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.