Juror is spared jail over text gossip at trial

Nineteen-year-old Danielle Robinson was doing jury service when she decided to send a text to another juror on a different trial alleging that the defendant was a paedophile.

She pleaded guilty to contempt of court and sobbed as she was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.

The mother-of-one, of Crayford Close, Greatfield, east Hull, said after the case: "I'm just so relieved. I thought I was going to prison. It has been a very stressful time.

"I didn't have a clue a text message could cause this much trouble. I thought you could talk among the juries."

Judge Roger Thorn QC told her she had "let her generation down".

He said: "The text you engaged in could hardly have done more damage.

"There is a further aspect to the gravity of your case – you have let down your generation.

"You know there are many who think people aged 18 and 19 are too young to sit on a jury.

"That's not generally my view, but look at how you have demonstrated to everyone else how that might be true because you yourself have demonstrated such a lack of common sense and judgment.

"You were discharged from your jury and risked both jury trials being derailed.

"You are a young, stupid and immature lady."

Robinson had texted her fellow juror, who she had only just met while on jury service, to tell her the defendant was a paedophile who had been in prison and stolen baby clothes.

It read: "...he's been in prison before and is a paedo and when he broke into the pub he took all the kids underwear xx."

The allegations were completely false.

The juror who received the message showed a court usher and both women, who were serving on different trials, were discharged from their juries.

The two trials, which are estimated to have cost the taxpayer 70,000, nearly collapsed as a result of her actions.

Robinson's barrister Paul Genney described her as a "gossip".

He said: "This is a young immature lady, delighted to be on jury service, enjoying it and, in the spirit of excitement and gossip rather than malice contacted this lady without thinking through the consequences.

"This was a stupid thing to do rather than a wicked thing to do. She is terribly immature.

"She would like to apologise to the court. She just didn't think. She has learnt her lesson."

Judge Thorn QC ordered that the juror who brought the text message to his attention be commended and received 250 from the public purse.

n Britain's top judge warned jurors yesterday of the dangers of using the internet to research cases.

Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge said that if extraneous material was introduced into the decision-making process it could lead to the quashing of a conviction.

Issuing new guidance at the Court of Appeal in London, Lord Judge stressed jurors needed to understand that "although the Internet is part of their daily lives, the case must not be researched there".

It should also not be discussed on social networking sites "any more than it can be researched with, or discussed amongst, friends or family, and for the same reason".