Jury Service .... again
Discussion
This is the second time I've had to do it.
It has to rank as one of the most boring things I've ever done. Listening to first the prosecution droning, then the defence droning and finally the judge droning vitually every word the other two have just droned. I nearly fell asleep last time.
Would that have been contempt?
And they only pay up to £55 per day FFS!! (Since the average income in this country is supposedly around £25K you would think they'd at least cover that much.) So its going to cost me a fortune for the pleasure.
How the hell can I get out of it in future? Surely there must be some mad cult I can join?
Or maybe membership of the National Front??? Should I turn up in DMs and shaved head and hope to be excused?
Answers on a post card please.
Still, at work we'll be testing some blackberry PDAs with web access so I can still surf PH. (I daresay some kill-joy will point out that is against the rules.)
It has to rank as one of the most boring things I've ever done. Listening to first the prosecution droning, then the defence droning and finally the judge droning vitually every word the other two have just droned. I nearly fell asleep last time.
Would that have been contempt?
And they only pay up to £55 per day FFS!! (Since the average income in this country is supposedly around £25K you would think they'd at least cover that much.) So its going to cost me a fortune for the pleasure.
How the hell can I get out of it in future? Surely there must be some mad cult I can join?
Or maybe membership of the National Front??? Should I turn up in DMs and shaved head and hope to be excused?
Answers on a post card please.
Still, at work we'll be testing some blackberry PDAs with web access so I can still surf PH. (I daresay some kill-joy will point out that is against the rules.)
I just got given a summons for this too, I turned up at the old baily this Monday just gone, sat in a room with something like 200 others and got sent home at 1pm. Rang them Tuesday afternoon only to be told that I was no longer required!
I was kinda looking forward to it and had re arranged 2 weeks of my time to do it only to be told don't come back!
One and a half hours on the train to the City, 4 Hours of sitting and one and a half hours back home! For What?
I was kinda looking forward to it and had re arranged 2 weeks of my time to do it only to be told don't come back!
One and a half hours on the train to the City, 4 Hours of sitting and one and a half hours back home! For What?
rsvmilly said:
How the hell can I get out of it in future? Surely there must be some mad cult I can join?
Or maybe membership of the National Front??? Should I turn up in DMs and shaved head and hope to be excused?
Answers on a post card please.
Turn up in T-shirt proclaiming that you have "common sense" and are "hardworking" - They will not want that sort on a jury
Turn up in T-shirt proclaiming either your disapproval of scamerati or love of fast cars...
Refer to any woman there as "she" - that can cause her offence - according to benchbook guide
Pay council tax on last minute - preferably, if possible, a penny short.
That makes you "unreliable". there - sorted
I did it about 8 years ago. I must admit that I was intrigued to do it but the reality was sitting around until late afternoon on the off-chance that a case would come up.
In two weeks I spent 3 days in court. The rest of the time was spent learning to play scrabble.
I watched one scrote walk free because the case put up by the CPS was a fekkin' joke. The prosecutor was fresh out of school. In contract the defence lawyer could have taught Perry Mason a thing or two.
And having to listen to an expert on glass explaining the refractive indices of types of glass does not hold you attention in a hot stuffy courtroom.
BTW xxxrich you can get the service deffered. That's what I did.
I seem to recall reading lately that there are moves to reduce the number of reasons to get out of court service - even pre-booked holidays!!
In two weeks I spent 3 days in court. The rest of the time was spent learning to play scrabble.
I watched one scrote walk free because the case put up by the CPS was a fekkin' joke. The prosecutor was fresh out of school. In contract the defence lawyer could have taught Perry Mason a thing or two.
And having to listen to an expert on glass explaining the refractive indices of types of glass does not hold you attention in a hot stuffy courtroom.
BTW xxxrich you can get the service deffered. That's what I did.
I seem to recall reading lately that there are moves to reduce the number of reasons to get out of court service - even pre-booked holidays!!
WildCat said:
Turn up in T-shirt proclaiming that you have "common sense" and are "hardworking" - They will not want that sort on a jury
Turn up in T-shirt proclaiming either your disapproval of scamerati or love of fast cars...
Refer to any woman there as "she" - that can cause her offence - according to benchbook guide
Pay council tax on last minute - preferably, if possible, a penny short.
there - sorted
I like!! I like!!
Looks like I'll have to get my PH LeMans T shirt customised. Or maybe hire an Ali-G costume for the first day.
rsvmilly said:
How the hell can I get out of it in future? Surely there must be some mad cult I can join?
Or maybe membership of the National Front??? Should I turn up in DMs and shaved head and hope to be excused?
Answers on a post card please.
Homer Simpson said:
The trick to getting out of jury service is to be prejudiced against all religious groups!
Well it seams that there are more groups that have to do it now that were previously excused.
I think turning up dressed as Colin the Clown might get you a charge of contempt if you got picked. But it's all done by the 'Computer at Random' so dressing smart or scruffy would make no difference.
It was funny though you could see all the people that had turned up for the first day all smart and the groups of people that were on their second week, jeans, t-shirt....
I was really looking forward to doing my bit but if they ask me again I shall reject it. Not interested now! They totally wasted my time for no reason.
I think turning up dressed as Colin the Clown might get you a charge of contempt if you got picked. But it's all done by the 'Computer at Random' so dressing smart or scruffy would make no difference.
It was funny though you could see all the people that had turned up for the first day all smart and the groups of people that were on their second week, jeans, t-shirt....
I was really looking forward to doing my bit but if they ask me again I shall reject it. Not interested now! They totally wasted my time for no reason.
The Times said:
Judges are now obliged to do jury service — along with lawyers, police officers and all those who used to be excused. The change came into force in May under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 in a move to end the so-called middle-class opt-out from jury service: as many as two out of every three people summoned to serve were able to find an excuse to dodge it. Already an appeal court judge and several lawyers have been called.
www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,200-1189811,00.html
What I want to know is, how the devil do you keep a straight face in, let us say a murder trial, when the defence starts along the lines of "It were the voices in me head wot made me do it guv"
It totally cracked me up when I heard it, nearly burst a blood vessel trying not to LOL. Fortunately almost everyone else in court cracked up too.
It totally cracked me up when I heard it, nearly burst a blood vessel trying not to LOL. Fortunately almost everyone else in court cracked up too.
) Mastiff said:
Great idea...has it's merits!!
But Liebchen - they would only do that to those creatures in cars who protested about being copped for driving at smidgeon over a speed limit.
If you were a real scrote - your guilt would be decided as to whether you fidgeted at the back of the court when told to sit quietly with your arms folded whilst you listened to middle aged fartie droning on!
to me! 
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