Next Episode of The Jury: Murder Trial is
unknown.
The British jury system – judgement by twelve of one's peers – is shrouded in secrecy, but does that only serve to cover up flaws in the system?Juries are a cornerstone of British justice, but studies have suggested that up to a quarter of juries' verdicts may be susceptible to inaccuracies influenced by a range of factors beyond objective evidence, and that most jurors – ordinary people who are often in court for the first time - do not understand all the points of law they are supposed to be judging upon. The secrecy that surrounds jury verdicts – in the UK, they are forbidden from sharing their reasoning – means furthermore that it is impossible to check the soundness of the decision-making.The Jury: Murder Trial will examine the jury system for the first time on British television by recreating an entire, real murder trial from the original transcripts in front of two randomly selected juries, neither of whom are aware of the other. Filmed over ten days, in a former courthouse in Essex, the series will take a forensic look at the inner workings of justice.The two juries will be asked to judge on the real case of a man who admits he killed his wife, but whose defence maintains that he lost control, and is therefore not guilty of murder. Actors will recreate the trial in front of the two juries, who will watch unaware of each other, from specially built separate compartments in the courtroom. What will the two juries decide, and why? Will they come to the same conclusion from the exact same evidence presented in the same way or will other factors play a part in their decision? How well will they follow the complexities of the law around loss of control? And after they have deliberated, will they even agree with each other's verdicts?
Legal experiment following the restaging of a real-life murder trial re-enacted word for word in front of two juries of ordinary people, neither of whom know about the other. Will they both reach the same verdict? In this first episode, we hear the real-life case of a husband who killed his wife with a hammer but denied murder. The defendant claims that he lost control, but will he be believed?
The defence claim husband John lost control because victim Helen made his life intolerable. John's description of her taunts moves juror Jodie to tears, as she recalls her own previous marriage. Juror Kelly is angry and upset at the victim blaming of Helen, as she herself has also been a vulnerable single mum in her past. Some of victim Helen's ex boyfriends give damning character statements about her and a psychologist declares that she had a personality disorder. Some of the jurors begin to sympathise strongly with the defendant - and juror Gary reveals a shocking episode of 'loss of control' within his own marriage.
The prosecution cross-examines John, saying he provoked Helen and was simply angry. Nineteen-year-old Ollie in the blue jury is convinced it's murder but is dismissed for not understanding the complexity of adult relationships. Emily in the red jury thinks she understands why John stayed in the relationship with Helen, rather than walking away, after looking after her alcoholic dad. John admits he may have fetched the hammer from outside the house. Ollie on blue jury thinks this is significant - but not everyone agrees. The evidence ends with positive character statements for John, leaving both juries conflicted and torn.
The prosecution and defence give their closing speeches and the juries retire to decide their verdicts, though both start divided. In the red jury, Ricky is sure it is manslaughter and hopes he can persuade his fellow jurors that he is right. However, two rival camps soon form. In the blue jury, Sonia and Olly are convinced it is murder, and while some are swayed, others say they will never agree. As the days pass, the debates become increasingly heated in both juries. Finally, however, they reach their verdicts.
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