BELLAMYS END
Well-Known Member
Chris in London said:
wasn't a fraud case, was a little bit more interesting than that.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Jury service
- Thread starter Benarbia_is_god
- Start date
wasn't a fraud case, was a little bit more interesting than that.
Chris in London
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 21 Sep 2009
- Messages
- 13,170
BELLAMYS END said:Chris in London said:BELLAMYS END said:Did a 3 month trial, its fucking dull.
Fraud trials usually are
wasn't a fraud case, was a little bit more interesting than that.
Most trials that long are. What was yours?
yeseye
Well-Known Member
Did a 3 month trial.
I'd have gladly swapped places with the conman by the end of it!
I'd have gladly swapped places with the conman by the end of it!
I did jury service in the early 80s. The first case lasted a week. A Polish guy in a drunken stupor took his wife hostage, with a knife to her throat. The police turned up, and eventually disarmed him. We sat through two days of evidence and then the accused took to the witness box. "No comment" he responded to his first question from the prosecution and the judge told him that wasn't a satisfactory response. He was found guilty. I still remember his name and address (208 Heywood Street, Cheetham Hill).
The second case was a speeding case. Another guilty.
I was called again about ten years later to the courts in Crown Square. The first was a case of a young man accused of raping a girl of 18 with Down syndrome. He said he didn't know she had Down syndrome. It was obvious she had it. The judge said she might be considered to be 'defective', which is a legal term meaning she needs the protection of the law because she was incapable of making certain decisions for herself, such as consenting to having sex. Some members of the jury thought it offensive to class the girl as defective, so they refused to find the guy guilty. It was a hung jury. It was frustrating trying to get them to see sense, but they weren't for changing their minds.
We had another rape case, and one of handling stolen goods, then on my last day I was transferred to Minshull Street to sit on a jury for a two week case about to start. It was a drugs case, very interesting.
All in all, an interesting experience, but it does make you think that there must be many innocent people convicted, and many guilty set free. There are plenty of idiots on juries. One of our foremen delivered an incorrect verdict to the judge. We were frantically indicating to the judge that there was about to be an inadvertent miscarriage of justice, until he went back for the correct decision.
Take a good book, and be prepared for lots of waiting around.
The second case was a speeding case. Another guilty.
I was called again about ten years later to the courts in Crown Square. The first was a case of a young man accused of raping a girl of 18 with Down syndrome. He said he didn't know she had Down syndrome. It was obvious she had it. The judge said she might be considered to be 'defective', which is a legal term meaning she needs the protection of the law because she was incapable of making certain decisions for herself, such as consenting to having sex. Some members of the jury thought it offensive to class the girl as defective, so they refused to find the guy guilty. It was a hung jury. It was frustrating trying to get them to see sense, but they weren't for changing their minds.
We had another rape case, and one of handling stolen goods, then on my last day I was transferred to Minshull Street to sit on a jury for a two week case about to start. It was a drugs case, very interesting.
All in all, an interesting experience, but it does make you think that there must be many innocent people convicted, and many guilty set free. There are plenty of idiots on juries. One of our foremen delivered an incorrect verdict to the judge. We were frantically indicating to the judge that there was about to be an inadvertent miscarriage of justice, until he went back for the correct decision.
Take a good book, and be prepared for lots of waiting around.
A
A
Anonymous
Guest
mick10 said:Yep early 90's. Rape trial found him guilty. 2weeks in the Crown court. Wrong to say it was interesting I guess because of the nature of the case. It's strange in honesty. Judge'll tell you not to make any pre conceived ideas before you hear all the evidence. Of course you don't. Starts off 'Oh that fuckers guilty!' Next set of evidence...'Oh he didn't do it!' Then he did...........No he didn't.....he di............ Until you actually realise, you do need to wait. 7years he got.
That's a long time for a rape trial ..... i'd expect the vast majority of those type of cases are concluded within three days , at the most.
I've done it twice. The first time was at Manchester crown court, and there was none of the waiting around that can be part and parcel of life as a juror. As soon as one case finished, we were sworn in on another. The last case we covered was being reported in the national press so it was interesting to read what had been going on the day before.
The second time was at Sale magistrates court which was being used as a satellite crown court at the time as some of the court rooms in Manchester were being refurbished. It was the complete opposite. During the two weeks we had one shoplifting case that lasted a day and a half, and as it was at the end of our stint, the judge apologised to us.
I found it an interesting experience when I was in court, and there can be some surprises along the way. The number of people who fall asleep, the way the defence barrister can look you in the eye, the reaction of the defendant, how peoples recollections of what happened can differ, but also how some of your fellow jurors can reach their verdict when you are deliberating the case. They come to the same conclusion as you do, but you have no understanding of their logic, even after they have explained it in detail.
The second time was at Sale magistrates court which was being used as a satellite crown court at the time as some of the court rooms in Manchester were being refurbished. It was the complete opposite. During the two weeks we had one shoplifting case that lasted a day and a half, and as it was at the end of our stint, the judge apologised to us.
I found it an interesting experience when I was in court, and there can be some surprises along the way. The number of people who fall asleep, the way the defence barrister can look you in the eye, the reaction of the defendant, how peoples recollections of what happened can differ, but also how some of your fellow jurors can reach their verdict when you are deliberating the case. They come to the same conclusion as you do, but you have no understanding of their logic, even after they have explained it in detail.