WTF Moment of the week

[TightEnd]

Vicky Pryce, ex Mrs Huhne is on trial

The jury are having a hell of a time deciding whether to convict

After a couple of days, they send a list of questions to the judge.

One reads

"Can you define what reasonable doubt is?"

The judge, in a heroic moment, spoke in court and replied

"A reasonable doubt is a doubt which is reasonable. These are ordinary English words that the law doesn't allow me to help you with beyond the written directions that I have already given."


the 10 questions and answers are here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21521460


the judge in the Vicky Pryce case discharged the jurors, noting that they had displayed "absolutely fundamental deficits in understanding".

There is a re-trial on Monday


Doesn't give you great faith in the jury system, does it?

[The Camel]

Vicky Pryce, ex Mrs Huhne is on trial

The jury are having a hell of a time deciding whether to convict

After a couple of days, they send a list of questions to the judge.

One reads

"Can you define what reasonable doubt is?"

The judge, in a heroic moment, spoke in court and replied

"A reasonable doubt is a doubt which is reasonable. These are ordinary English words that the law doesn't allow me to help you with beyond the written directions that I have already given."


the 10 questions and answers are here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21521460


the judge in the Vicky Pryce case discharged the jurors, noting that they had displayed "absolutely fundamental deficits in understanding".

There is a re-trial on Monday


Doesn't give you great faith in the jury system, does it?

Likelihood (I hope) is one juror was too stupid to understand and wouldn't accept/couldn't understand what the others were telling him/her.

Although a minimum IQ requirement for all potential jurors wouldn't be a bad idea.

[The Camel]

Come to think of it, a minimum IQ threshold to be allowed to vote would be pretty sound too.

[kinboshi]

Vicky Pryce, ex Mrs Huhne is on trial

The jury are having a hell of a time deciding whether to convict

After a couple of days, they send a list of questions to the judge.

One reads

"Can you define what reasonable doubt is?"

The judge, in a heroic moment, spoke in court and replied

"A reasonable doubt is a doubt which is reasonable. These are ordinary English words that the law doesn't allow me to help you with beyond the written directions that I have already given."


the 10 questions and answers are here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21521460


the judge in the Vicky Pryce case discharged the jurors, noting that they had displayed "absolutely fundamental deficits in understanding".

There is a re-trial on Monday


Doesn't give you great faith in the jury system, does it?

Likelihood (I hope) is one juror was too stupid to understand and wouldn't accept/couldn't understand what the others were telling him/her.

Although a minimum IQ requirement for all potential jurors wouldn't be a bad idea.

Yes, it does sound like one or two jurors were being slightly obtuse and probably were a bit hard of understanding as well.

[RED-DOG]

Come to think of it, a minimum IQ threshold to be allowed to vote would be pretty sound too.

Crown and Defendant should wait until legal representation has been appointed and then flip for who gets who.

[Mohican]

I think the jury's I.Q. is representative of the defendant. As I understand it,once the marriage was over she decided to grass him up thereby admitting perverting the course of justice.

[rfgqqabc]

Come to think of it, a minimum IQ threshold to be allowed to vote would be pretty sound too.

Dangerous road. Sterilisation? Where do you draw the line when it comes to democratic right and further degrees of freedom.

Sigh at the court costs now. :/

[TightEnd]

and the defence was marital coercion

Obviously none of us has seen the full evidence, but some of the jury's questions are a cause for concern.

[AndrewT]

As someone once said, the problem with the jury system is that the decision is made by 12 people who were too stupid to get out of jury service.

[pokerfan]

A lady I know that did Jury service, "I knew he was guilty as soon as he walked in"

True story.

[TightEnd]

I think I have written about on it here before....

I was on jury service, fraud case

Evidence lasted a week. Quite complicated

We walked into the jury room

One young lad started to read the Sun "He's guilty, lets get it over and done with, I can go home then"

One elderly bloke "I will never vote him guilty" and got his book out

the other 10 looked at each other.....


12 or so jury hours later we were directed to a majority by the judge and voted 11-1

I was the foreman that had to try and sort it


I am not sure any of the alternatives are any good, but the whole experience didn't particularly re-assure me that people have the capacity to take the evidence on board or in some cases the willingness to even consider it!

[The Camel]

(The minimum IQ thing was a joke - Note to self, must remember to put a smiley after comments I don't mean to be taken seriously)

[kinboshi]

I did jury service, and it was a dull case that really could have been dealt with at a magistrate's court - but anyway, the way individuals within the jury can guide and influence others was interesting and concerning.

Not sure what a better solution would be though?

[redsimon]

A lady I know that did Jury service, "I knew he was guilty as soon as he walked in"

True story.

It was the Yorkshire Ripper though

[The Camel]

I did jury service, and it was a dull case that really could have been dealt with at a magistrate's court - but anyway, the way individuals within the jury can guide and influence others was interesting and concerning.

Not sure what a better solution would be though?

Judges make the decision?