Father’s fury over jury summons for crash victim

A FATHER has spoken of his anguish after his dead son was sent a summons for jury service – by the same coroner’s court where an inquest into his death was held just five months ago.

Daniel Martin, 18, died after his motorcycle crashed into a car in Runnymede Way, Kingswood, Hull, in July last year, a short distance from his home in Halecroft Park.

An inquest was held at Hull Coroner’s Court in May and a verdict of accidental death was recorded, after which his father Adrian said he had lost his best friend.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But Mr Martin’s hurt turned to anger when a letter addressed to Daniel arrived from the court informing him he had been selected for jury service.

Mr Martin, 46, said: “It beggars belief. I just can’t get my head around how somebody doing this type of job, who is supposed to be a representative of the Crown and the Government, can get something like this so catastrophically wrong.

“It’s put me and my family right back to the accident, the day we found out Danny had died. All the counselling I’ve had – it’s just opened everything up again and I’m right back to square one.”

He added: “There were four pieces of A4-sized paper with the summons and duties and then it said what he could claim for expenses. I couldn’t believe what I was reading.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Martin said his son, a student mechanic, died three weeks before he was due to be interviewed for a job with the Army’s Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

“He was just getting ready to go for an interview with the Army,” said Mr Martin, a taxi driver. “It’s what he wanted to do all his life, but he didn’t get the chance to fulfil his dreams.”

He added: “He was a lovely lad, a typical 18-year-old, he was my best mate. We did everything together, riding motorbikes and playing rugby; he played rugby when he was a kid and I used to coach him. He was a big Hull FC fan.

“He liked a laugh and a joke with his mates, just a really nice lad. His death, it’s left me lost.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hull and East Riding coroner Geoffrey Saul said: “I have spoken personally to the family and have offered my sincere apologies for the pain and distress this has caused.

“Daniel’s name was on a list selected annually by the Jury Central Summoning Bureau in London, using only one in a thousand names from the electoral register they received in late 2010. Daniel’s sad death occurred after that list was compiled.

“Last week we chose jurors’ names at random from that list and it is a matter of extreme regret that Daniel’s name was selected.”

Related topics: