Jury Service - I've just got the letter

[summerdays]

Will it be a valid excuse not to do it as I am currently signed off sick (getting only the basic sick pay hopefully) due to breaking my arm and loosing pay over it. My boss is pulling her hair out having to cover all my work commitments (some by herself and roping in other people as well).

I will be back at work soon ish (depending on the doc getting my notes which are lost somewhere in the system). Will that be a valid excuse to get out of it since that would be another 2 weeks of reduced pay, plus mucking up the rota which is already beyond the date they have requested.

 

[Globalti]

I think your employer has to write a crawling letter.

 

[summerdays]

I've just looked at my rota for those two weeks and its not two weeks that I want to miss ... but looking at it, I will have to do it sometime in the next 12 months anyway... Oh I hate this ... you have to put down all the dates you can't make... - like the summer holidays - no way I want to do it then. I would rather they let you put down dates that you would like to do if possible.

 

[summerdays]

Hmm I do worry about my being fair to who ever it was. Are most cases really short things over whether someone burgled someones house.... the only stuff I know about is the headline stuff about murder's etc.

 

[ColinJ]

It always surprises me that I don't know anybody who has done jury service. How do they select potential jurors? If it was purely at random, then surely somebody I know would have had to do it by now?

 

[summerdays]

Random with a bit of help from the Bad Luck Fairy.

I'm looking into it at the moment... they pay a maximum allowence upto £61 per day, but that includes child care. I have 3 kids so I think that it is unfair that I would have loose 3 times the amount as someone who hasn't any kids.

And how do you get child care for just 2 weeks (OK one of those weeks would be just either side of school hours but one isn't).

Like I said I would rather choose the time that I could make it.

 

[magnatom]

It always surprises me that I don't know anybody who has done jury service. How do they select potential jurors? If it was purely at random, then surely somebody I know would have had to do it by now?

I've been called up twice and my wife once (in the space of the last 6 years). It's not random, it's vindictive!

 

[swee'pea99]

I did it once - found it really interesting.

 

[User169]

I'm told the way to get out of it is to write a letter as follows:

"Dear Jury Service organiser

Thank you for letter regarding Jury Service. This is great news; just what I've been waiting for.

I can't wait to get cracking and put a few scumb-bags where they belong - behind bars. As I'm sure you'll agree, far too many swan-eating, cancer-giving ....crack-head/immigrant/pervs.... are getting away with rudder murder.

Well rest assured, I'm your man. I won't let you down; there'll be no pulling the wool over my eyes.

When do I start?

All the best

DP

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

I'm told the way to get out of it is to write a letter as follows:

"Dear Jury Service organiser

Thank you for letter regarding Jury Service. This is great news; just what I've been waiting for.

I can't wait to get cracking and put a few scumb-bags where they belong - behind bars. As I'm sure you'll agree, far too many swan-eating, cancer-giving ....crack-head/immigrant/pervs.... are getting away with rudder murder.

Well rest assured, I'm your man. I won't let you down; there'll be no pulling the wool over my eyes.

When do I start?

All the best

DP

Hmm........you're likely to end up as Jury Foreman. I suggest something a bit more subtle:

"Can you please confirm that my disability needs will be met as I am an incontinent Ebola virus transmitter and normally have to remain in isolation."

 

[alecstilleyedye]

i've got it coming up next month, although as it's on an inquest, it's set for 5 days. should be interesting…

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I did jury service a few years back after managing to fend them off a few times. Quite a frustrating system to be part of before you even get into the courtroom. Very interesting though. He was dragged kicking and screaming from the court and his family were shouting abuse at us, that's a clue to the outcome!
After we had to walk past the family and friends of the defendents as we left court - one of the girls was very frightened by all this and a couple of us chaperoned her back to the train station. It was just like 'Crown Court' on the telly!

 

[yello]

I got the call once and, after due consideration, simply ignored it. Nothing came of it. I wouldn't recommend that as a course of action however and I only did it because I was moving. I believe selection is random from the electoral roll (maybe some criteria used) so if you think about how out-of-date the electoral roll becomes, and how quickly, the jury service probably allow for people not showing because of an old/wrong address.

I was told that it is very difficult to get out of and the best way to not do it was to turn up and act weird; salivate and pace the selection room or something. You don't get selected and get asked not to come back! Bit of a long shot though!!

I'm also told it can be incredibly boring just waiting waiting waiting... so take a book if you do go.

 

[asterix]

Read 'Runaway Jury' by John Grisham. It's just the same in real life.

 

[numbnuts]

Can you please confirm that my disability needs will be met as I am an incontinent

that's not funny