Jury duty

[Rosy]

Has anyone here done jury duty before and what's it like?

I got a letter about doing it today. There is a get out clause due to me being more than 50 k's from Melbourne but I'm a bit undecided.

It would probably be inconvenient to do but the voyeuristic side of me is interested to go and watch how it all operates.

I did sit in and watch a couple of court cases once when Safeway advised me to sue them for my knee being stuffed. I hated it so much that I decided to pass on the $200,000 the solicitor thought I'd get because I wasn't willing to put my kids through the interrogation I saw. They would have had to be witnesses to the accident.

Does anyone here have any jury duty stories to tell?

 

[shawry]

I have heard Rosy that it is pretty cruisy from the receptionist at my old work who did it for a while. Most of the time you go in there for hte day in the morning and you get selected randomly for a case and then the lawyers can pass on you if they wish or something. Otherwise you are not selected for that day.

I dont know sounds like there are some interesting cases out there. Up to you, could be something interesting for you to do (are they going ot pay your fuel?) depends too on how much fo the low side of society you wish to see too.

Must admit if they called me ot do it I would be interested.

 

[Rosy]

I gave them a knockback shawry. It's a 2-3 hour drive each way for me, and a case could go for 7 days or even a month.
If I was guaranteed it would only be one day I'd be interested though.

 

[shawry]

Thats understandable with that distance to travel. Probably would mean real early starts anyway.

 

[julzqld]

I got called up just after I moved from Melbourne to the Gold Coast so somehow I think I was out of the 50km range The last time my Dad got called up was just after his father died so he was excused on compassionate grounds.

 

[nwonash]

Geez, I want to be called up and but never get an invite.

My mother has been called up about 5 times in the past 5 years. She didnt want to go and got out of it as she has to look after my grandmother.

 

[tiger_10_grr]

Hi Rosy,

I'm in the same boat as you. I received a letter about 3 weeks ago. I got my Jury Summonds on Monday. I've never been before either, but I have to go into the city on Monday 6th for jury selection. The first 2 days you simply sit and wait and see if you are required and/or selected and then if you are selected, you sit in on the trial which they state usually takes between 7 - 10 days to complete.

I'll take a good book, or perhaps a lap top and read the threads on here to pass the time.

 

[kb7882]

It's all good fun unless;

a) You cop a child sex case; or

b) You get a trial that can run 3-6 months - and yes, it happens

 

[Roar34]

When I was still living in Smellbourne, I was called up 3 times in 2 years.

The first two I actually served as a juror. One case was a break & enter on a shop, second was car theft.
On the B & E, we couldn't actually agree that accused had stepped inside the shop, though witness saw him break the window. Verdict: guilty of breaking only. Read out his priors which was list as long as Otto's arms. We all felt like gooses!

Second time up, only about 9 months later was a teenager caught in possession of a stolen car though his brief (see, I watch "the Bill"!) claimed it was only joy-riding. We let him off only to be told he had about 40-something priors and had been arrested again while waiting for this case to come to court. Police sitting in the court just shook their heads at us, the jury, as though to say...well, I won't print the words here.

Third time I got called, I wrote back saying I had already done it twice in 2 years and if they insisted I turn up I would very much be a hostile juror. Never heard from them again.

For anyone who does get called be aware that you can do more than one case. You can be picked on, say, your first day there, sit on that case and, if it only goes a day or two, you can go back into the "pool" and be chosen again.

The Law moves in mysterious ways....

 

[Ox]

Can't wait 'till they call me.

 

[shawry]

Wish theyd call me, need a few days out of this place.

 

[kb7882]

They won't let you post on PRE in the Jury room, guys ;D

 

[shawry]

True, didnt think of that. Have ot work out how to get my phone hooked up to the internet.

 

[Scotty Longsleeves]

Remember kids, it's not like it is on TV and Hartbalme's right - imagine if you got an ickky case or one that went on for ages

 

[Ox]

Love the name Scotty Longsleeves ;D

What do they pay you when on jury duty ?