[/i] but there was a small majority the other way. I felt really bad afterwards that I hadn't done enough to persuade a couple of other folk to my way of thinking. The accused was Asian and a couple of folk on the jury had made up their minds he was guilty before we'd even heard any evidence. The guilty verdict put the shitters up me for a while but it was subsequently overturned on appeal.
My partner was dragged into one of Britain's longest fraud trials a couple of years ago. It went on for months and months. The case only really came to an end eventually because the jury were threatening to mutiny, and a retrial was being threatened. The whole thing was a nightmare.
You don't want a fraud case, they go on for weeks.
In Glasgow if they think the trial will go on for more than a week they will try and tell you before
You don’t want a fraud case, they go on for weeks.
Indeed 😉
> http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-40258980
a trial so long the judge reached retirement part way through it
Inelegible, and thank God for it.
I don't envy anyone who has to do this, as its no box of chocolates and whatever you get might be utterly horrific and live with you for the rest of your life.
half the jurors made their mind up in the first ten minutes and didn’t give what they had to hear the attention that was needed.
I kinda assumed that was why it's supposed to be unanimous. So you only need one intelligent person out of 12 to force it.
Flippin’ heck! How come I haven’t been called? I would love to serve on a jury. At least I think I would. But only got asked once, and it was a few months before I became a UK citizen, so I wasn’t eligible. Now I am, so if you don’t want to do it, tell them to call me!
I did it about ten years ago. I ended up on a money laundering case of a guy that sold aeroplanes to Venezuelan drug traffickers. The case lasted a few weeks and we had experts from across the world and an agents from the US (can't remember if it was CIA or FBI). I found it really interesting. The jury deliberated for nearly three days to make sure we'd covered every point. Pretty much everyone was onboard with the process of going through everything with a fine tooth comb. Might have helped that the judge instructed us that they needed a unanimous verdict. It was the opposite of the experience of others on here; a heartening inside view of the justice system and how your peers can actually be trusted. It's sad to hear that's not always the case though. We ended up finding the guy not guilty and I now decent knowledge of why certain aircraft are popular with drug runners. I've yet to make use of that particular knowledge though.
Edinburgh Crown Court
No you didn't!
I've done one....... it was absolutely farcical, left me raging.
A week and a half of just sitting around twiddling thumbs in a waiting area, then get assigned a case: Chav #1 makes some vague threat to kill Chav #2. Then just loads of "hurry-up and wait" type stuff for the next 3/4 of a day. Finally start hearing the case and in her initial statement, Chav #2 makes reference to another outstanding charge against Chav #1.
Apparently the Jury can't unhear that, and so we are dismissed as tainted and replaced with another Jury.
That was in maybe 2005, so hopefully that have got a bit more respectful of peoples time by then.... their whole attitude of "put your life on hold for 2 weeks: just in case we might need you" was pretty galling
scotroutes
Free MemberOnce. Rape case. I was convinced the verdict should have been not guilty but there was a small majority the other way. I felt really bad afterwards that I hadn’t done enough to persuade a couple of other folk to my way of thinking. The accused was Asian and a couple of folk on the jury had made up their minds he was guilty before we’d even heard any evidence.
Is there not a process where you can report that sort of thing to the court?
I loved jury duty when I did it a few years back, I was on some really interesting cases and I learned a lot.
Some were worried about work and losing money but luckily I was in a job that was easily handled by others if I wasn't there and my company made up the difference between jury duty pay and my salary.
Just out of curiosity, all those saying it was a waste of their time - how would you prefer to be tried if you were facing a criminal trial?
The Secret Barristers book us a damning summary of the mess the system is in due to underfunding, but even he can't see a better alternative.
I’ve had 2, first one was donkeys years back when I was in the Navy and although I could have dodged it I wasn’t going to knock a couple of weeks at home!
Did my last one 2 years ago this month, bloody awful thing, knocked me for some time afterwards. Some horrible things happen to people.
Wear a square black hankie on yer heid during selection. You’ll either be jailed or excused duty.
HAH!
Been called once to the local Crown Court, was over 10 years ago now. Quite a lot of sitting around and getting bored until we were called for a case. I think I did two cases in two weeks. Each lasted about three days. Nothing particularly upsetting, drugs and GBH. Was interesting seeing how it worked. Most of the other people on the jury seemed pretty sound TBH.
Even got my train travel and lunch paid for and it was normally a nice late start (10am) and early ish finish. So almost like a mini break.
Four times does seem a bit excessive.
Just out of curiosity, all those saying it was a waste of their time – how would you prefer to be tried if you were facing a criminal trial?
By Jury obviously.
That doesn't mean I expect the system to force under duress those jurors to take two weeks holiday or unpaid, or if they're freelance like me turn down whole blocks of work.
If it was a job interview you'd walk out, but ironically if you did you'd end up in front of a jury.
Just out of curiosity, all those saying it was a waste of their time – how would you prefer to be tried if you were facing a criminal trial?
By a randomly selected professional jurors - from a large enough pool with enough checks and balances so as to keep corruption at a level that is representative of the population but not representative of the general publics crass stupidity.
