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Petition update, 20 February 2009

More details from petition creator

In the Government's response to the 'JuryReasoning' ePetition, they said 'jurors are ordinary members of the public', 'it would not be appropriate to expect them to give reasons for their decision, as if they were legally trained' and doing so 'would undermine trial by jury'.

We therefore call for the abolition of trial by jury in cases where it is effectively one person's word against another's, in favour of a system whereby a judge (whose reasoning CAN be challenged at appeal) decides on a person's guilt or innocence, based on the evidence rather than emotion. This is important as someone wrongfully convicted cannot appeal their conviction simply because 'the jury got it wrong'. Appeal Courts will not 'usurp the position of the jury', (i.e. rule that the jury made a wrong decision); they require 'fresh evidence', and this is most unlikely to become available, as it's virtually impossible to prove that some else has lied on oath, and retraction of an allegation (particularly where there were motives of revenge or compensation) is extremely rare.

Current signatories

Phil Faber, the Petition Creator, joined by:

• a melville
• Roger Griffiths
• steven smith
• Helga Speck
• mrs natasha kamara
• John Holden
• Harvey Franks
• Beverly Todd
• Kathleen Brizzalari
• Michelle Bolton
• Sandra Edwards
• geoff Heard
• Robert Napier
• Duncan Breeze
• Ian Brooks
• jennifer adamson-randles
• Jamie O'Brien
• julia bartrom
• G Hall
• pam goode
• evelyn haley
• Robin Griggs
• David Sherwell
• Pippa Rivers
• M.H.Cain
• Jo Jordan
• Peter Jordan
• Helmut von der Heyde
• susan griffiths
• Norman J Owen
• Cecelia Crosby
• Abdul Shakoor Malik
• Ronald Hall
• simon goode
• Steve Crosby
• PAULINE STAVES
• k hetzel
• Anthony Lowery
• J Horrocks
• Robert Dyer
• marco bidetta
• Kim Taylor
• Elizabeth Wilson
• P Lewis
• Elizabeth Shotton
• Helen Shotton
• Linda Clapham
• Khurshid Ahmed
• Paul Melville
• Joan Harrison
• Dr Paul Elliott
• Veronica Morris
• F.Harrison
• Moyreen Tilbrook
• Adrian Riley
• pat hughes
• S. Taylor-Hodge
• BARRY KINGSTON
• tracy
• John Bell
• Susan Glennon
• Tracy Jones
• June Robinson
• William Shattell
• Jane B
• Lynda Shattell
• renata ostertag
• simon hyett
• Daphne Brettle
• margaret gardener FASO
• Kathleen McMorran
• Allan Horsfall
• Jeffrey Booth
• John Brian Ely
• Louise Craven
• Susan Heath
• Sally Roberts
• S Pettit
• doreen gregory
• mark holman
• Ffreda Douthwaite
• Edith Kilgannon
• Eddie Hampton
• sam allen
• Joe Clapham
• Jaki Vincent
• kim phelps
• Alan Vincent
• Andy hellen
• Liam Kavanagh
• S.Blythe
• Robert Lang
• Jennifer Rogers
• Lindsey Jones
• Nick McNally
• Sandra McNally
• Lorraine Young
• Julie Watts
• Elizabeth Dunlop
• kevin bierton
• Richard Stockton
• M Fair
• B Matthews
• Brian Petersen
• Bob Douthwaite
• Jeremy Rogers
• shahida begum
• David Ferron
• Peter Barratt
• Geoff Gutteridge
• veronica hannan
• N Hannah
• lynn wilson
• mike strover
• R.Vanson
• susan procter
• mrs c evans
• kimberley lobb
• Anne MacMahon
• Peter Menellis
• Carole Hampton
• Linda Clapham
• Patricia Ely
• William Shattell
• Clive Baldwin
• Frank Ward
• Eileen Donohoe
• Steve Dent
• Emily Dent
• Jim Fairlie
• Ann Schofield
• Unaq Parker
• Teresa Napier
• Margaret Barker
• Roy Barker
• michael kerr
• Lorraine Skipper
• H Shahristani
• Monica Finan
• lyn phillips
• Penny Halls
• Steven Halls
• Lynette Babidge
• Bernadette John
• George A Jensen
• Paul Hamilton
• Sam Robinson
• Bernadette Evans
• Gareth Mills
• katie trotta
• gail saunders
• Angela Lee
• Hugo Diogenes
• Renate John
• Barbara John
• Debi Gill
• viv charnley
• John Suffield
• Joseph Chapman
• John Read
• L Williams
• A Clarke
• Alan Jackson
• k carpenter
• kathleen gibson
• Lesley Ann Merricks
• ALISON JACKSON
• Dr Dorothy Griffiths
• Rod Wilson
• Alison Sowden
• David Lee
• james donaldson
• john green
• Suzie Ward
• Donna Peters
• Graham Scott
• Pauline Shearlaw
• Kim Griffiths
• J.Evans
• Aidan Everett
• Philip Holbourn
• Ben Gordon
• Hazel Humble
• David Partington
• Tanja Korfkamp
• T.T.Donovan
• Annik Lidou
• Linda Butterworth
• david riley
• Yvonne Mann
• R Sutton
• H.G.Hulme
• Cheryl Portlock
• J Spink
• doreen strettle
• Rick John Humble
• Ron and Brenda Jones
• A.L.Bain
• Rita Butler
• S Bowen
• Malcolm Robinson
• M Hall
• shona watson
• Tamsyn Beare
• James Hepburn
• richard trussler
• nicola minton
• Jason Halls
• Charlotte Fawley
• Ian Webb
• Peter Burkimsher