Mark George QC on Facebook juror trial
16/06/2011
Mark George Q.C. , barrister at GCN, was interviewed for BBC Radio Manchester this morning on the implications of the Facebook juror trial in which the juror is expected to be sentenced today for contempt of court .
This is the first time a juror is expected to be sent to prison for contempt of court relating to use of the internet. Mark George Q.C. emphasised that in criminal trials, the decision of the jury should be based solely on what is heard in court and that judges have a duty to warn jurors at the outset of a trial not to conduct their own research. Mark noted that the situation with jurors conducting research via the internet and social media means, as in this case, that there are in fact records of this activity. Mark also discussed the contrast between the British and American jury systems and noted that judges in this country will continue to need to make jurors' responsiblities very clear to ensure internet and social media research does not become a continuing problem.
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Quick links
> 14/6/11 Juror admits contempt of court over Facebook contact (BBC News)
> 14/6/11 Facebook juror and defendant guilty of contempt (The Guardian)
