REMEMBER WHEN

TEN of the 12 jurors in the trial of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen had considered the offence of perjury proved, one of the jurors told the Bulletin.

The juror told the Bulletin about the jury vote on the condition he would not be contacted or bothered again.

Asked if the vote was 10-2 in favour of the prosecution, he said: “I will say to you, I wouldn’t dispute that information.”

The juror, who lived in Brisbane, said he would not discuss any aspect of the trial.

“I don’t want to be identified or bothered again. I want to forget it.” he said.

A relative of a juror told the Bulletin: “He’d prefer not to talk about this at all. It’s turned into a debacle.”

The Queensland Watchdog Committee called for a review of the screening process for jurors following the disclosure that a foreman in the Sir Joh trial was a National Party branch secretary.

Judge Helman had asked the media not to disclose legal argument about political affiliations of three jurors until the end of the trial.

Meanwhile, schoolgirls were being taught how to break bones and gouge out a person’s eye following a spate of attacks on women.

Self-defence was a compulsory course for year 10 students at St Hilda’s School and instructor Bill Wakefiled thought it was great.

Mr Wakefield said it was imperative for all students to be taught self-defence in the wake of recent attacks, rapes and abductions.

“A lot of kids are ignorant and say ‘It’s not going to happen to me’,” he said.