‘Reluctant’ business owner fined for shirking jury duty

Tuesday 29 October 2019

A ‘reluctant’ would-be juror has been fined £200 after he “refused” to show up for jury duty at a trial starting this week.

Plastering business owner Gary Patrick McGeoghegan was brought before the Royal Court after refusing to report for jury duty and reportedly being “rude” on the phone to the Viscount’s Officer trying to locate him.

A warrant for Mr McGeoghegan arrest was subsequently issued, and he appeared before the Court yesterday morning in what appeared to be his work gear: a hi-vis jacket.

There, he told Royal Court Commissioner Sir John Saunders that he couldn’t come and serve on the jury because he was too busy at work.

He explained: “I run my own business… I have 10 guys working for me… I couldn’t be here all week.”

Pictured: Royal Court Judge Sir John Saunders fined the man for shirking his civic duty.

Asked by Sir John when he sent a letter to the Viscount's Department asking for an exemption from jury duty, Mr McGeoghegan admitted that he hadn't sent a letter.

The Commissioner asked the man if he was “rude” to the officer who tried to contact him ahead of the trial starting. 

“He was rude to me - it was the other way around,” Mr McGeoghegan replied.

He claimed the officer had told him: “'I’ll just tell him – the judge – that you don’t give a s**t'." However, Mr McGeoghegan went on to say that he hadn't refused his jury duty using this phrasing, telling the Court: “That’s not the words I used.” 

The Commissioner remarked that, whether or not those were the exact words he had used, it “accurately” described his sentiment towards his jury duty.

“I couldn’t possibly be here at the time he wanted me to be here,” the business owner told the Commissioner.

Sir John reminded him that “it’s very important” that citizens show up “to do their duty”, and that “the whole operation of justice depends on it".

Given that Mr McGeoghegan appeared to have “quite a busy business”, the Commissioner ruled that he would be able to pay a fine.

Pictured: The 'reluctant' juror was fined £200.

Sir John then handed him a £200 fine for refusing to come to Court. 

Following the case, a spokesperson for the Viscount’s Department, which co-ordinates everything to do with jurors, explained to Express that if anyone thinks they can’t report for jury duty, they should notify the department and they will consider whether the juror can be exempted.

They said that this is usually done four to five weeks in advance, but, if the Department hasn’t been notified that someone cannot attend, then it’s likely that the Judge will order their arrest and ask that the juror be brought to Court.

A juror that doesn’t attend for their duty without prior permission from the Viscount is liable to be fined and it’s up to the presiding Judge to decide how much. 

The spokesperson commented: “It does not happen very often [that someone does not show up], most of these issues are resolved before the day.

“Jury service is seen as a civic duty so people are expected to come.”