Thursday 12th September, 2013
Well the verdict has been handed down .......NOT GUILTY! This morning the jury heard the summing up by the defense lawyer and the judge and then they went off to decide the verdict.
He said it was not easy. To start with there were 8 for and 4 against (Tony being one of those against). He was questioning whether the woman had given her consent. After much convincing by the other jurors he said he could understand that when the couple had sex the woman did not object and it was only pressure put on her by her family that she ended up pressing charges anyway. She was also concerned about falling pregnant and whether she may have contracted a sexually transmitted disease as no protection was worn.
It took them a few hours to come to a decision. He said one other guy held out right up to the last minute to change his mind. Apparently the court would accept an 11 to 1 vote.
Many people believe that when a sex abuse/rape case comes before the courts, the perpetrator, usually the male, has to be guilty. As in this case it was not. Many factors come in to play and one has to hear ALL of the evidence.
Knowing that you have the future of one person in your hands is a HUGE responsibility. Tony really enjoyed the experience and hopes he gets selected for another case before the month runs out.
I have to agree that one cannot honestly judge another for his (or her)actions until we have heard all of the facts. Too often, some guys are found guilty because of unfounded publicity. Other times folks just assume that they are guilty. So glad that Tony enjoyed his role as a jury member. It's not always a fun role but a very necessary one. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.
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