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Old 14-10-2009, 18:05   #6
g jones
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Re: I've been summoned

I did Jury Service last year Jaysay. It can be boring or interesting in the extreme's. Take a good book, I'd recommend one by an old author, Fred Engles; Condition of the Working Classes it's called or something that will keep you from boredom such as The Entire Works of a chap called Marks.

You go an hour early on the Monday. You are all isolated. About 24 of you. Here will be about 4 cases. If they all plead guilty then you return Tuesday. It takes till about 1pm to resolve what is happening.

If one pleads not guilty then a jury is required. Some choose not guilty simply because the sentence is too much for themnot to contest it in hope so you get 4 days of lies and excuses. You'll be sat around for 2 hours before all the prelims are heard and a jury requested. They pick numbers, 16 from 24. Then you enter the court and they pick numbers again, 12 from 16. If your are not part of the 12 you still have to wait in the waiting room all week just in case or if another jury is required.

You will be group 1 on week 1. Another group of 24 will be on their week 2 and will form a 2nd jury.

I was picked in the 12 on both weeks. One was a pedophile. Simple case. He did it and played on her admission of promiscuity and her sexual demands. Guilty, under age. The 4 day case was tiring as his arguments went on and on and on with the barristers calling for this adjournment and that adjournment. Felt like like musical chairs.

The other was violence by a lad in Ossy who had his lies and mates lies to back him up. More interesting as it needed to be unravelled. Drug dealer, violent thug on Thwaites Road. We found him guilty and suspected more to it. They read out his previous and it was a long list. We were all pleased we had found him guilty.

The day finished about 4.30 every day.

For those unlucky not to get selected it was 6 hours locked in a room in which the chairs are uncomfy and there is a portable TV with 5 channels.
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