Jury Service

[Flagdeck]

I don't know whether this is correct forum for this, I'm sure I'll be redirected if not.
I've just been notified that I am required for jury service in March.
I'm sure some of you RR's out there have experience of jury service, if so, can you give me some idea of what I can expect. I feel sure SPB can offer pearls of his wisdom.

 

[Dredd]

Start with the attitude "he's guilty" and wait to be persuaded otherwise.

Or is it the other way round? :scratch:

 

[finknottle]

Start with the attitude "he's guilty" and wait to be persuaded otherwise.

Or is it the other way round? :scratch:

In the time honoured tradition of the service.

 

[finknottle]

I don't know whether this is correct forum for this, I'm sure I'll be redirected if not.
I've just been notified that I am required for jury service in March.
I'm sure some of you RR's out there have experience of jury service, if so, can you give me some idea of what I can expect. I feel sure SPB can offer pearls of his wisdom.

I am sure he can as he carries out the duties of Judge (skip the jury) and executioner.

 

[Flagdeck]

I wonder, when the culprit is marched in, will someone say..........'off caps'

 

[Sharkey]

Did it for a month, if there is more than one case, names are picked out of a hat, so you could end up doing more than one, I copped for two, locked in a room with a bunch of people, some of whome, you wouldnt want to make a decision on what to have for lunch.

 

[trelawney126]

Don't google the suspects and tell other jurors as they'll drop you in it. Let some other bugger do the foreman of the jury bit and don't be adrift.

 

[WreckerL]

This may be of assistance

Blackadder is court-martialled - Blackadder - BBC - YouTube

 

[Flagdeck]

Don't google the suspects and tell other jurors as they'll drop you in it. Let some other bugger do the foreman of the jury bit and don't be adrift.

I've changed it now, but my signature used to be.....never volunteer for anything, and always sit at the back. thanx for that trel.

 

[guestm]

Sit around and wait a lot, get to have a go. Spend 4 hours banging your head against a brick wall because a fat woman can't make her mind up and likes being the centre of attention. Gasp in awe as others decide based on "the way he looked at us" or "he sounds posh, he didn't do it."

Never again.

 

[Guzzler]

I've never done it but would love to.

I want to see the bastards swing y'see.

 

[smeeg]

If a serviceman was called for jury service would he be able to get out of it easier? I have no idea of how this works!

 

[Waspie]

There all guilty otherwise they wouldn't be in court.

The police never get it wrong!!!!!!

Hang em all.

 

[pie.thatcher]

I did jury service a couple of years ago. They called forward 5 complete jury's for two cases, two reasons, they don't know how long a trial will take, and how many jurors wont be able to sit (for many reasons). We had our own canteen and rest room, which we were not allowed to leave. But make sure you read the instructions as sent to you. Foe example they would only pay parking at the "Park n Ride" not the higher costs in the city centre car parks. If you are going to loose pay, you need a form from your employer stating your daily rate of pay. This plus expences (petrol. bus fairs, parking and subsistance ) were all paid before we left the court on the last day of the trial. Hope this helps, Oh I did mine in Exeter.

 

[Flagdeck]

I've never done it but would love to.

I want to see the bastards swing y'see.

Ah, so it's selective death penalty now, Guzz ?......your alter ego on CA needs a good talking to. Somehow I can't see you cheering when the guy with the wig puts a black silk hankie on his head. Maybe CA Guzz is the real you.

 

[Rumrat]

I thought I'd escaped it when I was summonsed to go, I had another offer.
I was summonsed as a witness for the prosecution at Suffolk crown court.
About seven weeks after that concluded they got me at Stafford. Four friggin weeks to try a bugger who had tried to top his Mrs.
If she had been mine I wouldn't have failed.
He should have come on here for some advice.

 

[MG Maniac]

It depends on which court you get called for ... apparently there are differerences however

Got called up for Jury Service a while back for County Court so tipped up in suit / tie looking quite dapper (this is important)

Sat around in a room with the Jury Pool drinking crap coffee and munching sarnies (don't forget to take bag rats) and good book!

Baliff comes in and calls a list of names and you get waltzed into the court room just with the beak, lawyers (for and against) and the miscreant sitting in the bit with spikes round!

Once you are in there the lawyers "select" the jury ... this is where the "dress in a suit & tie" comes in as mostly the "for" laywer doesn't want any upstanding members of the community on the jury coz they are more likely to return a guilty verdict then you get thanked for your efforts and returned to the jury pool ... what they want is "peers" of the miscreant from the local council housing estate who are more likely to think that the accused is an all round bon oeuf and good egg ... eventually they think you are making the place look untidy and send you off home but they "may call on you for the duration of your jury service". I think I spent about 3 hours in the Court house and only 15 mins of that was in a court room before I got told to foxtrot oscar!

 

[Flagdeck]

It depends on which court you get called for ... apparently there are differerences however

Got called up for Jury Service a while back for County Court so tipped up in suit / tie looking quite dapper (this is important)

Sat around in a room with the Jury Pool drinking crap coffee and munching sarnies (don't forget to take bag rats) and good book!

Baliff comes in and calls a list of names and you get waltzed into the court room just with the beak, lawyers (for and against) and the miscreant sitting in the bit with spikes round!

Once you are in there the lawyers "select" the jury ... this is where the "dress in a suit & tie" comes in as mostly the "for" laywer doesn't want any upstanding members of the community on the jury coz they are more likely to return a guilty verdict then you get thanked for your efforts and returned to the jury pool ... what they want is "peers" of the miscreant from the local council housing estate who are more likely to think that the accused is an all round bon oeuf and good egg ... eventually they think you are making the place look untidy and send you off home but they "may call on you for the duration of your jury service". I think I spent about 3 hours in the Court house and only 15 mins of that was in a court room before I got told to foxtrot oscar!

Crown court...............better wear a suit............anyone got one ..... 44 long last time I bought one.

 

[Rumrat]

On a Pedantic note, why would there be a jury in a county court, which are concerned with debt, non payment of bills, and infringments of civil rights. All matters non crimminal.
A magistrates court for sentences up to 6 months and debt to the offices of government.
Crown for the rest.
Unless you go upmarket to high courts or european types.

 

[DogzBollx]

Probably not the right attitude, but us servicemen (retired) often have other stuff to do with our time and have pretty fixed attitudes to scrotes that find themselves in front of the bench. (I know there'll be howls of objections that I'm not doing my public duty - hell's teeth I did that when I was serving!)
I've managed to avoid jury service for 20 years by responding to the calling notice with a polite letter saying that I believe in Capital punishment and that my conviction is that if someone's in front of a Court they wouldn't be there if they were innocent. This seems to work.
If on the otherhand you want to spend an unspecified amount of time with a bunch of people (including some real weirdos) who you would rather not be with, then turn up on the day wearing your regimental tie, brightly polished shoes and a suit.