Interview with Juror: Brendan, 34, mobile phone marketing manager

12 March 2017

Have you ever been in a courtroom?

No, but I’m from a small rural town in Australia of 300 people. There wasn’t much crime there and the police were around and quite strict. Then when I moved to Sydney I got bashed by about 5 youths who stole my wallet. There was nothing the police could really do, but I still had an experience where perhaps I didn’t feel the police were very helpful. But from my childhood, I felt the police were good at keeping the law and things running well.

Why and how did you get involved in The Trial?

I don’t know anyone who’s done jury service and I’d never really understood how it works in the UK, so I applied.

Did you have any reservations about being filmed?

A few. I’m pretty level-headed in general, but I probably shared more during my interviews with the producers than I normally would with a stranger. A lot of the jurors are worried how they’ll be perceived, but it’s not that kind of show.

What sort of rules did you have to abide by as a juror?

We’re very connected these days, and that’s part of my profession, so to not be able to check my phone or talk about the trial or the case outside the jury room and holding room was very tough, because so often we form opinions by discussing things with people. We had to be very disciplined.

What did you think about the judge and the barristers?

The judge was very good at setting out guidelines and the process we’d go through as jurors. He seemed very fair and I found him very calming. The prosecution QC was very fact-based, and tried to get his point across as much as he could. The defence QC almost made a mockery of the prosecution, which is his job I suppose, breaking down all the things the prosecution are putting in our heads. He was very fact-based too, but with an amazing, almost comedic way of picking things apart and putting doubts in your mind. They were both very good.

Did your opinion of the defendant shift over the course of the trial?

Yeah. I have been judged myself and have judged others very quickly based on their appearance or a very limited amount of time with them and that can go horribly wrong, so I always try and give the benefit of the doubt. I flip-flopped three or four times.

It’s part of the job of defence and prosecution to manipulate the jury. How did that feel and how did you respond to it?

The way the courtroom is laid out, the defence is closest to you so they’re always at the top of your mind, you always hear from them last. That played on my mind a lot – it’s their job to make sure the evidence isn’t sufficient. But I tried to write everything down in my jury book and used that to help when I got to the jury room.

Was it easy to decide on a chairperson?

Pretty easy. There were people who had their own opinions, and it can be very easy to choose a strong person to control the group. But we chose the right person: he was very balanced like me, and formerly in the army so he had good discipline.

How does the presumption of innocence play out in reality, given the nature of the crime?

That was really tough for all of us. It’s tough to hear details of the crime and what the prosecution thinks happened – that plants something in your mind, but you have to bring it back to facts.

Which misconceptions do you hope The Trial will correct?

I hope it’ll highlight how difficult the justice system is. When a jury is judging someone’s life, that’s a big consequence and a massive burden, and not everyone can walk away feeling they’ve done the right thing.

Will you watch it?

I’m actually going to be in Australia! I’m prepared for a ribbing from my friends, though – I’m debating whether to close all my social media accounts before it goes out.