Dundee juror held in contempt for googling sentencing options during rape trial

A Dundee juror who googled sentencing options during a rape trial has been fined after a judge held her in contempt of court.

Julie Williamson told other jurors they should acquit the accused after learning the potential prison term ranged between four and 19 years.

The drama unfolded during the final day of the trial of Adam Jenkins at the High Court in Dundee.

Jurors are given strict instructions to only consider evidence heard in court and not carry out their own investigations to ensure a fair trial and prevent miscarriages of justice.

Forbidden internet search

Prior to judge Simon Collins KC delivering his final legal direction to jurors, the clerk of court was informed Williamson had told her fellow jurors about her research.

She was told to seek legal representation and the judge told Iain Paterson KC: “One of the jurors approached the clerk this morning, asked to speak with her privately.

“What that juror said was she (Williamson) had said that she carried out an internet search in relation to sentencing in rape trials and neither she or they were qualified to make that decision.

“The tenor was ‘we should not convict this person because the sentencing would be so high’.”

The court heard Williamson was confronted by other jurors but was “very aggressive” to them in response.

Williamson insisted she had made the remarks to three other jurors while having a cigarette outside and not in the court jury room.

Jenkins’ trial did not collapse after it was agreed by the prosecutor and defence the jury could be given a direction to disregard the consequences of their verdict.

Prison could have followed trial collapse

“She feels terrible and awful,” Mr Paterson said.

“She is so sorry for what’s happened but she has said to me that she was not trying to influence anyone.

“She has done something she ought not to have done.

“She didn’t realise she was doing anything wrong. Having spoken to her, she was quite tearful.

“I think there’s a lack of understanding.”

The judge added: “She should feel remorseful for this. The directions were clear and she chose to ignore them.

“Her attitude this morning was certainly not remorseful and I take it on further reflection she has seen the error of her ways.

“If this trial had collapsed at enormous public expense and I had proceeded on the basis she was seeking to influence jurors to reach a decision on the basis of internet searches, then the question of a prison sentence might have arisen.”

Guilty

After she was removed as a juror the remaining 14 people found Jenkins, 36, guilty of rape and sexual assault in Fife in 2020.

Sentence was deferred until October for reports and Jenkins was remanded in custody.

Self-employed cleaner Williamson was fined £400 and given 28 days to pay in full.

Earlier this month, the same fine was dished out to a juror following a rape trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Caroline Spratt used the property website Rightmove to research the layout of a house and google the not proven verdict.

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