QC calls for reform of jury system

ONE of Scotland’s top QCs has called for changes to the way juries are chosen.

Paul McBride QC said potential jurors should sit a test to establish that they can “read, write and speak English” and “whether they suffer from mental illness or are riven with prejudice”.

Currently the only requirement to serve on a jury in Scotland is that a person should be over the age of 18, be registered to vote and have lived in the UK for five years.

Mr McBride said Scotland’s jury system, in which 15 people can reach a decision on a majority of 8-7, made reform even more important.

He said: “In Scotland, unlike any other country, one person can make a difference. Can we improve our jury system? The answer is undoubtedly yes.

“Judges and lawyers undergo a high standard of training. The only area where there is no scrutiny at all is on the people who actually make the decision, which is frankly baffling.”