A GREAT-grandad got a letter at his care home summoning him for jury duty — at the age of 98.
The citation gave Alex Mackenzie seven days to respond to a call to serve at a trial at Ayr Sheriff Court in February.
The World War Two veteran joked to his daughter Doreen Jones, 67, that he would have enjoyed the novelty of a day out.
But his family thought the better of it and contacted the sheriff clerk to see if he would be exempt.
They were told there is no upper age limit for serving on a jury, but people aged 71 or older can request an excusal.
Retired Doreen told The Scottish Sun she discovered the letter, dated December 9 and addressed to her father, of Ayr, in a pile of paperwork after she had returned from holiday days before.
She said: “We couldn’t believe it when we opened the letter.
“I didn’t realise 98-year-olds would still be included.
We couldn’t believe it when we opened the letter… We were worried there could be a warrant out for his arrest
Doreen Jones
“He hasn’t got a phone that could scan a code on the letter or even know how to work a computer to access a link that was included.
“We were worried there could be a warrant out for his arrest.”
Doreen added: “He would have liked the trip out of the home for something different.
“But I think he has contributed enough now — and I don’t think he would have been able to stay awake during the whole process.
“You’ve got to wonder why the system or a human being didn’t notice the date of birth or the nursing home address before posting the letter out.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service said: “Potential jurors in court cases are cited at random, using information from the Electoral Register.
“At the point of citation, the court will not be aware of the individual circumstances of each potential juror, given the numbers involved.”
2
Serving on a jury
To be qualified to serve on a jury, you must:
- be 18 years of age or older. There’s no upper age limit for serving on a jury, but you can be excused from jury service if you’re 71 years of age or older and you don’t want to serve on a jury
- be on the electoral register
- have lived in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for at least five years since the age of 13
- not be on the list of people who are disqualified or ineligible. The list of disqualified or ineligible people includes staff of the court service, police and anyone with a criminal conviction which is not yet spent.
You might be able to apply for excusal from jury service if you:
- are disqualified because of a criminal conviction listed below
- are ineligible because of an occupation listed below
- are ineligible because of a mental disorder
- have served on a jury in the last five years
- are aged 71 or over and don’t want to serve on a jury
- were excused by direction of any court from jury service for a period which has not yet expired.
People ineligible to serve on a jury include:
- advocates and solicitors
- apprentices of, and legal trainees employed by, solicitors
- officers and staff of any court
- constables of any police force
- police cadets
- members of children’s panels.
People in the following occupations have a right to be excused if they apply within seven days of receiving the jury citation:
- members of the Scottish Parliament, members of the Scottish Government or junior Scottish ministers
- members or officers of either House of Parliament
- full-time serving members of the forces
- practising members of the medical or similar profession
- ministers of religion or members of a religious body.
