Has anyone seen the US TV program Jury Duty? A tad over the top but funny, everyone is an actor, (one well known one who is playing himself) apart from one poor bloke.
Has anyone seen the US TV program Jury Duty? A tad over the top but funny, everyone is an actor, (one well known one who is playing himself) apart from one poor bloke.
Yeah I quite enjoyed it tbf. Like you say ott but funny.
When I was on jury service on an assault case, the defendant would sit on his motorbike outside the court each morning and say Hello Juror to each of us as we turned up at court trying to intimidate us. On the final day of evidence I saw him get out of a taxi and he still said good morning Juror. I just replied “no bike today?, wise decision “ and walked in.
As others have said, I really enjoyed my 3 week stint on a rather gruesome murder case. I was also lucky that I was only hanging around for a couple of days before being called up.
My wife got the letter some 23 years ago when our twins had just been born so she was excused but she has never been asked since.
As others have said, I really enjoyed my 3 week stint on a rather gruesome murder case. I was also lucky that I was only hanging around for a couple of days before being called up.
My wife got the letter some 23 years ago when our twins had just been born so she was excused but she has never been asked since.
I think excused is different from defferred, defferral means you get get called in next 12 months and excused means you just dont have to do it
I have ADHD and struggle staying still for large amounts of time, I'm also hugely uninterested in the whole process, but as a hospitality worker who earns less than his partner and with no kids or other dependents to speak of, I know I'll have to do it if I get the summons, and I'll dread the day it happens to be honest
Called in once and I said that I was too busy and they deferred for 52 weeks. They contacted me again after 52 weeks and I had to go to the old Bailey. Absolutely dreaded going. I took with me a hangover and kept my head down when the names were called out. Thinking they had forgotten me and then my heart sank when I heard my name being called. We lined up in the corridor and were told that we had to get a taxi to the financial court somewhere in great Portland place. As we lined up to be called in to be accepted I stood at the back of the queue. The first 12 were accepted and I was surplus and told I could go home and no longer required. Result. The guy before me that was also told he was no longer required was gutted. I just went off to a pub to celebrate my escape. 🤓
Has anyone got any experience of deferring jury service?
I've been called up for a couple of months time. I'm going to be on holiday then (teacher) and I have a new born baby so I am very much hoping that I can defer it! Both of these are listed as reasons as being able to no do it.
I think my partner might crumble up in a corner if she doesn't have me being at home to share the load to look forward to.
Have always wanted to do it so hopefully they'll agree to defer it to the new year
I did jury service last year and deferred it from March to June. I was actually out of the country (for 2 months) when the summons arrived, and missed the deadline to respond to it - but I rang them and they did not give me a hard time about it. It was easy to defer and select a new date - but as others have indicated, you only get one chance to do that - so pick a date carefully.
I have ADHD and struggle staying still for large amounts of time, I'm also hugely uninterested in the whole process, but as a hospitality worker who earns less than his partner and with no kids or other dependents to speak of, I know I'll have to do it if I get the summons, and I'll dread the day it happens to be honest
I'm with you, I would dread a call up tbh. I'm one of them who struggles to keep their eyes open in any meeting beyond 30 mins.
I got called up a couple of years back to Woolwich. Went down the court with an empty Sainsbury’s pladtic bag and wearing a trackie. They interviewed me and I struggled to tell them my name and address. A very sympathetic lady told me I wouldn’t be needed this week and they would phone to let me know if I would be needed the following week….surprisingly I wasn’t required.
Fantastic fully paid fortnight off work. I’d highly recommend this approach to others. You can get through a few seasons of Judge Judy with the time off…
I’m amazed to hear that so many people are getting deferred, I got the dreaded call about 10 weeks prior going on a 73 night holiday, I tried to explain that I was extremely busy with work (I own a company) and needed the time prior to prepare for the company for ny absence. No you are required was the reply, but we will only put you on a case that that will last for two weeks. Turned up at the London crown court, they said the case would only last two weeks. It was a horrendous case, involving children abuse. It lasted 2 weeks and 2 days (we lost a couple of days through the boiler breaking down and it was to cold to sit in court all day even with coats on, the temperature was only15c and a further day for because they arranged for the incorrect interpreter to be present and the witness couldn’t understand her). It was a very difficult case to be on as all the witnesses and the defendant couldn’t speak English so everything was done via an interpreter and even the witnesses lied or gave false / differing statements, ie were your wife in the house when the offences took place, husband said no she was at work, wife said she was in the house. The actual details of the case were terrible to sit through, we were all badly affected.
The judge acknowledged the problems we were having coming to a decision, but told us to ignore all the witnesses and defendant statement and just base our decisions on the very young girls interview by the police (what brilliant coppers interviewed the girls at one time one broke down in tears). Anyway the defendant was found guilty, and even though the sentence was delayed the judge told us the minimum sentence he was giving out was 22 years, and he would probably add on some more on top of this because he could under some recently introduced laws, and the defendant was going to be deported to Bolivia to serve some of his sentence.
Looking back on the experience it wasn’t good, I didn’t realise that such horrible people existed, but I’m glad that I did it, as some animal got his just rewards for his actions, I feel I done my duty, which after all without 12 just people doing there’s the long standing system of being tried by your peers would collapse. Everyone in court was offered counselling from the judge down to the ushers, and a note was put on the jurors records that they are excused sitting again.
There are those people that love jury service and those that don’t. I think that there are plenty of people that would go and their records should be noted as keen. And those that don’t like doing it with a don’t call them again. My brother went on Jury service 3 times. One of the cases lasted a couple of months and the duty were put up in a hotel to come to a verdict (there was one person who disagreed and stood firm) for 3 days. He loved it!
Seeing this thread made me google the case I was on back in 2011. 5 or 6 weeks I was up there which at the time I didnt mind. It was a bribery case which was fcking boring and had witnesses reading out work emails. We got shown some of the gifts which had been given to the boss of a big company who couldn't actually be there as he committed suicide prior to the case.
I'd do everything I could to get out of it now if I was to get called up again.
Never been called up, too old now, but any jury with me on would take double or treble the usual time to reach a verdict because I would want to examine in detail every word said or spoken, and every dot and comma. I also learned that jurors are allowed to ask questions, I would be asking a question every five minutes.
Only been called the once. Up to Southwark Crown Court many years ago. Had to sit around for the first week & a half. The canteen/waiting area was on the ground floor looking straight out at the Belfast and all the tourists. People seemed to keep to themselves so, after the first day I took in a book and earphones.
Finally called to a case and went into court. Before anyone else appeared, the judge told us that it was a very unusual case. The defendant had been deemed mentally unfit to stand trial. As such, we were being presented with the evidence and would be asked not if they were guilty/not guilty but whether he did or did not commit the crime.
Everyone else was then brought in. Defendant had two guards, two male nurses and three(!) interpreters. We were shown cctv evidence, which clearly showed the defendant committing the crime (attacking workers in a take away, with a cleaver). One of the witnesses/victims was an overseas student. He’d been caught by the cleaver and had tendons cut. Had lost use of his hand and was quite obviously traumatised which, having seen the cctv, was unsurprising.
We all went to the jury room, all said he’d obviously done it, but we needed a break before we went back in. Had coffees/teas and then went back to confirm he had indeed committed the crime.
That was it. Lasted about 90 minutes in all. Met a young neighbour, whose family I had known for years. He was a night watchman on a trading estate I think. Was on his 17th week of a financial fraud trial. Told me he didn’t have a clue what they were talking about, but he was getting paid and preferred sitting around during the day to doing it at night 🤦🏻♂️
I was called to the Old Bailey then transferred, before I'd even started to Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand about 25 years ago. The case was a libel one and was quite looking forward to a bit of celebrity gossip/entertainment. We all sat round for about an hour while the court discussed bits and pieces then the judge asked us into court. He told us all had been settled, we weren't need and as it was so close to Christmas it was not worth starting any more cases. And that is all, (1 1/2 hours), I have ever done. Total waste of everyone's time.
Done it twice, loved it. Hope I get called again sometime. Some people on the juries were very frustrating though. My second time it was a sexual assault and attempted rape of a young lad, 15. Once back in the jury room a couple of people wanted to have a vote to see where we stood, voted 9 to 3 to acquit. I was one of the three. Spent the next couple of hours trying to change the minds of the three of us so we could wrap it up and go home. One wavered but two of us stood firm. So the next day we got into serious discussions on the actual evidence, testimonies etc. After a couple of days we found him guilty by 11 to 1. Once back in court a couple of the women juries cried when his previous was read out, all he could do was smirk. Thankfully he got jail time.
If you get called, take your duty seriously and don’t allow yourself to get railroaded into making a decision to please others.
Only done it once, we reluctantly found the defendant guilty under the Law of Joint Enterprise. I understand why that law exists, but it needs to be modified.
Got called once, a lot of sitting around and was eventually released without doing it. The jury system is a good thing IMO, a lot better than those places where everything is decided by a judge.
Re my comment above, just to add a few things, I was amazed at how little time of the 2 weeks 2 days we spent in court, we kept being sent out for discussions between the high court judge and the barristers, I think we only managed to complete one full day, and that was the video evidence of the young girls, who were videoed being cross examined by both the defence and prosecution, it was so gently and humanly undertaken by both barrister, and the method involved was so caring. One girl was 3 and had her doll with her. It was so moving that when you glanced around the majority was in tears including me. Went home had a few drinks and didn’t sleep that night. But what made it worse was that you couldn’t discuss the case even with your wife, obviously she knew I was very upset, but you couldn’t tell here why.
The judge after the 6 guilty verdict was given explained the reason for the continual delays, basically a few months previously the defendant had pleaded guilty to a similar offence which the judge heard, and was awaiting to pass sentence after this case was heard (the defended had pleaded not guilty to the trail we were on). Probably understandable the defence didn’t want any mention of the previous trail, so all cross examinations had to be agreed prior to the jury being in court.
Back in the early 90's the law firm i was working was working on the Blue Arrow SFO trial. Bloody hell it went on for a year... imagine getting called up for that - took over peoples lives. I remember popping in and the jurors looked bored out of their minds, just regular people who probably didnt understand half the stuff. I think there may have been a review of how fraud trials went on after that one... as it turned in to a bit of a disaster. For the SFO, not for lawyers who coined it in.
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Has anyone seen the US TV program Jury Duty? A tad over the top but funny, everyone is an actor, (one well known one who is playing himself) apart from one poor bloke.
My wife got the letter some 23 years ago when our twins had just been born so she was excused but she has never been asked since.
I'd do everything I could to get out of it now if I was to get called up again.
I also learned that jurors are allowed to ask questions, I would be asking a question every five minutes.
Finally called to a case and went into court. Before anyone else appeared, the judge told us that it was a very unusual case. The defendant had been deemed mentally unfit to stand trial. As such, we were being presented with the evidence and would be asked not if they were guilty/not guilty but whether he did or did not commit the crime.
And that is all, (1 1/2 hours), I have ever done. Total waste of everyone's time.
If you get called, take your duty seriously and don’t allow yourself to get railroaded into making a decision to please others.
The judge after the 6 guilty verdict was given explained the reason for the continual delays, basically a few months previously the defendant had pleaded guilty to a similar offence which the judge heard, and was awaiting to pass sentence after this case was heard (the defended had pleaded not guilty to the trail we were on). Probably understandable the defence didn’t want any mention of the previous trail, so all cross examinations had to be agreed prior to the jury being in court.
Never been called.