‘Not on my watch’, judge tells persons who want out of jury duty in Trelawny circuit

Justice Bertram Morrison today issued a stern caution to persons who are seeking to get out of jury duty in the Trelawny Circuit Court.

“You will have to be dropping down dead before you are excused and I am serious about it. There is a lot of work to be done,” charged Morrison at today's opening of the new term of the circuit.

Morrison noted that more than half of the persons who responded to jury notices have asked to be excused.

He was not pleased with the situation.

"Seventy summonses were served. 24 of you registered and 14 have asked to be excused. That is not going to happen on my watch,” Morrison said.

Some 166 cases are on the court list for the term.

Meanwhile, Senior Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Jeremy Taylor, who represented the Crown, expressed concern about murders in Trelawny.

“What is happening in Trelawny? What has caused such an explosion in crime? Back in 2011 when I was last here there four murders on a case list of 20. Now, there are 24 and most of these are organised murders. Something has gone wrong in Trelawny."

- Leon Jackson

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