Juror Faces Jail for Facebook Chat with Defendant
A British juror will be sent to jail for discussing a drug and corruption trial with a defendant on Facebook, the Daily Business Review reports.
Prosecutors say the juror communicated with the defendant on the social networking site during the trial last year, with the defendant asking the juror for details of the jury’s deliberations. As is common in the United States, jurors in British trials are warned not to talk to anyone about their case, or to research it on the Internet. After being convicted of contempt for the improper communication, the Judge advised that the sentence would include a prison term. The maximum sentence for contempt is two years in jail.
The Daily Business Review reports this is the first juror in Britain to be convicted for using the Internet during a trial.
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