Jury Duty

Following on from my last post ..... I thought I would write a little about my time on Jury Duty.

As I said in that last post I LOVED it. Beforehand, several people had said to me that they thought it was OK but there was a lot of sitting about and moments of boredom. Perhaps armed with that knowledge and having no expectation helped. I went armed with books and magazines to fill those "boring" moments.

When you get there you register in. Then you do wait around ..... that is possibly the worst bit .... but I even enjoyed this as it meant I could sit with a coffee, read a magazine or chat with fellow jurors who may or may not be on the same case as you ........ and just actually have some ME time .... honestly ..... that's how I kind of viewed it .... not at work .... not running around after children..... not at home thinking I should be doing housework ..... just a coffee and a magazine - HEAVEN !

After an hour or so on that first week they organised the cases and begin to call out names ..... this part could be frustrating for some, as you have turned up and sat around for an hour and if your name is not called you can then go home ....... OR you are asked to come back at 12ish as there may be an afternoon case. 

Again, I don't think I would have had a problem with that ..... I was in Luton .... I could have gone shopping or to the Uni Library (I was at Uni then so could have access to the library).

However, my name was called .... and 12 good men and true were ushered into our first case. 

I cannot go into the details of the case but it fascinated me .... and the whole process was great! We listened to case details for 3 days ...... (I have to add that I also love the start/breaks and finish times ..... nothing starts till 10am .... an hour for lunch ...... then finish at 4pm !) I went home each day at 4pm and felt really relaxed .... you DO concentrate .....  listen to the things that are "not" said and try to put yourself in that persons shoes BUT it was still so much less stressful than anything else I would normally have been doing.

After 3 days we adjourned to discuss the case and reach a verdict. 

NOW .... this will shock many of you who may know me BUT I was fairly quiet during the process. It was interesting to see different "characters" come out ... we had just been studying Belbin's theory (at Uni) around effective management and team roles..... and I was actually keeping myself busy identifying these roles whilst others were establishing their positions ..... geeky I know ..... but fun !!

We elected a chairperson (mainly through each of us giving a short introduction to ourselves and our job roles and experiences) - there were a couple of "loud" characters and when voting it was obvious that these 2 characters were definitely pushing to be chair BUT I think the rest of us could see a quieter but strong personality in an older gentleman (not that much older .... in his 50's) who seemed to have reached a level within his job that would prove to be effective in the role of Chair.

Then we began discussing the case ......... some people had already made up their mind and this was shown when the chair suggested an immediate initial vote ..... finding the chap guilty by 9 to 3. I was one of the 3 ..... I was not convinced by the evidence that he had committed the crime ..... there were too many gaps and even an opportunity for someone else to have done it ..... so, going by the evidence alone, I argued the case for him, along with the other 2. 

Our arguments must have been reasonably persuasive .... at the end of day 4 we had reached a swap ... in that there were 8 of us against 4 who still felt he was guilty. The judge called us back in to hear where we were and said he would be satisfied with a majority of 10 to 2 ..... so we went home to consider it all and to return in the morning. 

On our return I asked for a couple of "props" .... a lot was riding on whether a bag had been full or empty and whether or not that could be decided from a camera angle on a security dvd we had seen. These props duly arrived and the answer was fairly immediate ..... you could not tell if they were full, half full or even empty ........ 2 of the 4 agreed immediately that the evidence was not convincing enough to convict .... the other 2 were happy that, although we would go back to court stating not guilty ... they had done their bit. 

I was  pleased that the initial 3 minority voices had been able to give a reasoned argument to see that the evidence was not strong enough ..... I actually had a gut feeling that he may not be innocent .... but the evidence could not prove it and afterwards we were told he was a good worker, no complaints against him, a good family man and no previous record so his character leaned towards his innocence too.

Then we did a very quick afternoon trial .... delivered a verdict on that one fairly easily and went away for the weekend.

It is amazing to find that you build relationships very quickly when on a Jury ..... you are thrown in at the deep end and see a persons belief system and ideology in an intense situation (not allowed out of the room when discussing and no break .... even lunch is brought in for you !)

The second case the week after started out very similarly and we followed the same pattern of an initial vote based on what we had seen and heard .... 10 to 2 Not Guilty .... guess who was in the 2 !!!!

Once again ...we argued the case and presented our reasons for why we felt the way we did ...... after I gave my argument, I  had swayed 3 over to the Guilty side ... my partner in crime persuaded another 2 ..... leaving us at 7 to 5 thinking he was guilty. 

We left for the day and on our return the next morning .... one of the Jury members was in a dilemma, on leaving court last night she was in the bus queue as the defendant and his "gang"  had passed ..... she overheard something and although she would not say what it was... as our instructions are strictly to go with what was seen and heard in court ........ but she could not take back what she had heard, so changed her vote to guilty ..... that was quite powerful and, possibly NOT for the right reasons but 2 more were swayed, leaving it again at 10 to 2 Guilty ... 

This time though the judge wanted an 11 - 1 majority, so we had to return to the room and discuss for another couple of hours when finally one of the last 2 agreed that the likelihood of him committing the crime was high. 

On this case .... there was very little evidence either way .... it was a mugging and so much of it had to be based on eye witness accounts and character ..... to my mind, much harder.

I came away realising there is no black or white, right or wrong and how hard it must be in murder cases or high profile ones where your decisions could mean a life imprisonment or someone getting away with murder - literally ..... both my cases were fairly minor .... not to those involved I'm sure but minor in the bigger scale of things ...... and who knows if we did make the "right" decisions ..... 

BUT .... I would do it gain in a heartbeat ..... as I said in my last blog .... if it were a paid job I would apply ! 

Although I guess the novelty would wear off and you could actually become quite cynical .... hence the way it is done now, is probably the best possible way ...... just please let me get picked again .... SOON !

Court Appearances

Watching a court drama the other day I hooked on to one of the characters, stating she was terrified of just going into the court ..... let alone giving evidence.

I recalled how my "witnesses" felt a similar fear, when they were due to give evidence on behalf of Mark's "character", for our claim at the Old Bailey.

True ..... the British Courts of Justice in London is quite an imposing building ....... and just the whole formality of the place is intimidating .... but thankfully, even though I am a very anxious person by nature and of a nervous disposition ..... the court atmosphere was not one I was overly concerned about ..... and that was a blessing. as I really could have been in bits due to the circumstances.

I was very lucky as a child, that my grandmother worked at the Bedford Magistrates Court. In fact, I believe when she worked there they had a Crown Court status and tried some big cases. 

I used to go and visit her, in her role as Court Usher, and on several occasions was allowed to sit in the public gallery and watch a case unfold. Although I was quite young at the time it was a real education and I knew to sit still and behave impeccably or I would be sent out immediately!

Then when I was older I actually worked in the fines and fees department of Bedford Magistrates Court myself. Sadly, although I thoroughly enjoyed the processes, I did not enjoy my job and did not feel part of the team at the time ..... (they were very "clicky" and I had been bought in to assist someone who did not really want to have assistance so that set me off to a bad start). However, I used to have to pop into court proceedings every now and then to update magistrates with information or to confirm payments were being made regularly etc and I loved all the pomp and ceremony of it !!

So then my worst experience of being in court was of course hearing the sentencing for the boy who killed Mark. He was found guilty of Death by Dangerous Driving but there were mitigating circumstances, so his sentence was reasonably lenient. 

This was in the days  before they had Victim Support, before they segregated the defence from prosecution clients or witnesses. 

In fact we went to the cafe and found ourselves almost next to the lad and his family and friends ..... it could have been a nightmare and it was difficult BUT.......... it was OK .... it was just the way things were back then. Again ..... I did at least have my previous court experiences to alleviate any anxiety about the processes and that made a huge difference for me.

When we went to the Old Bailey I confess, I was actually really excited ... nervous of course about the settlement but genuinely excited to be going to the top court in the land .... I felt quite comfortable in the building, although being respectful of course ... but I had not realised this fear that the whole process was producing in my character witnesses, 3 grown men, genuinely worried about standing in the witness stand.

My solicitor was very used to this reaction and immediately set them at ease by asking for us to visit the actual court room we would be in. I was probably a bit insensitive initially but did notice the younger one (he was about 30 at the time) actually shaking and suddenly realised the impact this whole formal procedure was having on them and how easy it had been for me, thanks to my past experiences.

As it happened the insurance company made a last ditch offer and we did not even have to enter the court room .... the process is that if we settle out of court ..... even by 5 minutes (and it was about 15 minutes) then court costs are hugely reduced ....as an incentive to get as many settlements out of court as possible.

I am so glad my Granny worked in the courts and I had the knowledge and experience of the processes BEFORE having to undergo it, during a time of huge emotional stress...... and my heart goes out to those whom we see leaving the Old Bailey, or any other court, who by the very nature of being there, are already emotional and anxious, without the added concern of the whole intimidating process. 

But I have to add ..... and this may be another blog ...... I have also been a Juror and if there was ever the possibility of having professional paid Jurors .... That would be a job I would LOVE ..... I absolutely enjoyed my time as a Juror and would gladly do it again ..... 

So maybe I'm just a "court geek" and that's probably why I love watching court dramas on TV !

You know you are middle aged when .........

With apologies to my parents (although when you talk to them they have embraced a second childhood !!!)

Yes .... you know you are middle aged when:

• Your brother celebrates his 50th birthday
• You find hairs where there just shouldn't be hairs (WTF is it with chin hairs on a woman !!)
• Worse still .... they are grey or even white !!!
• You take your dog for a walk after a week off (Greg was on holiday and doing this last week) AND ......even though you have only done the mile walk ............your legs are telling you to go home !
• You crave your thermal vest in the cold weather

You are a NANA !

• You realise that this year is the 30th anniversary of you leaving school
• A good night out is actually a good night in !
• In April ... your youngest leaves his teenage years behind !!
• At an old school reunion you wonder who all these middle aged women are ....... and then look in the mirror
• You give up on wearing high heels ..... thank goodness kitten heels are in fashion !
• The fashion industry is conspiring against you ..... I'm sure the clothes sizes are getting smaller !!!

BOOBS !!!! What the hell happened to you !!!!!!

• Your husband has to ask you to translate at the cinema cos his hearing is dodgy !
• Or ... he keeps pausing and rewinding the TV .... "I didn't catch that"
• My handbag doubles as a medicine cabinet
• After a day at work I come in ... sit down ..... flick on the TV and have a cuppa .... and that is BLISS
• You look back in a diary of 10 years ago and think .... how the hell did I fit all that into ONE DAY
• You rest in between bits of housework .... no longer hoovering the whole house at a time .... upstairs ..... rest  ..........then downstairs !
• You would exercise .... but it gives you a headache !

My Brain ...... can anyone tell me where that is ?? Or at least locate my memory .... please ...

On the plus side ..... 

• I love (almost) every minute of it ..... life is too short not to enjoy these intriguing aspects of age!
• My husband still loves all of me ... including the wobbly bits
• THANK GOODNESS I don't have to exercise like I used to ..... I do the odd bit now and then but my headaches are a great excuse these days !

I LOVE my grandchildren ....... and I can give them back !

• I am more confident in many ways ..... 
• I am not a slave to my money ..... my bank manager may not think the same but I don't worry as much !
• CONTENTMENT is seriously underestimated .... 
• Not having to date ..... thank heavens for my DAH !
• Not needing to compete with drinking games etc .... I never could hold my drink LOL
• Having 3 wonderful grown up children to chat to.

Yep ..... I know I am middle aged .....and am quite enjoying it !