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Original poster

Being excused from Jury service

27 replies

mimi14 · 27/04/2021 10:30

Has anyone successfully been excused altogether from Jury service rather than just deferred?
My son has special needs, and it's not easy to just get childcare for him. His mental health has been affected by the pandemic and he needs me around more than ever right now.

I've asked to be excused and waiting for their response. But was hoping for some experiences?
🤞🏻

OP posts:
MotherOfGodWeeFella · 27/04/2021 12:06

I've no direct experience of being excused, but have been able to defer jury service when work asked me to. I spoke with someone, they confirmed the deferment straightaway and I received confirmation in writing really quickly. They are pretty reasonable ime.

newnortherner111 · 27/04/2021 12:22

I was excused after having deferred. Key worker grounds and a specific event during the period of planned jury service, which was verifiable.

AfternoonToffee · 27/04/2021 12:30

Gov guidance says you should be.

www.gov.uk/jury-service/delaying-or-being-excused-from-jury-service

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BluTangClan · 27/04/2021 12:32

I thought you could be easily excused on childcare responsibilities. Even if it's just that you pick them up from school.

MrsGulDukat · 27/04/2021 12:33

I was. I'm a key worker and my employers couldn't afford to lose me for 2 weeks plus.

emmathedilemma · 27/04/2021 12:33

I don't know if i got deferred or excused but given I've been called 3 times in the last 10 years I hope it's the later (but fear it won't be). I got called last year just after they started back after lockdown and I said no matter how good they claimed their air circulation was (it was in a cinema!) as an asthmatic I wasn't willing to sit in a confined space with strangers for potentially days on end without wearing a mask.

Hoppinggreen · 27/04/2021 12:34

Your mistake was contacting them . If you don’t then that’s it, they send out loads of letters so only deal with people who acknowledge receipt

Original poster
mimi14 · 27/04/2021 12:52

Thanks everyone. Hopefully it will be OK then 🤞🏻

OP posts:
Original poster
mimi14 · 27/04/2021 12:58

@Hoppinggreen I was under the impression that you could face a fine if you didn't respond.

OP posts:
Hoppinggreen · 27/04/2021 13:01

Nope, how can they prove you got the letter?
They will fine you if you respond but then don’t turn up though

MarmaladeToastAndAMarmaladeCat · 27/04/2021 13:08

I was excused as I was 6 months pregnant and had hyperemesis, sciatica and no childcare for my 1 year old and don’t drive so would have had to take 3 buses to get there. I was expecting to get deferred but was excused altogether which was a relief.

Noell · 27/04/2021 13:12

I was called for Jury service every year for 6 years and was excused because I have a dc with additional needs and child care before and after school was not an option. The final time I was excused they wrote to me telling me if I submitted a doctors letter I could be permanently excused instead of it being only for 12 months.

On the 7th year I was able to do the jury service because my dc was older.

PrudenceDictates · 27/04/2021 13:21

Not sure if I was excused or deferred, but I got in touch to say it would be difficult for me for childcare reasons at the time I was contacted. No problem, name removed. I don’t think it’s difficult to get out of and certainly wouldn’t be in your situation, OP.

I hope I’m not permanently excused; I quite fancy doing it at some point. DH did it twice in eighteen months.

Oopsy41 · 27/04/2021 13:28

I emailed them yesterday and have just received confirmation that I have been excused. My issues were mainly related to my health but I did cite childcare as one of my concerns.

MotherOfGodWeeFella · 27/04/2021 13:33

@Hoppinggreen

Nope, how can they prove you got the letter? They will fine you if you respond but then don’t turn up though
There are many occasions on which letters can be deemed to have been delivered. There's a £1000 fine for failing to respond to a summons for jury duty. Plus, it's a civic duty so essentially lying that you haven't received it is piss poor.
Rootsmanouvre · 27/04/2021 13:37

Nope, how can they prove you got the letter?
They will fine you if you respond but then don’t turn up though

This is total bullshit to anyone reading who might take it on board.

VladmirsPoutine · 27/04/2021 13:43

Yes it's a civic duty but not everyone really has the wherewithal to do it. I wouldn't blame someone for accidentally not receiving the letter.

Hoppinggreen · 27/04/2021 13:44

Well in my case it worked and I did research beforehand so I know it’s worked for others too.
I would actually have loved to have done Jury service but it was impossible, not difficult, impossible and I couldn’t take the risk of not being excused. I won’t be giving details as to why it was impossible so people can try and pick it apart but it was.
If I got called now things are very different and I would leap at the chance.

Checkingout811 · 27/04/2021 13:44

I was excused for the very same reason. Couldn’t be away from disabled DS for a minimum of 10 days.

MotherOfGodWeeFella · 27/04/2021 13:46

@VladmirsPoutine

Yes it's a civic duty but not everyone really has the wherewithal to do it. I wouldn't blame someone for accidentally not receiving the letter.
How do you accidentally not receive a letter?
Hoppinggreen · 27/04/2021 13:48

And there was no lying involved because I was never asked f I had received the letter

Rootsmanouvre · 27/04/2021 13:55

I work in a student support role in a uni and deal with this fairly often. I have never come across anyone not be allowed to defer. I have come across 2 students who got fined after “accidentally” not receiving i.e ignoring the letter though.

Hoppinggreen · 27/04/2021 14:50

@Rootsmanouvre

I work in a student support role in a uni and deal with this fairly often. I have never come across anyone not be allowed to defer. I have come across 2 students who got fined after “accidentally” not receiving i.e ignoring the letter though.
In that case I would definitely advise people NOT to just ignore the letter. It worked for me based on my research but I would hate for anyone to get a fine for doing the same.
PrudenceDictates · 27/04/2021 15:28

Cant believe people were advising to ignore the letter. Yes, some do not have the wherewithal to do jury service, that’s why there is the opportunity to defer/ be excused 🙄

Hoppinggreen · 27/04/2021 20:05

I simply couldn’t risk it .
I shared what worked for me but as soon as someone advised that this didn’t t work for others I said they shouldn’t risk it.