A Close Call....

[Smoggy]

Have 2 weeks planned on the boat for middle of July, got home today to find a letter from the courts, jury service summons in July!!!!!!

Starts the day I'm due back to work,  phew holiday saved. 

If it'd been a week earlier every one would have been guilty. 

[MargeandParge]

Always good for the CV says you've no criminal record and you're not likely to get asked again soon.

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[grendel]

I got asked 3 times, I think its because I only live 200 yards from the courts, the third time I actually got on a case.

[Gracie]

1 hour ago, Smoggy said:

Have 2 weeks planned on the boat for middle of July, got home today to find a letter from the courts, jury service summons in July!!!!!!

Starts the day I'm due back to work,  phew holiday saved. 

If it'd been a week earlier every one would have been guilty. 

Are you sure it was for jury service???  x

[hazelgirl]

My poor old Dad is doing it this week and next, he's 75 at Christmas and has accessibility issues, he also has to travel a good distance to get to the courts in the center of Manchester.

Surely there's enough people in this country now to reduce the cut off age down a tad, my Mum is far more able than my Dad but I think even she would find it a heavy task now to do.

[Chelsea14Ian]

I am surprised  at 75 I've  just checked  on line.You can ask to be excluded  at 70.

[Hylander]

13 minutes ago, hazelgirl said:

My poor old Dad is doing it this week and next, he's 75 at Christmas and has accessibility issues, he also has to travel a good distance to get to the courts in the center of Manchester.

Surely there's enough people in this country now to reduce the cut off age down a tad, my Mum is far more able than my Dad but I think even she would find it a heavy task now to do.

Dont worry contact the person who wrote to your Dad and they will just take him off the list and will tell him he does not have to attend.

[Smoggy]

10 hours ago, Gracie said:

Are you sure it was for jury service???  x

Ssshhhhhh! I think I'm getting away with my story. 

[Andrewcook]

Hi Smoggy  going for Jury service just plea Guilty and you maybe spared from prison with plea bargaining still that's a Close call from you to going on  Holiday though blimey. 

[PaulN]

In all my years I've never been called for Jury Service and often wondered why, yet there's Grendel our fine upstanding forum tech man, whom I had the pleasure to meet at Beccles last year, being summoned 3 times!

[Smoggy]

15 minutes ago, PaulN said:

our fine upstanding

Maybe that's the difference...

[PaulN]

2 minutes ago, Smoggy said:

Maybe that's the difference...

Presumably you're saying I'm not

[grendel]

37 minutes ago, PaulN said:

In all my years I've never been called for Jury Service and often wondered why, yet there's Grendel our fine upstanding forum tech man, whom I had the pleasure to meet at Beccles last year, being summoned 3 times!

I still think its down to living on the doorstep of the court house, no travel to pay and all that.

[Chelsea14Ian]

It's just the luck of the draw .

[Smoggy]

It is supposed to be random from the electoral register.

38 minutes ago, PaulN said:

Presumably you're saying I'm not

No purely a tongue in cheek comment, don't take offence, it really just means Me and Mr. G have not been caught yet.

[addicted]

My daughter got called for jury service when she was about 23 years old. It was pretty difficult for her to manage as she had her own business, an estate agency in kentish Town,  But she  called in a few favours  owed and various experienced friends came to the rescue and together with mum held the fort.  it was a  pretty nasty sexial offences case which as her mum  I would have preferred her  not to be involved in! Then  a couple of years later she got called again. This was going to prove impossible to handle as she by now had a second branch in Highgate. She wrote to the appropriate person pointing out that she  had already served and that to do do again would cause real hardship and received a reply that was positively nasty. She then had her doctor write on her behalf asking for her to be excused  on account of the fact that she was 8 months pregnant. The letter that came in response agreeing  to  release her from the responsability was really grudging.

 

Carole

[grendel]

one of my work colleagues was called and got on a fraud case, he was away from work for about 6 months in total as the trial progressed, the only reason they wont allow someone who is advanced in pregnancy is because if the trial drags on and then the juror goes into labour, they have to start all over again with a fresh Jury.

[CambridgeCabby]

I have been called up twice to jury service , and randomly selected once .

At the time I was self employed and doing my duty resulted in a net loss for me in excess of £1k as travelling costs including parking and having to pay others to fulfil my existing work contracts were not covered by the allowances which were paid .

I sat for 6 days listening to the evidence and on the morning of the 7th day the accused changed his plea to guilty resulting in the jury being dismissed , I wondered at the time if I could sue the defendant (guilty party) for my losses.

[Regulo]

I've been called 3 times, one of which was to the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey). We had to use the Guildhall, for some unspecified reason, and I really felt I'd been transported back in time to the 19th century! 

My advice to anyone called is to go if you possibly can - I found the whole experience really interesting. But the waiting around and snail's pace of proceedings can be a drag. Start at 10, break at 12, back at 2 off at 4. That's unless the judge decides he/she's had enough and cuts things short at a convenient point in proceedings. One case I was on took 6 weeks - I swear it could have been dealt with in 2.

[ZimbiIV]

But, if it was a third of the time it would be a third if the fees!

paul

[webntweb]

I did jury service when I was 29. Second day I was one of the first 12 called. The defence rejected me and some of the others. I was glad not to be on that case as it was a traveller accused of killing another traveller.

I was selected for a case later in the week: a woman accused of throwing a yam through a greengrocers window - how that ever got to Crown Court I'll never know.

I was called again when I was about 55 when I was self-employed and had booked a holiday on the date of service. I pleaded my case and offered to serve at a later date, which to my surprise they accepted.

I had a third call when I was 68 but a couple of days later received another letter cancelling the first letter.

[Regulo]

"But, if it was a third of the time it would be a third if the fees!"

Exactly! The blathering and dithering is unbelievable. And every piece of evidence has to be examined and re-examined to within an inch of it's life. Mind you, the case I was on at the Old Bailey seemed open and shut guilty, until Dingle Foot (ex-Labour leader Michael's brother) got his brain into gear - brilliant mind! Had the whole court doubting their own names in the end!

[ExSurveyor]

I have never been called, always wanted to go.

I have been called three times as an expert witness, all fraud cases involving property. The first one was a lesser amount and was scheduled for one week. I stayed after giving evidence to watch the proceedings for the rest of the week. It was fascinating.

During the last one I was asked by the prosecution QC. to give advice to the defence team to clarify various technical points as thier expert witness was taken ill.

The meeting was held in the Judges chambers with both teams.  That was a sureal day.

 

[Mouldy]

15 hours ago, PaulN said:

In all my years I've never been called for Jury Service and often wondered why, yet there's Grendel our fine upstanding forum tech man, whom I had the pleasure to meet at Beccles last year, being summoned 3 times!

Don’t feel too bad about it!  I’ve never been called either.

[Chelsea14Ian]

When I joined  the BOV/IMB.Iwas exempted from Jury service.I left the IMB in 2005 and was exempted  for ten years. As yet I've not been called.Marina has been called once.Early in our married  lift,but I think she was unwell and was excused.With my experience of Prison system it wouldn't  worry unduly.