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Briefing Paper Briefing Paper Amalgamated Briefing Paper on Restarting Solemn Trials Public version Sheriff Alistair JM Duff, Director of the Judicial Institute 13 November 2020 Updated 10 December 2020 and 21 January 2021 Contents Foreword .................................................................................................................... 6 1. COVID-19 considerations ....................................................................................... 8 Background ............................................................................................................ 8 The broad approach ............................................................................................... 8 The Remote Jury Centre Model .............................................................................. 9 Recruitment and training of staff, provision of equipment ................................... 9 Technical support .............................................................................................. 10 Police presence at Jury Centres ....................................................................... 10 Cleaning of Jury Centres ................................................................................... 10 Jury Citation and Balloting .................................................................................... 11 Confidence ........................................................................................................ 11 Procedures ........................................................................................................ 11 Numbers to be cited .......................................................................................... 12 Responses/Excusals ......................................................................................... 12 Advising Jurors of the need to attend ................................................................ 13 Issues specific to the restart of Sheriff and Jury trials ........................................... 13 Non-vulnerable witnesses and remote attendance ........................................... 13 Maintaining physical distancing ......................................................................... 14 2. The new jury directions ........................................................................................ 15 Background .......................................................................................................... 15 Recapping of written directions ............................................................................. 16 Written Directions in the Sheriff Court ................................................................... 18 3. The trial, including the new jury directions etc ...................................................... 19 Route map for commencement of jury trial ........................................................... 19 Day One ............................................................................................................ 19 Day Two ............................................................................................................ 20 4. Detailed description of the new process ............................................................... 22 Court room requirements ...................................................................................... 22 The Ballot ............................................................................................................. 22 Day One ............................................................................................................ 23 Day Two ............................................................................................................ 24 How do solicitors and counsel communicate? ...................................................... 27 How do jurors communicate with court? ............................................................... 27 Productions and documents ................................................................................. 28 Witnesses ............................................................................................................. 29 Deliberating .......................................................................................................... 29 JUDICIAL INSTITUTE | PARLIAMENT HOUSE | EDINBURGH PAGE 2 OF 94 Further considerations for Jurors .......................................................................... 31 Travel Expenses ............................................................................................... 31 Refreshments and lunches for juries ................................................................. 31 Breaks ............................................................................................................... 32 5. Lessons Learned from Mock Trials and from the First Trial ................................. 33 The jury’s perspective ........................................................................................... 33 Decorum ............................................................................................................... 35 Introducing the parties .......................................................................................... 35 Audio to jury room................................................................................................. 36 Audio from jury room ............................................................................................ 36 Judge’s ability to engage with jury ........................................................................ 36 Defence counsel or solicitor taking instructions .................................................... 37 Counsel addressing the jury ................................................................................. 38 Appendix A: Juror documents .................................................................................. 39 JURY CITATION................................................................................................... 39 JURY SERVICE - INFORMATION SHEET .......................................................... 42 JURY SAFETY INFORMATION SHEET .............................................................. 45 Appendix B: Act of Adjournal .................................................................................... 46 Appendix C: Juror responsibilities ........................................................................... 48 Appendix D: Impartiality – a suggested form of words ............................................. 52 Appendix E: COVID Jury information ....................................................................... 56 On the jury returning after the adjournment. ......................................................... 56 Appendix F: Introducing the case and procedure to the jury .................................... 57 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 57 Judge’s function .................................................................................................... 57 Jury’s function ....................................................................................................... 57 Procedure ............................................................................................................. 59 The court day ........................................................................................................ 61 Following the trial .................................................................................................. 62 Privacy of the jury ................................................................................................. 62 Avoiding outside influence .................................................................................... 63 ** Suggested direction for cases which have attracted significant publicity ....... 64 Appendix G: Written Directions for Jurors in the Scottish Courts ............................. 66 Part A: Introduction ............................................................................................... 66 Separate functions of Judge and Jury ............................................................... 66 Agreed facts ...................................................................................................... 67 Evidence ........................................................................................................... 67 JUDICIAL INSTITUTE | PARLIAMENT HOUSE | EDINBURGH PAGE 3 OF 94 Assessing witnesses and their evidence ........................................................... 69 Inferences ......................................................................................................... 70 You decide the case only on the evidence ........................................................ 70 Direct and circumstantial evidence .................................................................... 71 Part B: Certain fundamental principles ................................................................. 73 1. The presumption of innocence ................................................................. 73 2. The burden of proof is only on the Crown ................................................ 73 3. The standard of proof – proof beyond reasonable doubt ......................... 73 4. Corroboration ........................................................................................... 73 What is the position of the defence in relation to the four rules? ......................
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