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Covid

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Original poster

Jury service!

56 replies

hahaboink · 23/01/2021 12:07

I’ve just been told I have to do jury service in March and I can’t postpone because I already postponed last year.
They tell me that I have to send the kids to school as a key worker but my school will not take the kids as my husband isn’t a key worker and they don’t have room for any more kids. And my husband works outside the home (alone but not able to do it at home) Plus to be honest I have copd and asthma and not entirely sure I want my kids at school right now. Also I would have to go on the tube for 30 minutes and then sit in a court room all day where no one is wearing masks. Surely they can’t make me do this. Anyone had any experience in this? I’ve emailed but they told me because I’d postponed once I couldn’t do it again.

OP posts:

Quitescaredx · 26/01/2021 19:38

Tell them your issues prior . Can you arrange any other child care ? They may have to pay for it . You may have to go and then be dismissed on the day . Jury service should be safe ,measures have been taken, they have thought it through .

katy1213 · 26/01/2021 19:42

It's very hard to wriggle out these days. I was on a jury with a stay at home mother of five very small children - they told her to find a childminder! I'd have been tempted to bring them with me!
The expenses are very stingy and they certainly won't pay for cabs.

Windy1234 · 26/01/2021 19:51

I was excused for jury duty last week as i have type one diabetes amdea toddler and a baby. I just sent an email and that was fine

MyHeartIsNeverOnTime · 26/01/2021 19:57

[quote GoldGreen]@MyHeartIsNeverOnTime the problem with pausing jury trials is that it impacts on both the accused and victims.

I suppose it all comes down to what risk is acceptable versus what is loss of not taken.
The country can’t be shut totally shut down. There is risk to people working in factories to produce food, but we all need to eat. Same for hospitals, prisons etc.

The Criminal bar has been vocal that courts must be safe, screens etc, but they would also not support actions that undermine the justice system.[/quote]
I don’t think they necessarily need to be shut down. I do think people ought not to be compelled at the moment. Some of them, particularly the elderly and frail, are putting their lives on the line.

toocold54 · 26/01/2021 19:58

Sorry if I’ve missed it but can your DP not watch your DCs if they are saying you HAVE to go?
What was your reason for not attending last year?
I would try and wait it out a couple more weeks as the rules may change and you may have to start shielding in which case you won’t be able to go.

To be honest I think primary schools will be open by then anyway.

squeaver · 27/01/2021 13:44

@hahaboink

Oh thank you this is helpful. In the deliberation room was this the same?

We actually went to another courtroom to deliberate so we were hugely spaced out by then. Most of us took off our masks, so we could be heard, but you could keep it on if you wanted to.

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 27/01/2021 13:53

Why did you postpone last year?

You must have been prepared to be called up again after postponing once already, surely?

I suppose everyone thinks they have a good reason not to attend but if we all decided just to try to get out of it, what would that mean for the justice system?

Crakeandoryx · 27/01/2021 14:04

Only 2 ways out of jury service. GP or employer. That's it I'm afraid. I'm in the same position as you op and it's come at a dreadful time, is incredibly inconvenient and I really want out but I'm going to have to attend.

You need to start making some plans. I understand schools have to take children of key workers if they can't be at home.
If they refuse, get a letter saying so and speak to your Jury Officer about it.

You can't get out of it easily!

daisy118 · 27/01/2021 14:22

I did jury service in November and felt very safe.All seats in assembly room,where you gather before court,the actual court and deliberation room were all surrounded by plastic screens and SD. Court start times were staggered so not all arriving at once,issued with own sanitiser which you took to court to use for touch points.Masks worn when taken down to court but removed when sat down.All jury members had own paperwork to look at,non covid times shared.
Actual time in court,morning and afternoon sessions never any more than 2 hours each time.A lot of time sat about,take something to read.An interesting experience.

BackBoiler · 27/01/2021 14:27

I think if you have to go your husband could get furlough from his employer. He needs to ask.

Ilovemaisie · 27/01/2021 14:35

Crake my husband postponed his last summer because our daughter had emergency surgery. He just called them and explained and they were fine. He is doing it in May instead.

Ilovemaisie · 27/01/2021 14:37

Sorry - she had recently had surgery a couple of weeks before. They were still ok with it.

Original poster

hahaboink · 27/01/2021 18:31

To answer some questions, I postponed last year because when I was asked to do it (pre COVID) it was over Easter holidays and we had booked to go away. That was a legitimate reason to postpone and they said they’d be in touch with a new date. Then, because courts closed shortly after that conversation, they said they couldn’t let me know that new date then and would be in touch when it was rescheduled. Which they have just done. I was genuinely happy to do it at some point last year when I postponed but had paid for a holiday so just wanted to shift it a week or so. Obviously if I had known what was going To happen and we wouldn’t be going on holiday anyway I’d have just left it! Anyway the reasons why I postponed don’t really help me now do they. I am happy to do it once the levels of transmission are down So there isn’t as big a risk to my health and my kids have options to be looked after. In terms of my husband. He works outside the home on contracts that are agreed in advance Which he is in the middle of right now. If he turned around now and said he couldn’t fulfill that contract it would significantly impact his ability to get more work in the future. In addition, as I won’t get paid for jury service, we couldn’t pay our mortgage if we both were unpaid for two weeks minimum. The amount you get paid in expenses is tiny. Anyway, hopefully kids will be back on March 8th which is when I am supposed to start and cases down, and I’ll just have to add stressing about this to my long list of things I’m stressing about.

OP posts:

Shieldingending · 27/01/2021 18:36

Get your school to write a letter explaining that you cannot have a key worker place - that would help

Original poster

hahaboink · 29/01/2021 08:20

An update. I spoke with the court manager at the court I was scheduled to attend who said that ‘best efforts’ were in place to protect people but because it is a small court 2m distancing of juries etc Wasn’t always possible. They also said the reality was a lot of people refused to wear masks. So I went back to the jury service people and spoke to someone else this time who said that it was completely fine for me not to do it at this point due to health issues (for those who talked about me being on shielding list, I’m not ECV, but in group 6 for vaccine as my conditions are currently well managed) She also said they actually had too many jurors most weeks at the moment in this particular area - she thinks people are happy to do something different!

OP posts:

Ilovemaisie · 29/01/2021 08:23

That's good to hear. I think focusing on your health issues rather than childcare may have helped.

Daisypaisy2 · 29/01/2021 08:30

I got called for jury service last year too OP. I am a single parent and I work on the front line. I can’t remember my exact wording but I know basically that’s what I put on the letter.

I didn’t have to do it.

thisyearsuckssofar · 29/01/2021 15:23

You've got copd and would need to travel by public transport. I'd be back in touch telling them that and you are not running to risk your health We're in the middle of a pandemic and I'd imagine you're quite vulnerable with copd.

thisyearsuckssofar · 29/01/2021 16:05

Sorry, just read your update. I'm glad you're not under pressure to do it right now.

organisedmother · 29/01/2021 16:17

I also am the same 1st March and I can’t cancel as I did last March as my baby was 3 weeks old. I’m also exchanging on a house in the next 2 weeks, the added of stress of jury duty is unreal I’m also going to a magistrates court witch likely involve high cases I don’t want to hear about! I could be there 1 day or 6 weeks!!!I wouldn’t mind if it was a parking ticket or something but I don’t think that will be the case.... I really don’t want to go 😅

Ilovemaisie · 29/01/2021 16:43

organisedmother usually if they know in advance that it will go over the standard two weeks you do get the option to not do that particular case. My husband did one that was planned in advance it would be a long one. He was happy to do it but there were several that it was agreed they didn't have to do it (they purposely call up extra jurors in this cases so there is potential for dropouts).
(The case husband was on ended up going on for almost 5 months - they got a week off because the Judge had a holiday booked and he was getting fed up )

Cet73 · 29/01/2021 17:10

Hi - it was many years ago pre-covid, but when I was asked for Jury Service, my daughter was very unwell with chronic health problem, and in addition, secondary to this, my mental health was affected, and my GP wrote a letter which excused me - seems like permanently
as I wasn't/haven't been asked again. I am sure you should be able to get a letter from your GP Practice. Kc x

organisedmother · 29/01/2021 17:36

@Ilovemaisie oh really how much in advance did they tell him that? Mine is 4 weeks now is there enough time for me to try and cancel?

IfIHadAHeart · 29/01/2021 17:49

@organisedmother there are no juries at magistrates court...

redsquirrelfan · 29/01/2021 17:56

I suppose everyone thinks they have a good reason not to attend but if we all decided just to try to get out of it, what would that mean for the justice system

Same as other countries, not bother with juries.

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