Juror: I'm Too Racist - Southampton, UK – A would-be juror dodged jury duty by penning a letter to the court that said, among other things, that he is such a staunch racist and homophobe that he wouldn’t be able to serve the justice system properly if selected.
The man’s name was withheld by The Daily Echo, who obtained his letter written to the Crown Court saying that he should not be selected to serve in a jury for a driving case due to personal prejudices. In the letter, the man admits that he holds “extreme prejudices against homosexuals and black/foreign people and couldn’t possibly be impartial if either appeared in court.” He also said that if he were selected, he would just vote with the majority in order to end the case as quickly as possible, and concluded with a barb aimed at the British legal system as a whole:
“I would be more than happy to speak to a judge regarding my personal views regarding the legal system which I do not hold in high regard,” he wrote.
Whether the man is genuine in these beliefs or simply wanted to dodge jury duty, his plan seems to have worked, notes Newser. He was challenged as a juror by lawyers on the case, and the judge presiding over the court dismissed him, saying, “If you do genuinely hold these views then you are someone who should not be on the jury and I question whether you should be doing anything responsible in society at all.”
The plan may have backfired on the would-be juror some as well. The judge apparently turned the Attorney General’s office on him and he may face prosecution for failing to serve on a jury.
Have you ever lied to get out of jury duty?
The man’s name was withheld by The Daily Echo, who obtained his letter written to the Crown Court saying that he should not be selected to serve in a jury for a driving case due to personal prejudices. In the letter, the man admits that he holds “extreme prejudices against homosexuals and black/foreign people and couldn’t possibly be impartial if either appeared in court.” He also said that if he were selected, he would just vote with the majority in order to end the case as quickly as possible, and concluded with a barb aimed at the British legal system as a whole:
“I would be more than happy to speak to a judge regarding my personal views regarding the legal system which I do not hold in high regard,” he wrote.
Whether the man is genuine in these beliefs or simply wanted to dodge jury duty, his plan seems to have worked, notes Newser. He was challenged as a juror by lawyers on the case, and the judge presiding over the court dismissed him, saying, “If you do genuinely hold these views then you are someone who should not be on the jury and I question whether you should be doing anything responsible in society at all.”
The plan may have backfired on the would-be juror some as well. The judge apparently turned the Attorney General’s office on him and he may face prosecution for failing to serve on a jury.
Have you ever lied to get out of jury duty?