The Verdict

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‎Lots of songs with this title.  I know this blog is supposed to be about my cycling experiences but I have a spleen to vent and no other forum!

Today I started my civic punishment/duty......jury service. I am, naturally, forbidden to make any reference to any case but, as luck would have it, this isn't a problem because thus far all that this particular 12 good men and true (actually there are 50 or so sitting waiting) have done is sit around watching Homes Under The Hammer.  

I believe that, despite the long list of things that could put me in contempt of court (and therefore in prison), I am still free to comment in general terms on the jury service experience.  

I appreciate that the complexities of the legal process make it difficult to predict exactly how many jurors will be needed and when but, as at midday not, a single person has been called to serve on any jury.

It seems that, even if anyone ever gets around to trying anyone, the court only sits from 10 to 4:30. Naturally they then squeeze in some breaks and a generou‎s lunch.  Nice work if you can get it.  Has it occurred to ‎anyone that, by working a proper length day, they could speed up the legal process and save the country a small fortune?  

Having been told at length what an important and valuable thing it is to be a juror one is then told about the financial arrangements for performing this service.

One is expected to use public transport unless travelling from somewhere further away than, say, Melbourne, and, even then, you need at least a Papal dispensation in order to re‎claim parking fees. This may be why the court sits for so few hours - to allow the 2+ hours each way that any journey by bus requires.

If your employer will not pay you during jury service (and why on earth should they?) you can claim for lost earnings at the magnificent rate of......wait for it.....£64.95 per day. It seems ‎that anyone whose job involves more than flipping burgers is expected to perform jury service as some sort of charity work, either funded by themselves or by their employer. 

I have little else to do but it occurs to me that a juror who is spending 4 hours/day on a bus and loosing a small fortune in earnings might just go along with any old verdict to get the hell out of here as quickly as possible!!

So, my verdict so far? Jury service is a vital public duty......so vital that it should involve travelling long distances in a 40-seater cattle truck to sit idly on an uncomfortable chair for many hours without any information ‎and should be paid for by just about anyone other than the public on whose behalf the ordeal is undertaken.

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.





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