JURY PROBLEMS OUTLINED

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30811, 24 July 1965, Page 15

JURY PROBLEMS OUTLINED

f.V.Z. Press Association — Copyright) SYDNEY, July 23. Judges realised that summing up to a jury in complicated accident cases was a complete farce, the Chief Justice of the New South Wales Supreme Court said yesterday.

Addressing a luncheon neeting, Mr Justice Herron laid: The trial before a jury of uch things as motor-car damges or damages for industrial ccidents against an employer nvolves a question whether he jury system can any anger be justified, and there s a great deal to be said for he view that it cannot.” He said a jury might be as ell equipped as a judge to etermine a single question f fact, although a jury would e much more likely to be inuenced by eloquence and ppeals to emotion. He said juries could not be tpected to absorb a summing J from a judge which might volve several different comnations of advice, depending i the several different comnations of problems posed f the case. A number of other factors! uld complicate a judge’s' mining up even more, and: four men sitting on a jury: re capable of methodically!

applying his directions. “What the jury is left with, at best, is some sort of broad general impression, and it proceeds to decide the case on that. “This leaves the door wide open for sympathetic, emotional, well-intentioned, but unjust verdicts.’’ Mr Justice Herron said.