Jury service

[dom]

I did mine at Newcastle crown court in 2010,it was a murder case and it was horrific some of the evidence we heard and saw was awful,3 years later the lad who came to tile my kitchen his mam lived next door to the house where the murder took place..Leam Lane.

Was it the lad who murdered his dad and buried him on the back garden?

 

[Cheesy Feet]

Was it the lad who murdered his dad and buried him on the back garden?

No,murdered his partner.

 

[buster]

I thought I'd dodged it due to being self employed and having signed contracts etc but I simply got a letter asking me to turn up 12 months later after I'd sorted that bullshit out.

Take a book. Electronic ones and iPads etc aren't allowed iirc.

If you don't get a long case (one lasting months or years) on your first day then you won't get one.

On my second Monday the newbies were given a case expected to last a year. They were in shock and a few were in tears when they came back down for 30 mins to tell work and family. One kid had just started a new job the week before.
It's actually scandalous when there's people who'd love to do it nivver get the chance. My da for one. If someone's broke an arm or summit they should be able to volunteer for it to get it out of the way



You're in and out every 20 mins or so for barrister conferring, interruptions, judge being hungry etc.

20 minutes ?

Don't know if I can last that long at my age ....

 

[Deleted member 27677]

Any one done it?
I'm on it from Monday for 2 weeks at Durham
Where's the best to park? I very rarely go to Durham so have no idea even where the courts are

Our lass has just finished it at Newcastle,she was dreading it but loved every second of it .She was gutted when she couldn't do the second week on another trial

 

[sketchy]

I thought I'd dodged it due to being self employed and having signed contracts etc but I simply got a letter asking me to turn up 12 months later after I'd sorted that bullshit out.

Take a book. Electronic ones and iPads etc aren't allowed iirc.

If you don't get a long case (one lasting months or years) on your first day then you won't get one.

On my second Monday the newbies were given a case expected to last a year. They were in shock and a few were in tears when they came back down for 30 mins to tell work and family. One kid had just started a new job the week before.
It's actually scandalous when there's people who'd love to do it nivver get the chance. My da for one. If someone's broke an arm or summit they should be able to volunteer for it to get it out of the way



You're in and out every 20 mins or so for barrister conferring, interruptions, judge being hungry etc.

What happens with being self employed, do they pay you? I've always wondered what would happen if I got called up

 

[Mick Dundee]

I did it one summer when I was at uni. The case I was assigned to was dismissed after less than an hour when the key (only) witness was found to be unreliable. I don't think I've heard the phrase "you're not a junkie you wouldn't understand" so many times in the space of 10 minutes!

 

[CollingwoodFTM]

I heard it said more than once on here so it must be

I actually heard it said by a quite senior copper and I've also heard similar by a probation officer

Was that a recently retired, loveable probation officer?

I got called at Winchester. Day one I get picked as one of 36 for a two month murder case of a man murdering his twin. Luckily I didn't get called. Then sent home. Next day I was sent home at 1030. Next day told not to come in. Day 4 one of 14 on a case, didn't make the cut, sent home for the rest of the week and told to phone on Monday. When I did, I was told I wouldn't be needed. Pretty dull really. Nee free wifi and a crappy 3G signal as well.

 

[becs]

I had a child abuse case which left me horrified for weeks some of the stuff I heard

This is what worries me most about it. If I had to sit in on something like that, I would break down. Luckily I have never been called.

 

[JHmackem]

Couldn't think of anything more boring. I can imagine it'll either be boring as fuck, or depressing as fuck. Think I'd pretend I had norovirus or something to get out of it.

 

[riffraff]

20 minutes ?

Don't know if I can last that long at my age ....

That's your way out out of it reet there. A doctors note.....

Couldn't think of anything more boring. I can imagine it'll either be boring as fuck, or depressing as fuck. Think I'd pretend I had norovirus or something to get out of it.

You don't get out of it. They just book you in for a years time.

 

[JHmackem]

That's your way out out of it reet there. A doctors note.....


You don't get out of it. They just book you in for a years time.

Would you have it, I've only gone and got Norovirus again...exactly 1 year after last having it...what are the odds.

On a serious note though, how the fuck is Jury service legal? How can they force you to do something you don't want to do, which could seriously disrupt your life?

 

[mcq10]

That's your way out out of it reet there. A doctors note.....


You don't get out of it. They just book you in for a years time.

Aye unfortunately. I got out of it twice due to saying I had already booked holidays (only easyjet flights to ireland) but they let me off.

Not so lucky the third time

 

[Kent_Mackem]

I've waited nearly 26 years to get that letter. Fecking thing hasn't arrived. Gutted.

 

[riffraff]

What happens with being self employed, do they pay you? I've always wondered what would happen if I got called up

You get a set amount which wasn't covering my wage (building game) but travel expenses and food expenses meant I wasn't ower bothered tbh. It was the summer and a ten o'clock start after a stroll over London Bridge was ideal.
2x2 day cases in 2 weeks. Got sent home after lunch three times and sent home after morning break the other three times. Did a bit of decorating at home in the afternoons.

They could send people home a lot more than they do but they don't for appearances sake.

 

[becs]

You get a set amount which wasn't covering my wage (building game)

That worries me too. I'm a self employed single parent and I'd be annoyed about having less money coming in being forced to do something I don't want to do.

 

[riffraff]

Would you have it, I've only gone and got Norovirus again...exactly 1 year after last having it...what are the odds.

On a serious note though, how the fuck is Jury service legal? How can they force you to do something you don't want to do, which could seriously disrupt your life?

That's debated long n hard in the big room where all the spare jurors are hanging around reading, drinking tea, snoozing and cursing.
There was one case already ongoing that had been on for a year or so when I did mine. Two weeks later when I left they were still at it and expecting 3 months more or so. They have a 16 person jury for those ones and those left standing at the end are put in a bag and drawn out to see which 12 decide the verdict. This is in case of juror death, injury, sickness, pregnancy etc as they can't be restarting cases after a year.

The long one that started on my second Monday had a girl who dodged that case because she'd just that week found out she was pregnant. The people in the canteen queue found out before her parents!

The first Monday is danger day. If you don't get a long case then you're laffin.

 

[JHmackem]

That's debated long n hard in the big room where all the spare jurors are hanging around reading, drinking tea, snoozing and cursing.
There was one case already ongoing that had been on for a year or so when I did mine. Two weeks later when I left they were still at it and expecting 3 months more or so. They have a 16 person jury for those ones and those left standing at the end are put in a bag and drawn out to see which 12 decide the verdict. This is in case of juror death, injury, sickness, pregnancy etc as they can't be restarting cases after a year.

The long one that started on my second Monday had a girl who dodged that case because she'd just that week found out she was pregnant. The people in the canteen queue found out before her parents!

The first Monday is danger day. If you don't get a long case then you're laffin.

If you're put on a year long case, what do you do about money? I couldn't survive on £64 quid a day or whatever it is they offer you.

 

[riffraff]

If you're put on a year long case, what do you do about money? I couldn't survive on £64 quid a day or whatever it is they offer you.

I don't know. I was scared to ask.
I'm in London and the mortgages/rent I hear people discussing stuns me at times. There's no way they could manage.

That's why I mentioned up thread about people being able to volunteer if for whatever reason they're unable to work through injury or are between work contracts etc.

 

[JHmackem]

I don't know. I was scared to ask.
I'm in London and the mortgages/rent I hear people discussing stuns me at times. There's no way they could manage.

That's why I mentioned up thread about people being able to volunteer if for whatever reason they're unable to work through injury or are between work contracts etc.

I live in London as well, and my rent and bills are about £1400 a month, so I'd be knackered if I got called up.

 

[riffraff]

I live in London as well, and my rent and bills are about £1400 a month, so I'd be knackered if I got called up.

It's a system that needs radically overhauling IE volunteers but that'd mean govt spending money to oversee it and no one gets elected nowadays by promising to spend more money.