Judge condemns ‘get out of jury duty’ chat

POTENTIAL jurors are using internet chat rooms to find “tips and techniques” on how to avoid their public duty, a senior judge has warned.

Judge Andrew Menary QC, the Recorder of Liverpool, said people in the UK were ignoring summonses or refusing to attend.

He added: “I understand there are now web chat sites in which excuses and techniques for avoiding jury service are openly discussed.”

The judge spoke out while dealing with the case of a man who had repeatedly refused to serve as a juror then failed to attend his contempt of court hearing.

He fined Barry Grimes £1,000 – the maximum amount possible – for giving a string of excuses why he could not attend. If the 70-year-old from Bromborough, Wirral, doesn’t pay the fine within 28 days he will receive an automatic 14-day prison sentence.

Grimes did not attend court for the first time on January 18 last year. His jury service was then deferred to July 15 this year, and he failed to attend again. Jury service can only be deferred once. Grimes said he was unable to sit or concentrate for long periods at a time, and was asked to provide a doctor’s certificate to substantiate his claims.

He then admitted he was not unfit to attend. He also said he had pre-booked a holiday – an excuse which was also rejected by the judge – and attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.

The judge said his behaviour amounted to “a quite deliberate contempt of court”.

Jurors can be excused from their duty if they have already booked a holiday, if they are having an operation, or if their employer will not give them time off work.

They must write to the Jury Central Summoning Bureau explaining their reasons for wanting to defer their jury service and include evidence of their claim.

This might include proof of booking for a holiday, a doctor’s letter or one from an employee explaining why they won’t grant time off.

The juror must also provide dates when they will be available in the 12 months after they were supposed to be serving.