Hacked Off

So that’s the end of my jury service. Shocking, confusing, nerve-wracking, edifying, sobering, thought-provoking, even amusing at times… life will never feel quite the same again. Seems odd to think I’ve never considered the law as a profession – it’s the perfect mix of people-watching and the application of cold logic. I reckon I would probably have made a pretty good barrister. Too late now, but maybe in the next life…

The most interesting thing about being inside a courtroom is the tension – palpable at times – the barristers and judge are very much constrained by what they can and can’t say, but there were occasions when it was clear to us in the jury exactly what the counsel was trying to do, yet for some reason it wasn’t to the person in the witness box. At such times I caught myself literally out of breath – will they say it? Do they see what’s going on? How many different ways can the counsel put the same question? Is the counsel barking up the wrong tree entirely? Is this a critical piece of evidence – a clear contradiction between what the witness said to the police and what they’re now telling us, or is it simply stage fright? Is the judge about to tell counsel off for leading the witness into saying something they don’t mean? Is he going to clarify the question, enabling the penny to drop?

Absolutely fascinating.

I had never set foot inside a courtroom until a couple of weeks ago, but now I’m tempted to visit the public gallery from time to time – it’s an entirely different world.