SIR – The juror being jailed in Luton for a bit of internet research is a disgrace. We need more lay involvement in the legal process, not less, and this will hardly encourage it.
The real issue is not the juror using a bit of common sense and initiative, but the legal system that conspired to withhold from the jury a fact that a reasonable jury member (eg this one) thought relevant.
Who needs lawyers when jurymen can figure it out for themselves (perish the thought)?
Besides, when was the last time a lawyer went to jail for getting something wrong in a trial? Sanctimony and humbug prevail in the legal world, the oldest of closed shops.
John Wilson, Wilsons Solicitors, New Road Side, Horsforth
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