Getting out of doing jury service

[Spain1986]

Hi all,

I got home today and found a letter summoning me to attend jury service. What excuses can I give to not attend? I can’t afford to not get my usual salary. Times are hard already. Who can go two weeks earning £70 a day?

Thanks

You can ask to be deferred if the dates don't suit but you have to provide them dates you can do and you will be called back up.

There are very few genuine reasons that get you excused completely and if you have to ask you haven't got one.

Have you asked your employer what their policy is? Some places will pay you in full

You cannot avoid jury service permanently. There are limited reasons for changing the date of your service (e.g. it clashes with a holiday), but you must suggest three possible dates within the next 12 months that will work for you. You can only be excused for more than 12 months if you have a serious illness or disability, or you are a full time carer of someone with an illness or disability, or you are a new parent and won't be able to serve in the next 12 months.

As the previous poster says, you should check with your employer. Some will pay you in full while you are on jury service.

I think you can asked to be excused for mental health reasons and I'm not sure you need to provide a dr's note. May as well try.

My friend was on jury for a rape trial and they had to be off work for a while with anxiety afterwards

Do you have someone in your family who you have to care for and there is only you who can do it as there is no one else, whilst fitting the care around your working hours at the same time , and would be impossible to get to court in time with this responsibility you have caring for this person ?
because if you do contact them online and explain why you can't do it , they will response fairly quickly very likely in your favour.
My very close relative was in this same situation around 18mth ago and they were excused with no mention of deferral or changing date.
I was excused around 20years ago due to childcare issues , i was excused and have never been asked again so far .
All those saying you can only deffer once , can't avoid etc this is not my /my relatives experience , i think if they can see your situation is difficult /unlikely to change they rule you out , they want people without complications.
I really don't care if i am criticized for jury avoidance , i am a contributing member of society but do not feel that it is my duty to do this.

As per the first two replies.

You can defer, but you have to then be available later.
But equally, many employers just pay you your salary anyway.

Who can go two weeks earning £70 a day?
ANYONE ON MINIMUM WAGE.

HTH.

Utterly tone deaf. Maybe save some of that fatcat salary for these sort of eventualities and do your public duty and contribute to society.

Your work will probably make up the difference, have you checked

Check your insurance if you have legal cover it usually covers you for loss of earnings on jury duty. When I did it a few years ago a lot of the time you wait around in morning and then get discharged for the day so if you can’t work half days you don’t lose all your salary

Most don’t unless you work in public sector

Don't be ridiculous. £10.42 x 8 = £82.50 plus top up benefits. £70 is nothing!

You’ll obviously decline your right to a trial by a jury of your peers if you’re wrongly charged with something too, right?

They can never prove you got the letter🤫🤐

People who claim they didn't receive the letter still get fined.

That comes to £72.86 after tax and national insurance, assuming no pension contributions. As a single private renter you wouldn’t be eligible to any benefits on that wage in my area (major city).

Minimum wage is currently £10.42 ph. Which rather suggests OP is on minimum wage doesn't it?
Fatcat salary would be more to the tune of £100+ per hour as opposed to £70 a day.

My employer just tops up the difference. 🤷🏼‍♀️

What would you do if you have very young children eg not in school and no childcare provision?

Youd tell them that & get deferred or excused

I did JS the first time but deferred the second time as I had a small baby.

I'd bloody love to get called - as a teacher we never get any time off for anything in term-time (except urgent medical appts)!!

Check with your work anyway as it's probably something you haven't looked at up until now anyway, not everyone thinks when they get a job is jury service paid, I only looked when a colleague did it. I worked for a medium sized private company and it said you have to claim the full amount for it and then they topped up the difference. It sounds like you are happy to do it as long as you don't lose any salary.

I told them I couldn't do it due to not being able to get to the Court before midday. I sent copies of the bus timetables that proved it would take me 3 hours and 4 buses to get there and none that would get me home. I didn't have a car at the time so couldn't drive myself the hour and a half to the Court via the direct route. That was many years ago and I haven't been called up since.

I loved JS. It was close to home and my employer at the time (university) paid my salary in full. That was many years ago. I had the extra childcare expenses incurred also paid for.

I deferred in 2003 due to final exams at university 300 miles from home (where I had been called up). Never been called again!

OP, it might be worth phoning the jury service team to discuss - I'm sure they hear from people in financial distress every day. Whatever you do, do not ignore this letter - it could cost you £1000.

https://www.gov.uk/jury-service/delaying-or-being-excused-from-jury-service

I’ve been called up twice but never picked for the actual jury of 12 from initially about 60 of us. It’s not definite yet that you would have to serve.

don’t ignore the letter, they just send another.