*/
The use of smartphones and social media pose a risk to jury trials that cannot be completely overcome, a Court of Appeal judge warned.
Giving a lecture at the Criminal Bar Association’s annual conference, Lord Justice Singh stressed that juries are a ‘fundamental feature’ of our system for trying serious criminal cases, and ‘juries take their task very seriously and value the responsibility and trust which are vested in them’.
But, he said, with the use of IT by members of the public in a jury trial ‘occasionally something can go wrong’.
‘These days a smartphone can do so many things that were undreamt of even a few years ago; and can do so almost instantaneously,’ he said. Singh LJ recalled an incident during a murder he had tried at Lewes in 2013 when his ruling rejecting a submission of no case to answer against one of two defendants had been circulated on social media by someone in the public gallery.
‘Thankfully it was possible to have this material removed quite quickly and no one suggested that any member of the jury had seen it,’ he said.
Singh LJ said: ‘One cannot emphasise enough the warning that the judge now gives to jurors at the start of a trial not to research the case on the internet, including the possibility of a contempt of court and penal sanctions being imposed.
‘But one cannot guarantee that there will never be problems when the use of smartphones is so quick and easy.’
The use of smartphones and social media pose a risk to jury trials that cannot be completely overcome, a Court of Appeal judge warned.
Giving a lecture at the Criminal Bar Association’s annual conference, Lord Justice Singh stressed that juries are a ‘fundamental feature’ of our system for trying serious criminal cases, and ‘juries take their task very seriously and value the responsibility and trust which are vested in them’.
But, he said, with the use of IT by members of the public in a jury trial ‘occasionally something can go wrong’.
‘These days a smartphone can do so many things that were undreamt of even a few years ago; and can do so almost instantaneously,’ he said. Singh LJ recalled an incident during a murder he had tried at Lewes in 2013 when his ruling rejecting a submission of no case to answer against one of two defendants had been circulated on social media by someone in the public gallery.
‘Thankfully it was possible to have this material removed quite quickly and no one suggested that any member of the jury had seen it,’ he said.
Singh LJ said: ‘One cannot emphasise enough the warning that the judge now gives to jurors at the start of a trial not to research the case on the internet, including the possibility of a contempt of court and penal sanctions being imposed.
‘But one cannot guarantee that there will never be problems when the use of smartphones is so quick and easy.’
Chair of the Bar reflects on 2025
AlphaBiolabs has donated £500 to The Christie Charity through its Giving Back initiative, helping to support cancer care, treatment and research across Greater Manchester, Cheshire and further afield
Q&A with criminal barrister Nick Murphy, who moved to New Park Court Chambers on the North Eastern Circuit in search of a better work-life balance
Revolt Cycling in Holborn, London’s first sustainable fitness studio, invites barristers to join the revolution – turning pedal power into clean energy
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, reflects on how the company’s Giving Back ethos continues to make a difference to communities across the UK
By Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
Are you ready for the new way to do tax returns? David Southern KC explains the biggest change since HMRC launched self-assessment more than 30 years ago... and its impact on the Bar
Professor Dominic Regan and Seán Jones KC present their best buys for this holiday season
Marking one year since a Bar disciplinary tribunal dismissed all charges against her, Dr Charlotte Proudman discusses the experience, her formative years and next steps. Interview by Anthony Inglese CB
Little has changed since Burns v Burns . Cohabiting couples deserve better than to be left on the blasted heath with the existing witch’s brew for another four decades, argues Christopher Stirling
Pointillism, radical politics and social conscience. Review by Stephen Cragg KC
