Has anyone been on a jury of a very long trial?

[Zolf]

Off the back of the Lucy Letby trial which lasted 10 months, I was wondering how it works logistically to be on a jury for that long? What happens if you have holidays booked? What if your employer don't pay you? I know mine wouldn't (very small company) and the compensation from the court is pitiful. Can't imagine being on a jury for that long!

I also woke up in the middle of the night panicking as I knew a barrister who worked at the court a lot. I rang the helpline who said if he was in the court I should say something and I would be removed!

I was called up in my early 20s and was on the jury on a 10 week tax fraud case.
They got us all in a room at the beginning and asked if anyone had any holidays booked in the next 3 months. Then asked if anyone stuffed with reading or comprehension of documents, as there was a lot of written evidence we had to review. Anyone who answered yes to those would have been excused. One man said his wife was due to have a baby in 12 weeks but they wouldn't let him off for that.

At the end of the case we were offered a letter to be excused for the next ten years. That ten years went fast!

Unfortunately I lost out as I was a bar manager at the time so still worked some evenings and weekends, so I only got paid for the hours on the jury that I had to miss my normal job for. I don't recommend that. I was getting paid for 10-15 hours on the jury and working 25-30 hours at the bar, but in reality I was doing the rest of the full time hours on the jury for free.

As it was so long ago there wasn't really any expectation that people could WFH / work from the court in between sessions. We all pretty much sat around reading and doing crosswords.

However I heard from a colleague who recently did jury service that you're not allowed to do any work in the building. So you can't really keep on top of emails etc. except for when you leave for at the end of the day. She was working evenings from home to try not to let things get behind, as there was no one to cover. I've only heard that second hand though.

I agree, I think there should be a list of people who are desperate to do it (I know a few) and there should be an option to opt out completely

Yes 8 weeks. I had no excuse to get out of it. I had no kids then and worked for a big firm. They just asked us when we were called on the day if any excuse.

I did it again a few years later and got sent a form a few weeks before saying a big trial on and any excuse so they did not call you. I put down had young kids and childcare and I never got called for the long trial.

I got a summons in my teens at 19, I was at university and it was for my hometown so I deferred and this was accepted.

I’m nearly 50 now and haven’t been called since.

I’m a nurse ward manager and as much as I feel no one is indispensable, there is no one to do my job in my absence currently, but I don’t know if that would be accepted as a reason to defer.

My husband is retired, they could have him. He’s still got his marbles!

Seriously though, my heart goes out to the people who have to endure these lengthy and horrific trials, the toll must be enormous.

Pretty important part of our justice system to be judged by peers.

Does anyone know if you can be excused from being on the jury on a case that you knew would cause you emotional anguish because of your own experiences?

Just wondering because my eldest DS became very poorly and died unexpectedly as a baby, and my DD was also a special care baby, so if I'd been asked to sit on this jury I cannot imagine I would have been emotionally or mentally able to, it would have been quite triggering. I realise this case will have been awful for anyone whether they have experienced a child dying or not though.

@Truemilk you can't really call people from a list of people desperate to do it as it would defeat the purpose of being randomly called. There's a risk anyone desperate to do it would have ulterior motives. It's a really important part of having a fair and democratic justice system

Was it really ten months? I just watched the tv programme about it and they said 13 weeks

My sister was called up for Jury service a few weeks ago. She has just spent the best part of the past 2 weeks at Manchester CC waiting to be picked. Dozens of others were waiting with her.
There were a couple of trials but the vast majority of the people she was waiting with weren’t called up either.
The Letby jury were out deliberating and she thought maybe they were keeping a courtroom vacant for the verdict.
Half way through the 2nd week she was discharged.
She was so excited to be doing jury service and is now really disappointed at how it’s turned out.
2 weeks off work, no pay and with childcare to pay for financially it is going to hit her hard until the jury service expenses come through.
She can’t claim any expenses for the days the court told her not to go in. And couldn’t go back into work because they had taken her off roster.

An old colleague's DH was called, he works for himself and couldn't afford it. I think she said he arrived wearing a fairly blatant nationalist item of clothing (can't remember what) he was dismissed pretty quickly

I did it for two weeks in 1999.

Lots of sitting around, waiting to be called, very boring.

The cases I did were shop lifting and car theft.

I was quite shocked at some of the jurors when we had to deliberate..some just said they weren't bothered they just wanted to get home! Some right idiots, I know it's a cross section of people but my god it's somebody's life.

I do remember someone from the court saying there was a long case coming up and asking if anyone would be available, some people volunteered as they were unemployed/retired.

I've been called for Jury service three times now, I was excused from one as I was breast feeding but i sat the other two. No idea what the criteria is for being called up so often, maybe there isn't many other people in my local area with clean criminal records ha ha

I sat on a 6 week case. It was tough going - my work were very understanding about it. I kept up with my work in the evenings.

I’m not sure but DH was called to sit on a jury at the coroners court many years ago.

At the time we were recovering from a very traumatic coroners death ourselves and we wrote to the coroner and asked for him to be excused. They were exceptionally nice about it.

I work for my local council - we are told it is our 'Civic Duty' to attend jury service and paid in full for however long it takes. Many of my colleagues have been called up. It was 3 days only- the court is literally next door to my workplace and the case I was assigned was not traumatic in any way shape or form.
I found the process of everything really interesting. We were told to expect 2 weeks so I was disappointed with only 3 days to be honest. Totally different experience for people to have a long traumatic trial and actually end up worrying about bills/losing money.
I was called up by letter - I could see the words 'summons to court' through the window on the letter just above my name and address and was panicking as I opened it (even though I knew I had done nothing summons worthy)

It's a random pick off the electoral register - if you are 18+

What happens if you literally cannot arrange childcare? In my area, all childminders are full and you can only secure wraparound care in July for the following year. Many people are struggling with lack of childcare. And what if you have to take your child to sports and clubs?
Also, what if your child has autism and can't cope with changes to routine.
What if you have pets who need you?
What if you have other commitments like having to stay with your Nan for a few days because she's having a cataract operation? Or you need your car services and MOT'd ??

I’ve never been called as a juror, but my dh was called thrice. One time was cancelled the day before, but he had to sit through 2 other, thankfully not long, trials.

Agreed! I don't think they're even allowed to share with counsellors what they have been through, either.

I was called and left off as I have Crohn's disease. I basically explained if I needed the loo (it was pre bag) I would just have to go.
The lady clerk was not super happy but excepted it.
I am discharged from ever having to do it.

It's meant to be a cross-section of impartial every day people though, not just 'people who are desperate to do it'.

I agree that the system of compensation should be better.

I’ve wondered if there is a mileage from the court that anyone outside of that wouldn’t be called? I live in the middle of nowhere genuinely not sure where the local court is but if it’s in our county probably an hour away if neighbouring county 40 minutes. How does it work? Do you only get called up in your county?

I think originally the trial was estimated to last around six months. So it's possible jurors would think they were okay to book holidays, rsvp to future weddings, whilst thinking there's no way the trial lasted as long as it did! One of the jurors was excused very near the end... maybe they were diagnosed with cancer over the course of the trial or became pregnant, etc. who knows.

Also i think the potential jurors were told the case was expected to last a long time so they picked people that had agreed to it. How does that make the jury balanced? It's supposed to be a cross section of society, but you might end up with more people that are of retirement age?!

The compensation and expenses are terribly low. I lost money hand over fist for a recent service. The food on their own on-site cafe was way more than the expenses you could claim for lunch.

As for counselling - ha ha - nope.

The juror support leaflet said we should visit our GP for referral to counselling via NHS a mental health channels, or call the Samaritans.