A rudimentary command of English I guess.
The Mrs has been called up for jury duty, the location chosen is two London boroughs and a 50 mile round journey away?!?!?!
Any idea how it's allocated and why they'd palm her off with one so far away? Seems illogical when there are ones that are closer, including one that is walking distance!
A rudimentary command of English I guess.
If she wants to avoid doing it all she has to do is write to the authorities and explain that she is incapable of sitting in one place for hours on end and is fearful that she would disrupt the proceedings as a result.
Rob
Not sure how it's picked but while living in Wandsworth borough I was chosen twice and both times it was in Southwark, so also technically two boroughs away (although only 20 minutes on the tube in reality).
I've been called three times and served twice.
It was a great experience as the first was for minor crimes and the second involved someone passing.
If I was called again I would happily serve again.
The reason I passed the first time was due to work commitments.
I should add the some just sat in the jury room for the whole two weeks and others like me were called in. I therefore suggest you take a book.
Don't pass up the opportunity to do your bit.
B
But don't do your bit in the jury room, they don't like that.
I'm sure she's fine doing it, just wondered how they chose the relevant court I.e. One miles away.
they select this distance on purpose, the last thing you want as a serving jury members is to go home, and bump into one of the key witnesses/members of the accused family.
if distance is going to be a major issue, and hamper her coming in each day, she can ask that she stays over at a hotel near the trial, depending on how far away the judge lives, this might be granted.
as he is not going to put her up in a hotel when he travels twice the distance say to get there.
I believe Soundood is correct.
I had to travel 30 miles to a from the court in reading. 50 minute train journey there and 50 minutes back. Obviously all train expenses are paid for.
The frustrating thing about jury duty is you don't know how long it will take until you are allocated a case. Thinking it would be a week tops about an unpaid parking ticket or something similar, turned out to be a 6 week murder case trial on the lead up to Christmas. My boss was not best pleased.
It did turn out to be very interesting and definitely worth the experience.
Tell her to keep her fingers crossed its not a financial fraud case.
Bring plenty to keep you occupied...book/crossword/puzzles/knitting etc. She could be sat as a juror in waiting for days,or,you could be called almost immediately. If she is one of the 15 ish people called to form a jury it doesn't necessarily mean she will be selected in court. When you arrive in the court a clerk will read out 12 names at random from the 15 selected to form the jury. They will then read out the names of all the people involved in the case and any of the selected jurors have the chance to say whether they know them or not. If they do they will be replaced by one of the extras.
It could be an interesting couple of weeks or it could be a really dull couple of weeks. It might not even be a couple of weeks!
One of the most boring fortnights of my life. Even once you're into a trial, there's a lot of time when the jury has to be out of the room. Was involved in three trials. One collapsed after half a day, one negotiated a settlement after one day, one was completed in two days. Was given one and a half days off. Spent a week sitting in the large waiting room.
One thing I hadn't considered beforehand is how intensely annoying it is that you just have to sit there and listen as some twerp tells the most pathetic lies.
Why Was I Picked For Jury Service?:
"You have been called for jury service because the Jury Central Summoning Bureau (JCSB) randomly chose your name from the electoral register of everyone eligible for jury service."
What I found incredibly annoying (in an odd child abduction case where some bloke was probably trying to groom a few 15-year-olds) was the defence and prosecution had their cases planned well in advance and didn't react to some of the things said by the defendant and witness that were very relevant.
It was all a bit of a mess anyway, the defendent came in on the same bus as one of the jurors, and half the jurors were not in any way interested in paying attention and just wanted to find the defendent guilt of everything. On the plus side it was hugely amusing watching everyone have to pass round a large number of dildos the police had found in a cupboard in the defendent's house, which probably had nothing whatsoever to do with the case.
While I was there, there was a bunch of jurors six months into a big fraud case. I think they were pre-warned about the likely length of trial and a few people made their excuses.
"A man of little significance"
I take it you can't take/use a smartphone, tablet or laptop whilst your waiting in the Jury room?
Most of the waiting is in the Jurors general area - no problem using anything there. The jury room of a specific court, with the twelve of you doing that trial, no phones etc. You only get parked in there for short periods, immediately before going into the court. The longer waits are in the Jurors general area.
It can't be random in Glasgow.
I've been called 4 times and my mrs 5 times.
My parents (in wales) have never been called up.
Biggest waste of time I've experienced and a real hassle if you work for a small company like myself.
Done Jury service 4x,two in Leeds two in Bradford.Get a liking for reading,jigsaws and long days sitting about talking......
Been called three times and always deferred when I explained I was self employed.
If you work for yourself you can't afford to spend unknown amounts of time away.
Cheers,
Neil.
I believe Soundood is correct.
Not sure he is, I was called to a local crown court and served on a case that featured my local london borough and many witnesses living within a couple of miles of me.
Indeed, 3 months on a fraud case.Tell her to keep her fingers crossed its not a financial fraud case.
You can...you are just advised not to Google any aspects of the case you are currently serving as a juror on. I recommend loading a few films or box sets onto an iPad.
Also bear in mind that the juror's catering facilities will probably be distinctly average. Bring sandwiches.