Jubilee line corruption trial

The Jubilee line corruption trial (R. v. Mills, 2004–5) was a trial at the Old Bailey in London, which began in June 2003 and lasted 21 months before collapsing in March 2005.[1] It raised questions about the willingness of juries to hear very long trials.[2] Six men were charged with attempting to bribe London Transport officials over contracts in relation to the extension to the Jubilee line of the London Underground.

The trial encountered a series of difficulties, including the discharge of two jurors for personal reasons. Another continued, having been promised she would be able to get married and go on honeymoon in June 2005, but it later became clear the trial would still be running. Also, two defendants fell ill.[2] The trial finally ended when a juror "went on strike".[3] The Director of Public Prosecutions decided that a fair trial was not possible, and the accused men were acquitted. This was a blow to the judge, Ann Felicity Goddard. The cost of the trial was about £60 million. It is thought that the trial may have been successful if Goddard had agreed to let the jury only attend in the mornings.[4]

It holds the record as the longest-ever jury trial in the UK. However, it was not widely publicised at the time because of reporting restrictions.

The juror who caused the collapse said that the trial caused him loss of earnings that threatened his ability to pay Oxford University fees for a course he was due to start in October 2005.[3] The juror who was due to marry lost both her wedding and her job.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 CarolDavies (25 March 2005). "Marathon trial cost juror her wedding and a job". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  2. 1 2 David Leigh (23 March 2005). "Jury protest forces fraud trial collapse after 2 years". Guardian newspapers. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  3. 1 2 Adam Lusher (27 March 2005). "No regrets: The juror accused of precipitating the collapse of the £60m Jubilee Line fraud trial by going on strike'". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  4. ↑ Anne Rafferty, ‘Goddard, Ann Felicity (1936–2011)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Jan 2015 accessed 25 Feb 2017
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