The Court Experience

I turned up to the Jury Assembly area on Monday morning. Checked in and took my seat. It was quite obvious who were the seasoned jurers and who were the newbies. There were a hundered or so of us waiting in a room with plastic chairs and old tattered magazines. We were shown a video about court proceedures that was made in I'm guessing the early 90's. Eventually a court official came in and threw all our names on small pieces of card into a small wooden barrell locked it, turned it three times, turned it the other way three times and then unlocked it.

The names of the accused for the first case were read along with the charges. We were to answer yes as our names were called - just like school. My name was probably close to the 15th called. Around 30 of us would be assigned to Court Room 10. The lady who I was chatting to in front of me was also in the first group with me. The man beside me was in the third group for the morning - assigned to a rape case.

We then had to wait. The Court was not ready for us yet. The ladies next to me chatted the whole time about family, house prices and of all things knitting. I'm thankful I picked up a book to read before I left home.

At about 11.30 we were asked to follow a lady through to Court Room 10. We were squeezed in to quite a small room. The Judge was already sitting up the front so there was none of this "all rise" business.

It was at this point that the accused were brought in.

I can honestly say that neither of them looked like men I would like to come across in a dark alley at night or on a busy street in the middle of the day.
The charges were read and they both pleaded not guilty. (surprise surprise) The lawyers were introduced and then the spotlight was on us, so to speak.

As our names were called we had to proceed towards the jury box and fill the seats from the back row to the front. If one of the lawyers called challenge before we were seated we had to turn around and go to the back of the room - you were not what they wanted and were not entitled to ask why. The 12 seats were filled before my name was called. A silent sigh of relief escaped my lips.

I'm not sure I was really ready for the reality of it all. For some reason I wasn't expecting the crimes to be so serious, but at the same time I'm not even sure what I was expecting. Law breakers yes, but not rapists and kidnappers. As a jurer I would have been responsible for deciding the guilt or innocence of these two men.
I'll be back there on Thursday to see if I am selected for a short two day trial. To be honest I won't be too worried if I don't get selected. I've seen what happens and that just might be enough for me!