High Court judge orders police in St James to locate absent jurors

The High Court judge presiding over the Michaelmas Term of the St James Circuit Court this morning ordered the police to seek out jurors who have failed to report for duty.

During this morning's opening ceremony, it was disclosed that 29 persons were served for jury duties but only 17 of them have turned up to serve.

Justice Bertram Morrison told the police that the outstanding 12 must be found and taken to court.

“Superintendent [Eron Samuels], I want the 12 others who were served and are not here brought to court because if they were served the server must know where they were served. I want them brought before the court,” Morrison said. 

Morrison told the jurors present that he will be strict about excusing persons from their duties.

“I hope none of you are going to be tendering sick certificates. Not a certificate that you are sick, because there is a distinction there [and] I have no doubt that some of them are manufactured,” he said.

“I will not be excusing anyone of you. If you want to be excused, you can go to the witness box where I will question you as to why you think you should not be serving,” Bertram instead. 

There are 340 cases listed for trial over the next nine weeks, with 132 of the matters being for lottery scamming offences.

Murders account for 102 cases with 48 cases of rape.

There are also 15 cases of having sex with a person under the age of 16, and five cases of causing death by dangerous driving, completing the top five cases.

- Albert Ferguson

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