Juror suffers ‘stage fright’

Murder trial can go ahead after forewoman’s error corrected

A jury forewoman¹ at the Old Bailey delivered the wrong verdict because she was suffering from a “form of stage fright”, the High Court said yesterday. Senior judges offered guidance to reduce the risk of that happening again.

Moses, the great lawgiver, looking down at the Grand Hall of the Old Bailey. He carries a bronze snake, mounted on a pole. Anyone who looked at it after having been bitten by a real snake would live (Numbers 21:8)

As a result of the forewoman’s error, three defendants accused of homicide were told they had been acquitted. The High Court agreed that the mistake could be corrected and that a retrial could go ahead.