Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Bloody jury service

347 replies

fussychica · 29/05/2015 14:14

In all my years at work, where I would have been paid by my employer, I was never called for jury service. I'm now retired and I've been called right in the middle of the summer. Although I don't mind doing the actual thing getting there will be a nightmare, (I dont drive) and the subsistance doesnt even cover 2 drinks let alone lunch. I dont have an actual holiday booked but had quite a few plans for this part of the summer. I know its my civic duty but Im a bit pissed off about it as if you couldnt tell

OP posts:
OnIlkleyMoorBahTwat · 29/05/2015 14:50

YY Worra, the amount you get compensated for loss of earnings isn't very much, especially for the first two weeks and could easily dent a hole in a tight budget.

DreamingOfTheBeach · 29/05/2015 14:51

Just out of curiosity, what would happen if a person was self employed?
Would they be expected to just stop working for up to 12 weeks with no pay?

FreeButtonBee · 29/05/2015 14:53

If you can defer and time it for the two weeks before Christmas (or any other holiday period in the courts) I recommend it ;-)

I did mine just before Christmas a few years ago and they never schedule new long trials in that period. I had two short trials, nothing traumatic. I was even let go early on the second last day - plenty of time for some extra Christmas shopping and baking.

DramaQueenofHighCs · 29/05/2015 14:54

To be honest, as someone who suffers from anxiety/ASD but is not currently recieving treatment from doctors (because they are crap) the thought of getting called up for jury duty scares me shitless and gives me many sleepless nights and I haven't even been called up! I'd take the fine without hesitation and my DH backs me up with this!

AlternativeTentacles · 29/05/2015 14:54

Yes it is your duty. Yes it is a ballache. Yes you can go every day for a fortnight and not be picked. And yes she is allowed to moan about it!

I've done it and it really is a PITA. Not because of the duty bit, or the jury bit - but the endless hanging about doing nothing bit. They really should modernise the system.

WorraLiberty · 29/05/2015 14:56

YY Worra, the amount you get compensated for loss of earnings isn't very much, especially for the first two weeks and could easily dent a hole in a tight budget.

Actually he wasn't out of pocket at the end of it all, it was more the delays due to mistakes made by the court.

Really frustrating.

Contraryish · 29/05/2015 14:56

I got called once. I had a one year-old and a three year-old and was running my own business. I also lived 45 minutes from the court. Exercising my civic duty would have cost me huge amounts in terms of time and travel and childcare costs (of which they would have repaid a fraction) and, if the trial had gone on more than a couple of weeks, possibly put me out of business. I explained my situation and was exempted. I don't mind doing my bit, but not at the cost of my livelihood.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 29/05/2015 14:56

I'm so pleased I got out of it. I was called just ask was about to start college and deferred and then the following year was called again and was just about to start a new job so rang up and they took me off the list. Easy peasy, I think these days it's harder to get out of though.

WorraLiberty · 29/05/2015 14:58

FreeButtonBee the trial my DH was on, started at the beginning of October and ended in January.

He ended up with far less time off over the Christmas period than his workmates did.

Of course he got paid for it, but he would much rather have had the time off Grin

DramaQueenofHighCs · 29/05/2015 14:59

Do they pay accommodation/travel/food etc for the whole trial? If not I think the £1000 fine would save me money!

listsandbudgets · 29/05/2015 15:00

I did jury service last year. I found the allowance more than sufficient for lunch.

Most days I went and got sandwiches for well below the allowance. You didn't have to eat in their canteen (tried it first day never again). At the end any unused allowance was credited to my bank account.

Getting there may be a pain but keep all your tickets and you will be refunded your travel costs. I don't drive either but did it all by bus without a problem. Some jurors came by train. DO NOT get a taxi though unless you've got special dispensation to do so as they don't normally refund taxi fares

There is a LOT of sitting about but you get to meet loads of people whose path you may not normally cross and you might get an interesting trial as well.

listsandbudgets · 29/05/2015 15:03

Yes they pay for travel and food for the full length of the trial. If they ask you to stay overnight (wihich is unusual) they sort out accommodation.

AbbeyRoadCrossing · 29/05/2015 15:05

You can defer if you've got a holiday booked. Or if you have a reason you can't do it (health etc) then you can be excused.
I found the travel and food allowance very generous. In fact they paid a decent amount for food every day whether you used it or not so I accidentally made money on it.
Also it was really interesting, and I'll probably sound weird but I loved it. I did get the Old Bailey though so I guess on average more interesting than the cases at local courts.

MrsHathaway · 29/05/2015 15:07

I'm 6/7 SAHM and 1/7 working mother with coordinated childcare arrangements. I know that a crown court "day" is shorter than 9-5 but we live in the sticks a not insignificant distance from the court itself so I would need wraparound care for the three DC, which I can't afford otherwise I might work more...

Should I be called I could theoretically increase DC3's nursery days for a couple of weeks, bump DC2 up to full time at preschool, and add breakfast and after school club to his and DC1's days. Off the top of my head that would be £70 ish per day during term time and over £100 in the holidays. Two weeks at £100 a day - assuming you don't end up on a lengthy fraud trial or over a year on the Hillsborough inquests - is an awful lot to suck up.

Is that kind of cost covered, or do you have to find it out of your allowances and "pay"?

DH and I have never been called, nor our respective siblings nor their partners, nor our parents, etc etc. It amazes me that some people are called repeatedly and others never. It doesn't seem a very good system.

My main reason for not wanting to go, though, despite my absolute belief in the fairness of the system, is that I'm terrified I'd get a gang or mob murder and put my family at risk by voting guilty.

SaulGood · 29/05/2015 15:08

I do think they should more readily accept that people can't do it. They can be very difficult sometimes. I don't have and can't afford childcare but this probably wouldn't be acceptable. My friend was called up recently and she said she had a preschooler. They did not accept this as a reason. She had to put him into emergency childcare a couple of days and her Mum helped out on the other three days.

DH was called up a few years ago. He explained repeatedly that it was absolutely impossible for him to do it. He wrote and telephoned to confirm this. He received a letter after trial had started saying that he was being pursued for not turning up. The whole thing was stressful and ridiculous.

notapizzaeater · 29/05/2015 15:10

I'd love to get called up as well. My do was called a few years ago and and childcare fees could be claimed back.

TheBlackRider · 29/05/2015 15:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

travailtotravel · 29/05/2015 15:16

I have mine coming up in June, two weeks. I work for a small business and while its a right ball ache now, if I deferred you get no say in when you are picked and have to do it next time. We've juggled our clients about so I can do it, but the work will just pile up when I am not there. They have to give you opt out for a long trial if you have a good reason - there is no way we could take the hit of a long trial where I am working now as it would have a big impact and cause us to lose business ....

Justusemyname · 29/05/2015 15:19

It scares the shit out of me that people who don't want to do it, resent being there, won't listen and do their duty properly and let a guilty person get off.

I hope all goes well for you, TBR.

Hellohellohowareyou · 29/05/2015 15:20

I enjoyed doing mine a few years ago although this was pre DC. I wasnt out of pocket as my employer topped up the difference from what the court was paying me so my wages remained the same. As a previous poster said I was given a swipe card with around £6 a day to be used on food/drink in their canteen which was actually an ok standard, anything I didn't use at the end of the 2 weeks was credited back to me.

I was actually called again around 11 months later but by then I'd had a baby and because it was so soon I could opt out.

Pipbin · 29/05/2015 15:21

I'm now retired and I've been called right in the middle of the summer

So sorry this has come in the middle of doing nothing for the rest of your life. How ever will you get the time back? TBH I would welcome the distraction.
Far more of a problem for people who work or have childcare to consider.

TheBlackRider · 29/05/2015 15:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 29/05/2015 15:23

I'm sure your time is MUCH more important than anyone else'sPip, perhaps we should just leave JS to retired folks, after all they have nothing to do at all, do they?

DidoTheDodo · 29/05/2015 15:23

Round here the lunch allowance is £5, when a meal in the Court canteen is £7.50!

And although they will pay public transport to get there, they won't pay car or car parking...and the bus is only every hour and takes 50 mins to get to town.

I do agree with the system of trial by peers though!

AbbeyRoadCrossing · 29/05/2015 15:23

I had all costs covered for mine - those of you that were out of pocket, was this recently?
The reason some people get called up and others don't is because the names are picked from the electoral roll in part, some groups aren't eligible (if you've not lived in the UK long enough, have convictions, age, mental health) also it's luck.
My friend was moaning he'd never been picked but he'd never registered to vote!