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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think jury duty is going to ruin my summer plans

272 replies

sulkingaboutjuryduty · 20/06/2021 08:08

Got my jury duty summons which I was fairly gutted about, having recently returned from mat leave, I'm a part time accountant and I love my job.

Asked to defer and was declined, so it starts on 16th August. I have a 15 month old and a 3.5year old, the 3.5 year old has 30 free hours which I use on my 3 working days and then the baby is with my mum. In six week holidays I was planning to take a mixture of annual leave, pay for holiday clubs and mum will help out a bit. Now there will be at least 2 weeks of their "school holidays" where I can't do anything with them, I've got to fork out for childcare over and above my working pattern and reading the leaflet, it doesn't qualify for claiming back?

My work have been great and said they will pay my normal salary so I won't need to claim loss of earnings but if I've got to put them in childcare it's going to cost me a fortune! My mum can't have them on my non working weekdays as she works, the baby will need a settling in period and the childcare setting I use require a months' notice to terminate so I'm looking at possibly six weeks nursery fee for her.
I'm just feeling like I will be significantly impacted by this.

OP posts:

Sometimesfraught82 · 20/06/2021 12:44

She is simply winding you up I reckon

BearOfEasttown · 20/06/2021 12:46

I agree about the farm. I live rurally, and have a dozen farms within 3-5 miles proximity, and the farmers/farm hands work really really fucking hard. It's relentless. They are out from 7am til 11pm, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and they harvest all year round... Not just in September and October (the 'harvest festival' time.)

They also have 100s and 100s of animals, (including baby animals,) to look after and keep safe during the cold winter months, and keep watered and fed during the hot, sometimes very dry summer months, as well as sowing and harvesting all year round...The very idea that they can just take time off/shut the farm down for an indefinite period of time is fucking farcical.

@RealhousewifeofStoke You don't know what you're talking about. Seriously.

@sulkingaboutjuryduty as @Sometimesfraught82 said, don't take any notice of that poster. The majority of people are on your side here.

Hope you manage to duck out of jury service. I know you don't want to, but I would definitely say you're breastfeeding. It's ludicrous that they expect you to go and do it actually.

StCharlotte · 20/06/2021 12:53

The 13 week trial was going to be for a fraud case. How many normal people are really up to understanding the intricacies of a complex fraud case and keeping that information in their mind for 13 weeks?!

My then boss (a lawyer) realised that another lawyer had perpetrated a multi-million pound fraud on a transaction we were dealing with. It did get to court but was dismissed as, among other reasons, it was so complex no "layman" jury could be expected to understand it. Perhaps "expert" jurors could he used for cases like these.

I am a legal secretary in my 50s and have never been called. I don't think legal secretaries were ever barred (how would they even know?) but I am surprised. There's time yet I suppose.

Normanpriceisnotarolemodel · 20/06/2021 12:54

Just finished 2 weeks Jury Service. You can claim for childcare that you wouldn’t ordinarily be paying out for. You do have to wear a mask all day. They will release people from jury service in certain circumstances, so I would state your reasons on the first day.

Have to say I agree with those saying that juries aren’t right for certain cases. I think our case was one of them.

MadeForThis · 20/06/2021 13:04

Just state that you are still breastfeeding. That IS the truth. They won't ask what time the baby feeds.

user1496146479 · 20/06/2021 13:06

@RealhousewifeofStoke

Your husband will have to sort his own lunches out rather than relying on his mother. Same with parts/repairs. If they have a breakdown the whole operation stops and he can run around picking up parts himself. Out of interest how many acres do you farm?

I don't think you get the pressures of peak farming!!

user1496146479 · 20/06/2021 13:08

@RealhousewifeofStoke

4,000 acres. What’s the farms annual turnover? Am sure you could stretch to paying a family friend/niece/nephew/neighbour/childcare student/teaching student to help you out with childcare and making lunches or running with parts.

It’s your civic duty. And you’ve clearly never been in the position of being the victim, or family of the victim of a crime requiring a jury trial. As I hope you never are.
But your talk around claiming for childcare, given your family circumstances are beyond ridiculous.
Good luck and I have no doubt you’ll get out of it.

Give it a rest!!!

MollyGaves · 20/06/2021 13:08

I agree with others. Phone again nearer time and state your reasons again. Say you’re happy to do it when your husbands is more able to help. Can’t believe they won’t do this for you. Although it was 25 years ago I had similar problem and no childcare and said I’d be happy to do it in school holidays when my daughter could go to her dad if I could defer. They’ve never asked me again and I would have like to have experienced it.

rainbowunicorn · 20/06/2021 13:09

@RealhousewifeofStoke

Maybe just stop now, before you show yourself up any more than you already have.

omgthepain · 20/06/2021 13:20

This happens to my friend
She got there and they only select some out of all of them and she was released -

Alternatively you could say you know the defendant it's a conflict of interests and they'll release you

I got excused because I told them I was breastfeeding - daughter is now 6!

Cowbells · 20/06/2021 13:46

@3luckystars

It’s probably totally different where I am living but when I went for Jury service it was one day. Hundreds of people were called to select a jury from on that day.

If you were selected for the jury, the judge called you up and asked is there any reason you could not do it. Loads of people had excuses and just got dismissed at this stage. Most people said they knew the person, lived near them, or made up some other issue.

So that was just one day of an inconvenience. Your post sounds like you think it could go on for ages?

Sorry if I misunderstood that.

But I understood that if you are called and say you can't sit on a particular jury you still have to wait in the juror's room for the full two weeks in case they call you to another jury. You don't just get dismissed that day afaik.

Juststopasking · 20/06/2021 14:00

4,000 acres. What’s the farms annual turnover?

Bloody nosy cow.

Xenia · 21/06/2021 07:48

Hill farms can be massive but have tiny turnover. That "Our Yorkshire Farm" show - the family I think make a loss on all the sheep and land and only make a profit because of TV. Anyway that is slightly off the point.

On the issue of juries and fraud cases there has been some pressure to try to change the rules to allow judges to sit alone without a jury in long fraud cases. I think it would be wise as it is more like a civil complex trial and there are very few fraud trials anyway.

IntermittentParps · 21/06/2021 17:21

I did jury duty and, although admittedly I didn't ask to defer or any 'difficult' questions like that, I found the office staff at court very helpful and sympathetic, and knowledgeable. It might be worth phoning them and explaining the circumstances again.

CannibalQueen · 21/06/2021 17:21

You might not get picked. Just dress up as a right wing nut job, or a lefty liberal hippy or just bring your baby and feed during the selection process.

peppermintpat · 21/06/2021 17:27

The scenario you describe should absolutely mean you can defer your jury duty. Just madness if not.

Katr673 · 21/06/2021 17:37

I really feel for you, I have been called 3 times. On the 1st occasion I had to serve. The second I had to phone an automated line the night before and wasnt needed. On the 3rd occasion I turned up but was not chosen and discharged. The 3rd time quite a few potential jurors spoke to the clerk on the day and were discharged. I think if you are asked to do it you should, however in your case I would say I was breastfeeding. I normally never lie but I think it would be justified.

FamBae · 21/06/2021 17:42

Could you get your nursery on side & ask them for a letter stating the impracticality of taking on a 15 month old child full time when the parent will not be contactable and appeal the decision to defer .... good luck op, personally I think you should have been deferred purely on being a farming family and it being harvest.

Toomuchtrouble4me · 21/06/2021 17:44

Just get out of it!
Go to GP and get a letter saying that you can’t sleep with the worry of childcare and it’s making you ill anxious and depressed.
Just don’t do it.

supercatlady · 21/06/2021 17:46

I did Jury duty and only had to present at court on days 1 and 2, wasn’t selected and was told just to be on the phone. Hopefully it won’t be too onerous.

sparemonitor · 21/06/2021 17:49

@Toomuchtrouble4me

Just get out of it! Go to GP and get a letter saying that you can’t sleep with the worry of childcare and it’s making you ill anxious and depressed. Just don’t do it.

GPs don't do letters like this, FFS do you not think practices are busy enough at the moment?

Schooldilemma2345 · 21/06/2021 17:53

I’ve just been excused from jury service which would have started on Monday on the following grounds:

I work full time from home and I’m self employed but I work my hours around my 3 children and don’t have any childcare in place either side of the school day.
I would need to employee a nanny to do the school runs and provide childcare before and after school as the tiny, rural school my children attend has no wraparound care.
The journey to court would take about an hour at peak times so to be there at 9am and find parking, I would need to leave before 8am.
My husband starts work at 8am and has a work van (it only has 2 seats with seatbelts so he can’t use it for the school run and I can’t take it to jury service because he needs it for his tools etc). Because of vehicle logistics, I asked if I could get a taxi to our nearest station (20 miles away) in order to leave my husband the car for the school run- he could then start work late and swap to his van for work. We’d still need pm after school care until 6pm at least.
They do cover childcare costs and travel soon put these options to them and I was immediately excused which frankly is a huge relief!

SunshineCake · 21/06/2021 17:55

A temporary Nanny is an option.

I was called for jury duty but had moved and it was forwarded to my new address I rang to tell them and they said ok and that was that. I didn't even ask to be excused, I was planning on doing it, so really you should be excused given you have an actual reason.

user1485851222 · 21/06/2021 17:55

Seems harsh, they won't let you delay your jury service. I was called March this year, I emailed and said could I delay, didn't give a reason and they delayed it till next February. I'd contact them and argue your case, I think they will let you delay. Good luck.

looptheloopinahulahoop · 21/06/2021 17:59

@Juststopasking

4,000 acres. What’s the farms annual turnover?

Bloody nosy cow.

Not relevant.

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