Jury Service?? - Page 7

Bagpuss · 03-04-2008, 19:58

This is going to do my head in when I do my bit in May, I am an active person who can't stand hanging around doing nothing. I can see myself getting so frustrated that I will be off and get fined £1000 or whatever it is.

Lilly · 03-04-2008, 20:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bagpuss

This is going to do my head in when I do my bit in May, I am an active person who can't stand hanging around doing nothing. I can see myself getting so frustrated that I will be off and get fined £1000 or whatever it is.

I hope that you don't have an experience like mine, Bagpuss. If money was no object I'd have willingly handed over £1000 by now just to get out of there. When all this is over I hope I never have to set foot in that building ever again.

Yet another wasted day today. We arrived at 10.30am. There were quite a few people milling about today, barristers, police, ordinary people who were probably friends and relatives of the people involved in the trial.
We were quite hopeful that something was finally about to happen.

We sat in the jury room chatting and doing crosswords all morning, lunch time came at 1pm and nothing at all had happened.

We were told to go for lunch and come back at 2.15pm. At 2.45pm the usher came in and would you believe it? The defendant had just pleaded guilty to his charge, there would be no trial and we were free to go home.

No trials start on a Friday so we have been told to return for our second week of jury service on Monday at 10.30am. The usher apologised to us for a week's worth of our time being wasted. I would hate to have his job, none of this is his fault but I bet he gets so much abuse and anger directed at him out of sheer frustration.

When we had our first wasted day on Monday I never dreamt that we would get to the end of the week and still be in the same position, incarcerated in that jury room every day, never setting foot in a court room.

I hope to God that next week is not a repeat of this week. If so, I fear for my sanity.

slinky · 03-04-2008, 20:51

Bloody hell Lilly, what a nightmare

How long does this go on for??

Royboy39 · 03-04-2008, 20:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bagpuss

This is going to do my head in when I do my bit in May, I am an active person who can't stand hanging around doing nothing. I can see myself getting so frustrated that I will be off and get fined £1000 or whatever it is.

You dont need to do that...just pinch an apple and get caught...appear in court...get a slapped hand and never do jury service again.

Lilly · 03-04-2008, 20:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by slinky

Bloody hell Lilly, what a nightmare

How long does this go on for??

Thanks for your sympathy, Slinky.

It is a nightmare. One that I hope to wake up from very soon.

I was called up for 2 weeks. I've just done week one so next week will be my last week.........forever, I hope.

slinky · 03-04-2008, 20:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilly

Thanks for your sympathy, Slinky.

It is a nightmare. One that I hope to wake up from very soon.

I was called up for 2 weeks. I've just done week one so next week will be my last week.........forever, I hope.

I hope for your sake it's forever too!! and I have changed my mind!! I don't want to do Jury service THANKYOU!

BERNADETTE · 03-04-2008, 21:20

Sounds like a complete nightmare Lilly hope I never get called

Lilly · 03-04-2008, 21:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by BERNADETTE

Sounds like a complete nightmare Lilly hope I never get called

It's been dreadful, Bernadette. I hope you or anyone else on here never get called. I think I've managed to sour a few people's minds to the idea of jury service with tales of my experience of it.

BERNADETTE · 03-04-2008, 21:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilly

It's been dreadful, Bernadette. I hope you or anyone else on here never get called. I think I've managed to sour a few people's minds to the idea of jury service with tales of my experience of it.

After reading your story I would try my best to avoid it though I know you can't just refuse to attend. Hope things look up a bit next week. Reading between the lines it sounds as if the accused are acting on advice from their counsel and changing their plea at the last minute.

Lilly · 03-04-2008, 21:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by BERNADETTE

After reading your story I would try my best to avoid it though I know you can't just refuse to attend. Hope things look up a bit next week. Reading between the lines it sounds as if the accused are acting on advice from their counsel and changing their plea at the last minute.

You're right, Bernadette. You can't just refuse to attend without very good reason. You can defer if you are called up and you will be on holiday that week but then they will just send for you later on in the year.

Re the guilty pleas, it appears that barristers do everything possible to get defendants to plead guilty before the trial. This way the barristers still get their wages but have less work to do. They don't have to read through reams of evidence and go to the trouble of cross examining people.

For the defendant, pleading guilty before the trial starts rather than being found guilty by a jury gets them a lesser sentence. The barristers do all kinds of bargaining with them. Very often the barristers have a very good idea that their client will plead guilty but until the defendant has officially stood in the dock and said the word 'guilty' they cannot dismiss the people waiting in the jury room in case he suddenly changes his mind at the last minute then the case would go to trial and the jury would be needed.

BERNADETTE · 03-04-2008, 21:47

Like everthing else it seems to be all about money.

Lilly · 03-04-2008, 21:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by BERNADETTE

Like everthing else it seems to be all about money.

The usher said to us that it's all a game and the barristers are actors. Even if they know a defendant is guilty, a 'good' defence barrister will do everything they can to make out that they're not and get them released.

BERNADETTE · 03-04-2008, 21:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilly

The usher said to us that it's all a game and the barristers are actors. Even if they know a defendant is guilty, a 'good' defence barrister will do everything they can to make out that they're not and get them released.

Unfortunately it is their job but how they can sleep at night after getting someone off who they know is guilty of a serious charge is beyond me. Suppose somebody has to do it

cherokee · 03-04-2008, 22:28

Id hate to do jury service . Ive known a couple of folk do it and they say same as lily . the amount of hanging around is dreadful, with exception to one who was in some big trial and he said it were pretty awesome.
Good luck next week though lily.

garinda · 03-04-2008, 23:00

What a nightmare, I'd be tearing my hair out too.

I guess I was really lucky.

In the two weeks I did it, whilst in London, I had one trial each week, both trials lasting exactly a week.

I found it stressful, abut certainly not boring, which I'm sure I would have done, if I'd been twiddling my thumbs for all that time.

I hope next week is much more interesting for you.