Jury Duty

[blueberryraspberrypie]

I’m in Scotland so kids off school.

im due to start jury service on Monday (not needed on Monday though) and my mum is taking my kids Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. My DH is off Friday and Monday.

beyond this I have no childcare. My MIL could have taken them but in the period between me accepting the jury service and it starting she’s had COVID and is now not fit for it.

what can I do if I’m picked and any trial is slated to last longer than next Monday. I’m having a mild panic here.

Have a look at your letter, there should be contact details, give them a call, better than asking us.

There is a number.

im just in a tizzy about it. I physically cannot be there if I don’t have anyone to look after the children

If you go and are chosen you can explain what childcare cover you have and if they think the trial will go on longer they will probably choose someone else. It seems a fairly flexible process. When I did it one woman said she had a holiday booked during the two weeks and she was deselected. Go along and speak to the clerks.

If they won’t be flexible then just take the kids with you. Hopefully it won’t come to that though.

Thanks @ApolloandDaphne that’s comforting.

i don’t think I cope well when I have plans and everything organised to within an inch of its life then it goes to shit.

@ComDummings im not sure a 4 and 8 year old would sit in a court room

My brother has just received notification of jury service. He cannot fulfil these duties because he is the primary carer for our 94 year old mother. He is going to call the number on the letter on Monday to explain. I am pretty sure there are grounds for exemption (at least for 12 months).

@idonthavetimeorhis I have already accepted it though and now it won’t be possible for me to do it longer than the week due to unforeseen circumstances

You can't take the children to the court. Please don't. Won't your MIL be ok to take the kids after a week? Or is she unwell? If so call around childminders etc, with it being the holidays you may find someone has a space at short notice. It is expected that you use paid childcare if you don't have anyone else, so I don't know if you will be able to get out of it.

That’s my point, they’ll have to excuse you then! Hopefully if you explain that you have no childcare beyond a week they’ll let you defer or make sure it’s a very straightforward short case you’ll be on.

That's the point.

As soon as they see you aren't lying about having no childcare you will be excused.

Tell the court.

I just did it and the judge was great at checking that no one was stressed out and unable to focus on the trial

@RedWingBoots

You can be fined.

Posted too soon. You can be fined for not turning up. You can't turn up for a week and then expect to be excused for the rest of the trial though.

@lolil i don’t have the money for paid childcare

Phone the court on Monday and explain the situation. You maybe able to claim expenses for childcare if it comes to it.

It’s perfectly common in Scotland for jurors not to be able to continue once they start a trial and have to be excused, though. Trials often end with less than 15 jurors

@lolil

i suppose my question is, if I were to be selected for a jury on Friday, would I be able to say that I have no childcare and I’m unable to sit on the jury.

You claim the money back.

No, the expectation is that you are to arrange it. All the information you are given with your citation tells you this.

She is turning up.

The OP has not said she will not turn up.

If they don't believe her after she tells them she has no childcare in the second week, then she will just have to turn up with her children so they do believe her.

@lolil

I’ll explain myself again.

I was arranged but my MIL is now unable having had covid in the interim period and is very under the weather.

I'm in Edinburgh, I accepted jury duty and then got pregnant and had awful morning sickness. I got excused for that, call them and see what they say, childcare issues would probably be one of the reasons you could get excused, they might want proof of your mums covid, I sent them a letter from my midwife to prove the pregnancy

Its all very well saying you can claim it back but what if it isn't there in the first place?

@RedWingBoots

Turning up with your children in tow is the same as not turning up. You are unable to serve.

That's an age old problem, you would think by now something would have been sorted for people in these circumstances. I wasn't suggesting someone must be able to pay up front, but just making OP aware that the childcare is covered.