I Wonder Why..

[John Galt]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4681891.stm

The judge in the railtrack corporate manslaughter trial has ordered the jury to find all men charged not guilty but could not make public his reasons for doing so - I wonder why.

[WageSlave]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4681891.stm[/URL]

The judge in the railtrack corporate manslaughter trial has ordered the jury to find all men charged not guilty but could not make public his reasons for doing so - I wonder why.

Ask Spod....

[wobbegong]

I wonder why . . .

A judge is allowed to order a jury to return a specified verdict.

Why bother having a jury?

[Lucifer Box]

A judge is allowed to order a jury to return a specified verdict.

Normally in cases where in the judge's expert opinion the evidence is weak or non-admissable (and arguably the case should not have gone to trial at all), the jury has been prejudiced, or there are technical objections on the points of law involved. Quite rightly too, otherwise defendants can be fixed up on ropey evidence.