Judge amazed as six trials due to be heard fall without a word of evidence

on 12/10/2012 00:00:00

Five of the cases, he said, did not proceed because the defendants pleaded guilty, and the sixth fell when the prosecution decided not to proceed with the State case.

Addressing 10 men and two women who had been sworn in as a jury on Wednesday for a trial set to start yesterday, Judge Moran told them there had been a development and the accused had changed his plea to guilty.

Discharging the jury, Judge Moran said it was reasonable to assume that the five defendants due for trial who had changed their pleas to guilty, did so because people called for jury service were present and prepared to serve on a jury at any one of the trials.

He said it was also reasonable to assume that the prosecution in another trial decided not to proceed for the same reason - that jurors were present to serve.

Judge Moran added: "You have not been wasting your time twiddling your thumbs and it was very productive even though you were kept waiting for two hours this morning [in the jury room].

"It was better that you had to wait for two hours rather than be here into next week if the case had gone ahead, as the case would have gone [on] a few days next week."

Telling the 12 they were free to go home, Judge Moran had further good news.

Lunch was on the finance minister.