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!

DH was on a 7 months fraud case. It was extremely tedious, involved reams and reams of paper based forensic accounting and the case collapsed after the defendants claimed to be sick.

He now has dispensation from ever being a juror. Despite that he got called up literally two months later and had to send his physical letter and they tried to dispute it.

Oh and meant to say literally weeks after the trial collapsed he saw two of the defendants stroll happily past the pub we were sitting in.

He said if they'd glanced at him they'd know exactly who he was given he'd spent all that time in close proximity to them. He also knew they lived streets away from us.

It was weird times to be honest.

OK NOT suggesting anyone actually do this but don't they ask you if you might know anyone involved in the trial and if so are excused?
It's hard to see how they could prove you didn't know them.
I dreaded mine, luckily, the case collapsed and we were all told to go home.
Not so great for those being tried, though.

I think there are lots of (unproveably!) legitimate sneaky ways to get out of it.
Losing money for it is not on at all.

Yes, I agree. No one should be significantly out of pocket to serve on a jury. Something definitely needs to sorted to help those who are self employed etc. I’m not surprised people find ways to get out of it if that’s the case. My brother is self employed and the main earner in his household, sil does work, but doesn’t earn enough to cover all bills so they absolutely need my brother’s wage. Plus they’ve got 3 kids. If he had to do jury duty they’d be in a bit of a mess, especially if the case went on for some time.

For those that have been on a jury, do you build a relationship with the other jurors? Like in the LL trial, that group of strangers was thrown together for months, then it's over and they never see each other again. Must be weird.
Is there chit chat in the jury room, about what you did at the weekend, the weathe, last night's TV etc?

I was called once about 20 years ago and there was some rule about not being able to serve if you were having MH treatment. So I got out of it as I was taking antidepressants. I think they've scrapped that rule now but I wouldn't want to serve if got called up. I'm a sahm so no financial loss but it would be hugely inconvenient. Even paying childcare costs wouldn't cover it as my youngest has never been in childcare and would struggle, and my eldest needs ferrying to clubs. I think I'd probably be excused whilst the youngest is young but tbh even when dc are older it would be a pain. Being in a long trial would be frustrating enough to have to do it that I wouldn't be in a frame of mind to focus and absorb the information, especially with complex medical or scientific data.

@Papergirl1968I did for a while. On the first day a group of about 6 of us gravitated to each other and a few of us ended up on the same case that ran 3 weeks so we did swap numbers, especially as the case wasnt the nicest. Maybe kept in touch for a couple of months. When we were deliberating we had a lovely ady who liked to make sure we were all sufficiently fed....think home made cakes and quiches😁😁

I think you might be surprised how difficult it is, psychologically, to lie to the Court and feel OK about it. They make a very big deal about the gravity of performing jury duty and it is in theory possible to be held in contempt of court and even jailed if you lie. Now, the chances of them being able to prove it (or having the time and resources to investigate) are very slim, but given that you are already in the building surrounded by all the trappings of the justice system, it takes balls of steel to tell an outright lie. Personally, I would find the stress of being found out too much to take.

I have no idea how much they question you about how exactly you know the person, but imagine the web if lies you’d have to create if they don’t just take your word for it?

I think that they probably do save their harshest penalties for jurors who do other things like Google the case or defendant, or who talk to people about their deliberations, as someone who lies to get out of it will just be replaced by the next person so no massive harm done compared to the mess it will make if a mistrial has to be declared.

Good point, though I don't see what good it does to have people on a jury who won't be into it.

Yes but what is changing is the complexity of the evidence.

I don’t work in the legal system but have worked alongside it, and there are huge questions as to the ability of lay people to understand some of the evidence, however bright they may be, but especially given that a jury is a mixed ability group.

I’d agree the Jury system exists for good reason though, so I don’t know what the answer is.

I am deaf, I cannot read signing and I dread being called for jury duty. I only hope that if I am I can be excused. DH said they were told that being deaf isn’t an exemption 😳, but if I can’t hear someone then there’s little point in being there!

I'm intrigued too by the number of people who have been called up more than once.
I've been eligible for more than 50 years and would live to sit on a jury. But I have no expectation that it will happen before I'm too old.

I studied law at university wanting to go into criminal law, and did various work experience at the courts, got to sit in and chat with one of the judges and so on. One of the judges at our local crown court kept his dog in his chambers. I remember a murder trial being started, the opening speeches were done and lunch called. First thing in the afternoon the judge announced the trial was being stopped as one of the jurors had said she couldn't cope with listening to the traumatic evidence. They'd have to re-start with a new jury the next day.

I've never been called, nor has my sister or parents. I know one friend who has once.

I was called for Old Bailey but someone close to me had recently passed away so I was excused. They didn't even ask for evidence.

I'm weird and actually wanted to do it but I know I couldn't have been impartial at that time as I could barely thing straight.

That was 12 years ago. Hope I'll get called again one day.

I have been called for Jury duty and start next week so this has been an interesting read. It said in my letter that they would advise if the case was likely to be more than 2 weeks and then we’d be asked if we could commit to that. I can’t as I run my own business but I can manage these 2 weeks because of the nature of my job. I really hope that’s a good enough excuse as it will cripple me financially. I thought about deferring but then I had to give 2 x 2 week blocks in the next six months and I can’t do that either!

I've only been called once. It was when I was a student and the call up came to me as being registered as my parents' home address, however I was living away during term time at my university 400 miles away. I rang up to be excused, only to be told that I could be granted a 3 month deferral. Had to ring up again to point out that in 3 months time I would still be resident at university 400 miles away from the court and was eventually excused. A few weeks later my mother received a letter summoning her for jury service!

I haven't been called up again and would be happy to do it now that dd is older and I don't have childcare considerations.

I've often wondered but, what happens if a juror needs the loo?
Do you pass a note to the clerk? Do the proceedings pause while you go?
Do you have to hold on until a break?
What?

I was called, but then exempt as I was on maternity leave.

When I did Jury Duty we were told to raise our hand if we needed the toilet. Tbh there is so many breaks the toilet is the least of the worries. We were looked after really well by the court, someone always checking in, answering questions, snacks, lunch, drinks etc. The only thing is we weren't allowed out the jury room for the full day and you are constantly sat in your jury number order.

I was called twice by the age of 23!

10 months is just such a huge amount of time especially getting paid much less. I just looked and it’s £64.50 per day which wouldn’t even cover my childcare costs!

Thanks. It's just one of those things I wonder about when I see / hear juries.

DH was called years ago but contacted the court as he's partially deaf and I believe he was permanently excused, presumably as there's no chance of it getting any better.

I’m a freelance consultant on about £40k/year. Being compensated at minimum wage for months would really affect our life. I’ve six months of float in my business account but it would take me ages to build up a portfolio of projects again not to mention those I’d have to drop in the shit to serve.

I’ve been called twice but never served, so I’ve had to clear my diary of fee earning work and then not been compensated as not needed.

it’s really really tough if you don’t have an employed job.