Crime and Punishment - Trial Day 4

It's all over. A strange feeling of deflation. My fellow jurors and I have lived this case for the last few days -someone else's life , the minutiae of someone else's tragedy. And when it came to it, we weren't prepared for the sudden turn of events.

The day started oddly. Monday morning and a new intake of jurors . The queue once again snaking down the street. It's raining and the queue moves slowly. I haven't got an umbrella so scan the line for a fellow juror...I'm going to queue jump if I can. Bingo. Find a 'jury mate' way up the front and shuffle in. As we get through the airport scanners my fellow juror looks round to see Sion Jenkins behind us. We are amazed that Court 1 's star defendant has to come in the same way as the rest of us. You can't say our legal system isn't democratic.

Find some more of my fellow jurors up in Jury Assembly - which is crowded with the new intake. We know the Defence may put our defendant on the stand today and we are apprehensive. ( The reason will become clear when I tell you more)

10.30 and we're back in court. The Judge addresses us . The gist of which is this : Members of the Jury , he says , the prosecution and defence and I have been speaking since we saw you last and they have both put it to me that this charge should be one of manslaughter. I agree with them and therefore I propose to change the charge. I understand that the defendant is prepared to plead guilty to the charge of manslaughter, and having heard the circumstances of the case I am satisfied that this is the appropriate charge and plea.
Or words to that effect. I can sense that we are all relieved. From day one we have wondered why ours is a case of murder.

Next the formality. The Clerk of Court stands and asks our defendant to rise.Our defendant is formerly charged with manslaughter and is asked how he pleads.
'Guilty' .

As we now have a changed charge and a guilty plea there is no need for us to deliberate. But we were set the task of trying the case and must agree with the events that have taken place. The Judge formerly requests the juror in seat 1 to stand and asks if we agree with the charge and the plea. On behalf of all of us she whispers 'yes'.
She knows we all feel the same - we've discussed it often enough in Jury Assembly.

And that is our duty done.

As the defence had not had a chance to conclude their case, His Honour gives the defence barrister the floor to speak. And my, how he does. An impassioned speech. Questioning how and why it had ever come to a charge of murder.
A veiled criticism of the Crown Prosecution Service that had refused to accept a guilty plea to manslaughter to begin with, which would have negated the need for a trial. No criticism of our prosecution counsel. He was just doing his job. It had become apparent to us from the way he presented the Crown's case that he was sympathetic . No rottweiler here.

The judge listened and commented that despite all the defence had said,the laying out of the tragedy before the court had led everyone to conclude that this was the right outcome. Perhaps this had been for the best.

And so to M'Lud's summing up.

He talked of the tragic circumstances of the defendant's life that had led him to take anothers. He spoke of the family who must bear some of the responsibilty, the shame and the blame. But, he said, the fact remained that to take a life is unlawful and a custodial sentence was the appropriate punishment. He was incredibly fair.
4 years. With time already served in custody and time off for good behaviour he will be out in 18 months. What happens to him then I do not know....

So here was our case. A case where one man was responsible for another man's death. A fact he did not deny and had not run from. A charge of murder. A plea of Not Guilty. Here is what I have learned. Behind every murder is someone's story.
Here was a story of a family where violence was commonplace . Of a weaker member of the family who didn't fight back. Then one day he did. And in one almost inevitable moment he stabbed his brother. He got 4 years . It could have been life. Which ever way you look at it , it's still a life sentence.

I have never seen such human despair. What must it be like to relive the moments that lead up to that one mad moment that turns your life. And to relive it in front of your family, your friends and 12 silent strangers sitting in judgement. We all saw the tears that wouldn't stop flowing, the hands that covered ears , the head permanently bowed. Violence breeds violence it is said. The irony is , our man was raised in a violent family culture but he had not been an aggressor. Until now. And in all of this Philip Larkin's poem was never far from my mind. 'They fuck you up, your mum and dad'.

After sentence is passed we file out. All of us subdued. Now , the mundane task of handing in our passes and papers. Time to say our goodbyes to 11 other people we hardly know, with whom we have shared an intensely emotional experience, and go back to our lives.

On the way out two of us bump into our defence QC and his team. I ask him if he has become inured to tragedy -he must see it day after day. No he said, if you are human you don't. And, he said, this was an unusual and particularly tragic case.
There's nothing more real than real life , says his junior barrister.

Indeed.

The Trial -Days 2 and 3

Thurs/Friday week 2
The last two days have been exhausting. It's impossible to be a juror and disengage your emotions. Ours is a tragic story and we all, without exception, have become increasingly subdued as the story unfolds and in one or two cases quite upset.
As you know I can't discuss the case but anything I do tell you about the proceedings you could have seen for yourself from the public gallery.

Some thoughts about the ceremony of it all. It seems to me that what I once considered 'pomp and circumstance' actually serves to focus everyone's minds on the seriousness of the task in hand. We, the jury, always file in in order, after we have been announced: 'Jury!' The court -mostly robed and bewigged -is already assembled before us. Lastly,a loud knock on the door to the Judge's bench followed by an announcement from the clerk of court signals the entrance of His Honour: 'Silence in court, please be upstanding.'
It's theatre, it's tradition.... but it works.

On Day 2 I held a murder weapon wrapped in protective plastic, learned the difference between various spatters of blood and listened to the graphic details of the findings of the pathologist's post mortem. CSI this isn't.

One thing's for sure, being on a jury is an education.
If one could forget that she was talking about an actual incident, ( which I couldn't ) the forensic scientist from the Home Office was fascinating. She explained just exactly what DNA is and how they can form their deductions from it. She then guided us through our file of photographs and explained each blood spatter . She can tell which is impact blood and which is expirated blood.
Hark at me the new expert. A bit of cross examination from the defence to clarify points and then next up, the detective in charge of the case.

The detective came with the transcript of her first major interview after the defendant had been charged. She read her part out and the junior prosecution barrister read all the others. This was quite lengthy and took us up to lunch time. Quite frankly , I have never heard a script in a tv drama that has come anywhere close.

Headed outside to clear my head. Needed a nicotine fix and a stiff drink. Three of us debated going to a pub but reason kicked in and we didn't.
The media were still out in force - the Jenkins case is big news.

Back in for a bite to eat and joined 2 jurors I had been talking to in week 1 ..the barrister, and a train driver. I needed the distraction. When you hang out with your own jury all you want to do is talk about your case...and sometimes you just don't want to. They are in the court next door and among their number is the deerkeeper from Richmond Park. It takes all sorts to form a jury.

They had been listening to a mobile phone expert from BT who had told them just how he tracks people by their phones. Whether you make a phone call or not, your mobile is your very own tracking device . Not to be outdone I showed off my newly found forensic knowledge.

Back down to our 'waiting area' at 2. There is a scrum at the lifts. A preselection group of 50 is heading down. We know what that means - a marathon case.
On the way we lost our London cabbie. He had blindly followed the wrong jury down to a different floor before realising he didn't recognise anyone. When he appeared we ribbed him mercilessly about his sense of direction and 'knowledge' of The Bailey! We all badly needed a laugh.

The afternoon was taken up with the rest of the police transcript, and then came the Home Office pathologist. He gave a detailed description of the post mortem, referring us to our graphic drawings of the deceased and then explained his findings. I won't go into detail. But it wasn't pleasant.

His Honour called it a day after that, as the next witnesses had been called for Friday and we were ahead of schedule. We had all had enough by then. It had been heavy going and our mood was sombre. One of the younger jurors was in tears.
I badly needed a drink and I was due to meet 2 friends for dinner. I desperately wanted to 'download' the case but I knew this wasn't allowed.On the otherhand I didn't want to just go home. So I head out for the evening and find I am not the best company.
This blog is fast becoming my therapy.

Friday. Trial day 3.
Two psychiatrists today. One for the prosecution and one for the defence. They have both been involved at different stages of the story and ultimately they both agree. We are stood down for a two hour lunch break - the two opposing barristers want to have legal discussion.We think there is something in the air. Back in Jury Assembly we all avidly discuss the case amongst ourselves. This being Friday,with the week's cases in full swing,there are groups of jurors sticking together everywhere in deep discussion. The Jenkins Jury have taken over the higher level sofa area by the windows. We regard them as the 'glamour team'.
Wander out for a breath of fresh air. Camera crews everywhere. Someone says 'the shoe bomber' is about to be sentenced. It's certainly all go this week .After lunch the defence barrister begins his case. The second psychiatrist is called. He takes us up to 3 and once again M'Lud calls it a day. He addresses the jury,
telling us to have a nice weekend and reports that the weather is going to be sunny. He then asks us to put the case out of our minds until Monday.
Is he kidding?

Kick off in Court 15

So finally. What I am here to do. Serve on a jury. Turn up 10.00 am and this time as a sworn in juror I have to sign the register for my court. The court can only sit if all 12 are ready to go. No being late , or everyone is held up.

Once, when I was at Southwark a juror was 45 minutes late. She was on the bus and didn't bother to phone in.Finally she arrived ,and seeing us all assembled outside the Court exclaimed 'Why didn't you start without me ?'. The judge gave her the biggest public bollocking I have ever seen. Needless to say, she wasn't late again but it had to be explained to her that all 12 jurors need to hear the same case all together.

There is a buzz about The Bailey today. The press and the media are outside . It's day one of the Sion Jenkins trial. I bump into a 'spare' juror from the preselection in the lift and she tells me that they expect the case to run to the end of May. It's today's hot topic in Jury Assembly. I think I had a narrow escape.

Find my court 15 'gang' in the tea area. Jurors once selected tend to stick together. Our fellow jurors are now the only people we can talk about our cases to. We are, as intended, a very mixed bag , joined together by a common task.

10.25
We are taken up to our court and file in in the order we have been selected. We have to sit in exactly the same seat every day. I notice there are people in the public gallery. We have official notepaper, pencils, water set before us. The Judge introduces the barristers and tells us a little more about the nature of the case . And then we are off. The Prosecution opens the case for the Crown.

I can't talk about the case as you know, but I'll say this. Nothing I have seen on television comes close to the reality of what we are now a part of. And my, do we concentrate hard. Witnesses are called, evidence submitted, documents and photographs given to us to look at , a harrowing phone call to listen to. By 12.50 we are ready for the lunch break.

Go outside for a ciggie and to clear my head. The press pack are still there. Photographers chase people down the street. Sion Jenkins' parents.
Back in for lunch and a chat with my fellow jurors. We carefully sound each other out on our feelings about what we have heard so far. All mindful that this is the prosecution side of the story. We have yet to hear the defence.

Come 2pm and we are ready to go back. There is a delay in the court. A doctor is called. We don't go back til 3. Another hour and the judge adjourns for the day. We all leave in sombre mood, heads full of what we have heard.

It's been an emotionally exhausting day for all of us.

And it's only just started.

Why don't my premium bonds come up this often?

Tuesday . Week 2 Day 4 .

Apparently you only have a 4% chance in your lifetime of being called for Jury Service. I have been called 3 times. Once in the '80s which I am ashamed to say I wriggled out of (and that was The Bailey). Once three years ago for Southwark, and now here I am again. If my premium bonds came up this frequently I would be laughing. And as the age eligibility is 18 to 70, with my luck, I fully expect to be called again one day .Yet some of you will never be called. Funny thing , chance.

Surprisingly, it is only since the Jury Act 1974 that all citizens (with very few exceptions) are required to serve.
Before '74 it was the perogative of the rich and well to do. And they had to be householders with a house over a certain rateable value. And in any eligible household this excluded wives, grown up children, relatives and lodgers.
I am glad it changed. Pre '74 sounds positively archaic.

Now all I want to do is get on a case. I am beginning to wonder if I will get through the required fortnight with chance working against me. It has been known for people to finish their service without actually being a member of a jury.

So, on my fourth day, I report for duty at 10.15. Spot the London cabbie. Haven't seen him for awhile. This isn't as strange as it sounds. There are 18 courts at The Bailey, which means about 250 jurors or jurors in waiting coming and going on any given day. He's still not made it onto a case either.

10.30 Roll call. And not long after, it's group selection time again. There's my name ...and the cabbie's ...and here we go again. Court 15 this time.
He and I count the number called out. Only 23! Please god, a shortish case.

(I had scanned the Court List noticeboard on my way in and noted that the Sion Jenkins retrial was listed for Court 1 today. Thats the biggie, with a high media interest. I was dreading being called for that as it's sure to run. I have followed it abit in the press and had resolved to 'declare' my own 'interest' if my name came up for it.)

Into Court 15. A medium sized court, fairly modern and beechwoody with more levels. I feel quite blase about court rooms now as this is my 3rd. M'Lud informs us that the case is likely to run definitely 5 and possibly up to 7 days. Thats fine. I can do that. A loss of some earnings, but better than getting on a case that runs much longer.

M'Lud calls for anyone with a problem to come forward. From somewhere behind me appears the 'spy', clutching his note which he hands to a court clerk to take to His Honour. It is so like being back at school. We all watch the Judge with interest as he reads the note.

'Yes,' he says, 'I think I need to show the barristers this'. Up they step to read it. 'I am satisfied that this gentleman should not be considered for this jury. Do you agree?' he says to the barristers. 'yes M'Lud'. The spy is dismissed and instructed to leave the court. Now my curiosity is really piqued. Resolve to find out what he does before I leave The Bailey.

Now the names. The first name is called, then another . A voice rings out in the court room halting the proceedings .'M'Lud , I fear I know this juror' says one of the barristers as the chap steps forward . 'Is this so ? ' asks the Judge . 'Yes' replies the juror . 'Then I am afraid you are dismissed says the Judge. And so he is.

The names continue. Next up , the cabbie ....I am not getting too excited .I've been through this before. Suddenly... it's my name! 'Yes' I hear myself reply and cross the court to the Jury Box, heart thumping. I glance at the defendant who is seated in the dock with head bent forward. I feel quite nervous. This really is 'reality'. Amost painfully so. My blase feelings vanish in an instant.

When all twelve of us are in place we wait for the objections. There aren't any .

We are now ready to take the oath. One by one we stand and read the words out loud from the card in front of us, bible in hand. Some have elected to take the 'affirmation', as is their right. I take the bible. Don't ask me why. There is always abit of me that gambles on God. I project my voice (force of habit ) and it somehow doesn't sound like me. I feel like I am not quite there.
We are now a sworn in jury. The 'spares' are dismissed. And only now are we told what our case is.

It' s a murder.

My heart turns over . The responsibility feels almost frightening. I feel very slightly light headed. I tell myself to get a grip.

The Judge talks to us about our duty, impressing upon us that it is we who try this case. He warns us that we must not discuss it with anyone except our fellow jurors. I had thought it was a matter of confidentiality but in fact it is to prevent undue outside influence. We can only talk to people who have heard and seen every minute of this case and no one else. Makes sense to me.

Even though it is only 11.30 the Judge dismisses us, instructing us to return in the morning when the case will begin. We file out following our court usher who will look after us for the duration. She's lovely , like a mother hen. She takes all our numbers, fills us in on some more general info and lets us go.

I walk out of The Bailey with the cabbie,feeling everso slightly wobbly. He tells me he's feeling unnerved.

At least it's not just me.

A New Week, same old frustrations...Day 3 at The Bailey

Well. I expect you are wondering if I have finally got on a case. Dear reader, read on.
Monday morning saw me ready and raring to go and do my duty. I rethought the clothes strategy and reverted to smart casual ( black trousers, coffee coloured wrapover top). As it's week two, getting on a case early is paramount. The later the week runs, the longer I am likely to be beholden to the law.

Being a seasoned week two-er now I had a later start. Arrived to find Jury Assembly packed. Roll call for week 2 . Answer my name and scan the room. You can spot the newbies - we seasoned Bailey-ites are the chilled out ones, smug in our experience. The new intake are nervous and twitchy - just like we were the previous week. Sit down with three faces I recognise and a new chap. He is positively antsy, drumming his fingers on the table: 'All this waiting' ! he says ...'I've been here since nine o'clock !' Hollow laughter from the four of us week twos. He is shocked that none of us have made it onto a case yet and we regale him with stories of our rejections from various court rooms.

Time ticks by.

We have a coffee table discussion about whether we think a defendant's 'previous' should be made known to a jury . I think not and argue passionately. Previous history would be too influential and just because you may have done it before, whatever it is , doesn't mean you did it this time. But a jury might just think you have.

Eventually we get round to 'what do you do'. I hate this bit and usually get my line of questioning in first. One of our number says he can't tell us , it's top secret and he has to keep handing notes to various judges who then mysteriously dismiss him. We play guess his occupation. He won't play ball. ( I think he may be a spy)

We exchange the excuses we've heard used in court rooms on potentially long running cases. One chap approached the judge to say he was getting married. 'I will only consider situations that are unique!' thundered the judge. 'But M'lud', said the would be groom,'I only intend to get married once ..that's pretty unique!'
( Apparently M'Lud laughed out loud and let him off.)

Finally it's 'listen out for your name' time again. My three fellow week twos get called and led away up to a courtroom . I get called in a different batch for a different court. We know the trick now. The bigger the group called , the longer the case -more scope for substitutions, and time to brush off those excuses. Only 20 in my group- must be a shortish one !

Court 9. Very small, modern and intimate. 'Members of the Jury in Waiting' says the Judge. 'This case is expected to run about 3 to 4 days, so therefore none of you should have a problem. And indeed no one does. If we are in week two that would take us nicely to the end of our legally required service.

'Pleeeeeaaaassseeeee pick me' I silently plead. (Probably along with everyone else) . One by one the random names are called out. The places in the Jury box fill up. We are down to the 12th place . And guess what .

It's ...not me !

We watch the 12 be sworn in . No objections from the defence. We 8 'rejects' are dismissed by the Judge to return to Jury Assembly.

See 2 of the 3 I was talking to earlier. They have been picked and sworn in and are dismissed - their case starts in the morning. I find an empty sofa and settle down to more waiting. After about 10 minutes a Court Clerk comes out and announces that the 'spares' from Court Nine are dismissed . 'Please return Tuesday ten o'clock'
Never been called 'a spare' before.
And so I go home.

Jury protest forces fraud trial collapse after 2 years

..and this is what I am afraid of.....

www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1443840,00.html

FAQs

So while I wait with baited breath for Monday morning and the jury lottery game to begin again I thought I would answer a couple of FAQs.

Q. Are you in the post code area for the Old Bailey then?
A. No. The catchment area for The Bailey is anywhere inside the M25. (So yes, next time it could be you....)

Q. Aren't you told what case you are on when you receive the summons?
A. No - you are just told when to attend and where. (The summons is a fetching shade of pink though.) When you arrive you go into the jury pool and wait for the random process of preselection to begin.

Q. What happens if you get on a long case?
A. Quite

What should be Day 3..........

......and I am not back at The Bailey. Rang in yesterday as instructed and discover that all this week's cases are now assigned. So it's back on Monday when the whole lottery system starts again. I am disappointed to say the least. And not overly pleased that having arranged my work so carefully (with the help of my patient employers) it looks like I will still be juggling and losing money despite my best endeavours. We'll see. I'll know more on Monday.

But this is par for the course. My experience is not unusual. Just irritating.

So another day off. My friend, who wrote the piece summing up the workings of the law so brilliantly, says I can name him .... I'll just call him J. He's had first hand experience of the law - from the dock. So, unsurprisingly, he feels strongly about it:
" ...and you can use my name. You can also add the legal system in Norfolk is manned by c---s"

J never minces his words.

Trial and Retribution

The Blog seems to be provoking strong reactions. I received this from a
friend.
Dunno about you..but I think it's brilliant:

"Ah, yes, but you have to remember that the object of the game is not
to uncover whether the defendant is guilty or innocent. That isn't the
point of a trial under the English system. The object is to decide
which side has presented their case better. It is a contest between
two public school boys to present a case neither believes in nor cares
about - except it gives them both lorry-loads of cash.

One juror was thrown off a jury the other year for trying to
investigate the facts of the case himself in his time off. As the
judge told him, it is not a juror's job to investigate the facts; it
is his job to decide on the relative merits of the presentation of the
facts.

If you think the accused is guilty but the prosecution has not proved
it, then you have to vote Not Guilty. if you think the accused is not
guilty, but the defence has not countered the prosecution's arguments,
then you have to vote Guilty.

The police investigate and find the guilty person.

The court prosecutes the person assumed to be guilty but does not
investigate.

The jury decides whether the Prosecution or Defence has presented
their case better, but does not investigate and does not decide on the
facts, only on the facts presented and on the presentation of the
facts.

It's like judging an ice-skating contest - style and content are what
get marked.

At least juries - wrongly - think the system is about delivering
justice; judges know it is about deciding on the legal arguments not
the facts.

****** got out of jury service. From memory, I think she just
screamed obscenities at the judge and that seemed to do the trick."

Day 2

Day 2 at The Old Bailey and the prospect of being selected . On the one hand the thought of 4 weeks away from work and the loss of income. On the other a sense of duty. I decide if it is meant to be then it will be a once in a lifetime experience and a privilege. Hopefully my various employers will be understanding.

I decide to upgrade myself in terms of what I am wearing. Yesterday I wore smart -caz black trousers and a black jumper- safe bet. Today, I dig out the navy Armani trouser suit - I was once told that if you dress supersmart the Defence may object to you -(as is their right) -(go figure that one )- so I decide to load the odds in my favour. I feel a twinge of guilt that I am more concerned about my bank balance when this is about people's lives.

10.00 call. Usual queue to get in and up to Jury Assembly. Spot one or two from my 20 and sit down with a cuppa for a chat. It's fascinating to talk to people you wouldn't normally meet. I talk to a would be novelist, a child protection officer and the barrister who is still in the pool despite his best endeavours. He's sorted himself out and happy to do it now if chosen. He asked why I hadn't approached the Judge - told him his treatment had put me off!

I am amazed to discover from him that following a change of law in 2003 members of the legal profession, the court service itself and the police can be called for jury service aswell. I would have thought that being 'in the biz' they would have been exempt.
So we sit ...........and we wait and..... wait.... and wait. The tannoy is constantly calling for the various courts but we don't move unless told to by our court clerks.

At midday our court usher dismisses us for 2 hours, telling us to return at 2.
The judge isn't ready for us yet. ( or we for him I think!)

Go for a long walk around the area. St Pauls is just up the road and I had forgotten how gorgeously impressive it is close up. All cleaned up, it's like a delicious wedding cake. I have moaned alot about London in the last few years but this part of the city is really interesting (and clean!). Resolve to explore it more if I get the chance.

Head back after an hour for a splurge on my swipe card. Lunch is passable -like school dinners used to be before the advent of fast food. Mushroom stroganoff and because I can't resist comfort food , peach sponge and hot custard.

More waiting, more chat. Jury assembly is fairly empty after lunch as those who are now on cases have disappeared -leaving us, the last remaining 20, wondering what is happening. The barrister ventures that there is alot of legal setting up and horse trading going on. Who knows.

Just as I am convinced the day is a write off, at 3.15 we are summoned. 20 of us head back to Court 16 to await the random selection of 12....(we've been waiting for this since 10.00)
Infront of the Court one of the clerks starts reading out names. If called we are to step forward and take a place in the Jury Box. (It crosses my mind that it feels like the elimination process in a TV reality show then kick myself for being so vacuous- this is serious stuff)
The barrister and the child protection officer I have been chatting with get chosen ......one by one the names get read out....we get to the 12th name and......it's not me !

We remaining 8 are instructed to wait as the defendants and their counsel may now exercise their right of objection. We are the possible candidates on the 'subs bench' now. One query only , no substitutions ...and the 12 are sworn in. Each raising a bible in their right hand and taking the oath. I am struck by the enormity of it all. The Judge dismisses the rest of us and we head back to an empty Jury Assembly, leaving the new Jury to find out what the case actually is.

The Jury manager meets us and tells us that all cases from Monday/Tuesday are now assigned. Next jury selection will start Friday. We are to ring in Thursday and find out what our Friday call time will be.

I have a chat with him about the prospect of my service extending another week and my fear of being on a long case. He assures me that that the Bailey does have short cases too and tells me I must put my concerns forward if I am preselected for a big one. After seeing one judge in action I am dubious to say the least! But the Jury manager tells me that self employment is a factor they will consider. Resolve to not be such a wimp if it happens again.

There is a real biggie starting next week -you will hear about it on the news no doubt - I wonder if some wierd pre-destiny is at work...and try and shake the feeling off before I freak myself out. It's one I've followed and I wonder if that would rule me out. How do you avoid high profile cases in the media and not form an opinion?

Time to head home. Bump into the barrister and child protection officer on the ground floor - the case will kick off for them on Wednesday morning. It's a murder. I wish them well.

I have a head full of 2 days of not alot happening but alot learned. Must remember to fill in my timesheet. It's for claiming travel, expenses , etc .

It costs the public purse £120 a minute to run a court. (There are 18 courts in the Bailey alone.) It's costing you an awful lot to subsidise me sitting around drinking tea and chatting! But the process of the law is subject to its own timescale. Just aswell really. If it was you in the dock you wouldn't want a rush job now would you?

Was that my name ? ( Day 1 -the conclusion)

Ok , so I've had my cuppa, scanned the paper and had a bit of a chat with one or two fellow new jurors. It's 10.30 . More batches of names are read out and people led away. Eventually it's my turn.

30 of us are led down to Court 16. ('Oooh!', says one of my fellow jurors, 'We're being sent down'. Nervous laughter at this choice of phrase.) We're a real mixed bunch, young ,older, smart, casual, all colours and sexes -all looking slightly apprehensive. Very democratic.

We congregate outside in a huddle, waiting for the nod. One lively, smiley chap -full of enthusiasm , asks me if I have a good excuse ready if it's a long runner. I haven't made my mind up yet what constitues a good excuse- the Judge may just say 'tough! It's your civic duty!' If it turns out to be a real epic the loss of earnings does not thrill. I know of one friend who was at The Bailey for a year. But then the BBC were paying her.

Suddenly our usher springs into action, the doors are opened and we shuffle in.

It's a smaller court room, modern,overall impression -lots of beechwood. We line the side wall. All the court is assembled including the occupant(s) of the dock . The judge tells us the case is likely to run a month and 20 names will be called at random. If our name is called we are to approach the bench and explain to him if we have a problem with the duration of the case. In front of everyone. Gulp.

First up the lively fellow I had chatted with outside. My Lord , he says, I am a member of the bar. I have my own cases to prepare. I can serve 2 weeks but longer may be a problem. The Judge says in not so many words that as a member of the legal profession he knows how the system works. His excuse is not accepted. Others step forward as their names are called. It appears that only a medical condition or a pre-booked holiday merits a return to the jurors' pool.

This is so unlike Southwark where small cases usually run one or two weeks and if a longer one was expected you just had to stick your hand up in the jury room to be removed from selection. But hey- this is The Bailey. I should have known better.

I hear my name. I am not even going to try and persuade His Honour and will put it in the hands of fate and random selection.

And so we are whittled down to 20. The Judge decides that the selection of 12 will happen the next day - apparently there are matters the court needs to discuss before the case kicks off. The 10 'rejects' go back to Jury Assembly and we 20 are dismissed for the day til Tuesday. It is 11.30am

There are camera crews outside. I can't resist asking who they are waiting for. 'Terrorists' says a camerawoman. I leg it up the street to the tube.

...and that was Day 1.

Clocking In

Day 3 of Jury Service -a day off!
Which gives me a chance to catch up on Day 1 -so here we go
Day 1.
Monday morning :Required to report at 09.00am. Head for St Paul's tube. Old Bailey is the name of the street where the Central Criminal Court ( to give it it's proper name) is sited -and a five minute walk from the tube station. You can't miss the jurors' entrance -the queue snakes back down the street.
The security is pretty tight. No one can go in and out without flashing their official summons form at all times. You file slowly past security reception 2 abreast, enter a cylindrical container ('wait for the green light'!) which opens on one side to admit you , pauses, then disgorges you on the other side (very 'beam me up scotty' ) then through the airport style scanners and you're in.

Ahead in the main ground floor reception is a first day jurors' information point. Barristers swish past, police, security men, cleaners, solicitors- it's all busy busy busy. I am in awe. Can't help feeling a sense of history and slightly overwhelming responsibility. If Southwark was Frinton Rep -this is the RSC.

Told to go to the 5th floor. (Given a security code that opens the doors.) Lifts packed with fellow first dayers all looking apprehensive,impassive or cool.

Arrive at 'Jury Assembly' -this is to be our home for the duration when not required in court.
Long queue to be issued with a swipe card programmed with our daily food and drink allowance -a fiver! Any thoughts of saving it up for a binge at the end of the week are quickly dispelled, it's preprogrammed every day -so use it or lose it.
It's a large room furnished with armchairs, sofas, and a food service/ eating area at one end. 3 large tv screens hanging over head -(it's 09.30 and Will & Grace is on...Channel 4 -the Bailey jurors' choice) ).
Find a seat -this is hard as the room is packed full of seasoned jurors and the new Monday intake.
When everyone is seated and settled it's roll call time for the newbies. Strange feeling of deja vu - it's just like the first day at school.
A portly gentleman in a black robe wearing a Madonna headset introduces himself as Mike the Jury Manager and fills us in on various bits of info -who's who, who we can ask if we have any problems etc etc and then we are shown The Video.
Actually -it's very informative and well presented by a girlie who I don't recognise but has that air of friendly newsreader authority about her.
The video takes us through what will happen from selection to court -and by the end of it one feels a little less daunted.
You can take a similar tour on the net if you want a taster from the juror's perspective. www.juror.cjsonline.org

Then it's wait around time. Having done it before I know there's going to be alot of this. Time to test the swipe card , grab a cuppa and get the paper out.
Every so often a court usher -all black robed and authoritative - reads a batch of names out with instructions to follow. Actually they could do with a bit of voice training as we all strain to hear -terrified we will miss our names.

2 weeks is the legal requirement for jury service but as the selection of a jury is random, and some cases may take longer -sometimes 30 or more potential jurors can be selected by computer and taken up to a court room . There the judge will tell you if the case is likely to run longer than 2 weeks and anyone who may have a problem with this can ask to be put back into the pool for possible selection to a shorter case. But only if the Judge decides. ( and it's My Lord or Lady here at the Bailey -as in 'M' Lud, or M' Lady'- not 'yer honour' ....!)

Me being me , I strike up one or two conversations. You soon find out who just wants to stick their nose in a book and who is relieved to share their impressions and concerns! Talk to a London cabbie. He is worrying about getting stuck on a long runner ( he's not the only one !) - and thinks he will have to work evenings and weekends to make up for the loss of earnings. (You are allowed to do this - just not allowed to discuss any case you are on)

If you are self employed you can claim loss of earnings up to £56.96 a full day but ONLY if you can prove you lost money on the day you were claiming for.

So it's a waiting game- until my name is called.

Old Bailey ...the Summons

Three years ago I was called up for Jury Service at Southwark Crown Court. At the time I remember thinking 'I wish it was The Bailey' . Be careful what you wish for. For all those who thought that jury service comes once in a lifetime - this week I started my second stint -only 3 years after my first. At the Old Bailey.
Now I happen to be one of those people who is not too impressed by those whose first reaction is 'How can I get out of this?'
You know who you are.
One day it might be you sitting there in the dock .At the mercy of 12 random strangers. And believe me you will be hoping that the level of education and intelligence among those strangers is high enough to process what went on during your trial. And arrive at a fair and balanced verdict.

The law quite rightly forbids that I divulge details here. But I'll just say this. At Southwark I encountered one fellow juror whose grasp of what she had been listening to was limited. 'Which one's the defendant?' ; another who was convinced that the defendant's race was enough to indicate guilt and another who based her judgement on the defendant's facial expressions.

There are people like this sitting on juries every day of the year throughout this land . If you don't want to be tried by them, then for goodness sake bite the bullet when it's your turn!

So to the Bailey.
Well so far - I have not been assigned to a case.
More when I have . But not about the case . Ofcourse.