Rochdale grooming trial collapsed over jurors’ WhatsApp group

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0ke14er8djo

Posted by radiant_0wl

5 Comments

  1. Waste of time and money because jurors can’t follow the basic directions. It’s right that they were dismissed.

    Open/shut/whatever doesn’t matter. Our justice system depends upon even-handedness and regardless of whether these guys are guilty as sin, they deserve a fair trial because without one, no-one else can depend upon one either.

  2. I read about these events quite often. Why are the jurors not prosecuted for contempt of court and/or fined the costs of the aborted hearing?

  3. I would like to know what the ‘broadcast’ was, just interesting to know why it may bias a jury.

  4. Yeah this is one of the many reasons I think that jury trials are dumb. There is no inherent wisdom or safeguard at all in 12 random members of the public deciding someone’s fate. I would much rather (if I was innocent) be in front of a 6 member legal professional panel or similar. Especially if the case was even remotely complex. And if I was guilty I would much prefer 12 members of the public.