Hi All, got up sat morning to a jury service summons! don’t think i could face it to be honest, what with my urgent needs for the loo my walking and some days early afternoon fatigue etc, Has anyone been granted an exemption from it? Regards To All… Tony.
No personal experience, Tony, but I’m sure nobody with chronic ill health would have any trouble at all getting exemption.
I don’t know what proof they need, if any, but I’m sure it must explain what to do in the literature you’ve been sent.
Tina
Further to the above, just had a very quick Google, and it says you must have a medical certificate from your doctor, but they are NOT allowed to charge for that, so shouldn’t be any admin cost falling on you.
Thanks, comes as relief to me don’t think i could face it could have before the dreaded!!! cheers All.
It’s such a shame, I always wanted to do jury service but that’s another thing I’ll never be able to do!!
spoke to doctor who gave me a letter sent to court and haven’t been asked again
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In used to think I would like to do jury service and be fair and then this uninvited guest came to stay!
I know I wouldnt have the stamina, bladder and bowel control, nor capability to take all the necessary info in.
I`ll stick to watching it on the telly!
pollx
Tony, why should you be exempt?
Surely any special needs you have should be met. Disabled jurors are noticeable by their absence!
Has there ever been a deaf juror? And are the visually impaired excluded?
Why should i be, well how about hold on judge i need the loo again don’t think he or she would be to pleased!!!
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Yeh Krakowian, its not just toilet needs, its sitting in one position too long, without a good support pillow....and we get pins and needles or nerve twitches, ....then theres the fatigue…the kind that wont let us concentrate and take important information in. Powers of recall are also impaired, when discussing evidence with the other jurors. Then for me, I am partially deaf…anything else?
There wil be other disabled jurors, who may not have the problems we have.
pollx
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I think disabled people would make worthy jurors alongside those who are not disabled.
A disabled person charged with an offence may have to appear in court and the needs of that person would have to be met to give him/her a fair trial.
Yeh, K, as I said some disabled people have no problems sitting in court hour after hour.
As regards a disabled person on trial…I guess that`s different, as he HAS to be there, we dont!
pollx
But there wouldn’t be a fair trial if some of the jury couldn’t hear the evidence and others could not see it.
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Quite Agree pollx, The point is concentration and remembering all that’s been said and then suddenly thinking i need a wee and quick!! hold on for a mo ( your honour ) x
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And surely it depends on the individual prospective juror. There will be some people with MS or other disabilities who feel that they are capable of sitting as a juror and others who don’t. Those people who due to their disability feel they can’t sit, should have the option of a medical release from the duty.
Personally, I couldn’t concentrate, sit still, stay awake or manage my bowel and bladder for a full day in a courtroom, let alone several days running, so reluctantly would have to be relieved of the duty. Other people may be in a different position. Nobody is saying that disabled people shouldn’t have their needs catered for and therefore are unable to serve as jurors, only that for some people it’s just too much.
Sue
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David Blunkett sat on a jury.
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but are we saying that disabled people should be treated differently to other people?
The fact is if a group of msers decided to rob a Hatton Street jewellers and were caught they’d all be in the dock regardless of what disabilities they may have.
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of course they would be in the dock!!! were not discussing a crime that someone with ms been sent for trial for…
So he did,I hope there wasn’t any visual evidence as he said that was a concern for him, but in the event he and the rest of the jury had more trouble hearing the evidence. Sorry but if I were the defendant I would want the jury to be able to both see and hear,I do think it would be an unfair trial otherwise, that is my opinion and having sat through a murder trial with a lot of vital visual evidence and a fair amount of audio evidence too I do not think someone who could not see and/or hear the evidence would have been able to participate in deliberations, when they did not know what was actually being discussed, Sorry if my opinion is not inclusive enough for you.
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spot on val.
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