The Life of a Young Juror

Just weeks into my college course I received a citation from Kilmarnock Sheriff court calling me up for Jury duty. I felt scared, as this was a completely new experience and one that filled me with dread. I didn’t relish the prospect of having to decide someone else’s fate.

When I got to the court there were 60 of us who had been called. I had a look around and could see that most of the others were over forty; I was the youngest there. Randomly the court official started calling out names. Mine was the eleventh name called. The man next to me turned and said: “Good luck son.” His was the next name called; he swore.

I had been sitting thinking I was off the hook. Now I was totally shell shocked.

Once we were all picked we were taken to the Juror’s box and then we were instructed on how a court operates by the Lord Advocate, and given the details of what turned out to be a very harrowing murder case. The Clerk of Court then administered the oath. This process is called ‘swearing in.’

Small Change

Picture the scene, you have just been discharged from hospital and you have no home to go to. You are standing at the bus stop, the sun disappearing behind the clouds. The cold chill wind catches your face. You feel slightly peckish and you put your hand in your pocket and pull out some change. You thought there was a tenner note in there, but there isn’t. You dig around the mound of change with your index finger and find there is just enough for your bus fare and a bag of crisps. Now that bag of crisps is your dinner.

Your mood dips at this realization at the change in your circumstances and you shuffle your feet on the damp muddy gravel beneath your feet. The strange cars churn by, they know they are heading somewhere warm and you don’t. The bus eventually pulls up, you ask the driver how much for a single to your destination. It turns out the fare is less than you expected and you can afford a bar of chocolate on top of the crisps. Already things are looking up.

Student President Interview

                        Student President Robert Foster

 

This year’s James Watt College (North Ayrshire Campus) student president Robert Foster, 31, talks to our reporter Michael Francis about the role and his responsibilities to the college and its students.

 What made you want to become student President Robert?

 “I served as Vice President last year, and the president from last year wasn’t running, so I felt I had a duty to run this year because I had an understanding of student politics and so I felt well placed to represent the student body, given my experience last year.”

 Do you think being student president could inflict upon your personal studies?

 “ I hope not, I don’t know yet because I’ve just started.  I’m doing an HNC Social Science this year so I will be out on placement a lot plus I have to find seventeen and a half hours a week to devote to my position so it will be a challenge but I’m sure I’ll manage.”