JURIES ACT AMENDMENT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 297, 11 September 1919, Page 6

JURIES ACT AMENDMENT

I The Juries Act Amendment Bill, which hft3 been introduced in tho Upper House by tho Hon, J. MacGregor, provides for tlio accoptahco of a five-sixths majority vordict in orimiual cases (except capital), and for tho continuance of a trial, in certain circumstances, notwithstanding that the jury may be reduced in number. Tho clauses of the Bill aro:— "If. ten of the jurors empanelled _ to try a criminal case other than a capital case shall, after the jury has retired to consider its verdict for a period of at least threo hours, intimate to the judge presiding at such trial that tho jury has considered its verdict and that' there is no probability of such jury being unanimous, the verdict of ten of tho jurors may, if tho judge thinks tit, he accepted I 'as, and shall have all the consequences of, a verdict of the wholo jury. "In tlio event of the death or illness of any juror during any inquest, civil or criminal, except for a capital olfoncc, tlio presiding judgo shall havo power, if lie thinks fit, to direct that .tho inquest shall proceed with'a number reduced in no case to fewer than five-sixths' of the jurors. originally empanelled, and the verdict, of such remaining jurors, or, in case such inquest is a civil inquest, oF so many thereof as under section 111 of t|jo principal Act constitute the proportion of the number, of jurors originally empanelled whose decision shall bo taken as tho verdict of all, shall bo a sufficient verdict, provided iii the last-mentioned caso that the I jurors havo remained in deliberation for at least threo hours.."-