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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Juror Theodora Dallas jailed for contempt of court | Juror Theodora Dallas jailed for contempt of court |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A juror who researched a defendant's past on the internet and shared the information with fellow jurors has been jailed for contempt of court. | A juror who researched a defendant's past on the internet and shared the information with fellow jurors has been jailed for contempt of court. |
| University of Bedfordshire academic Dr Theodora Dallas, 34, told jurors a man on assault charges at Luton Crown Court had previously been accused of rape. | University of Bedfordshire academic Dr Theodora Dallas, 34, told jurors a man on assault charges at Luton Crown Court had previously been accused of rape. |
| The trial in July 2011 was halted. Dallas, who is Greek, said her grasp of English was sometimes "not that good". | The trial in July 2011 was halted. Dallas, who is Greek, said her grasp of English was sometimes "not that good". |
| Three High Court judges sentenced her to six months in prison. | Three High Court judges sentenced her to six months in prison. |
| 'Deliberately disobeyed' | |
| She was told that she would serve three months in jail and be on licence for the remainder of the term. | She was told that she would serve three months in jail and be on licence for the remainder of the term. |
| The judges refused Dallas permission to appeal to the Supreme Court, but she can still apply directly to the highest court in the land. | |
| Lord Judge said Dallas had "deliberately disobeyed" the trial judge's instructions not to search the internet and added: "The damage to the administration of justice is obvious." | |
| He said: "Misuse of the internet by a juror is always a most serious irregularity and an effective custodial sentence is virtually inevitable." | |
| Her counsel Charles Parry had made a plea to the court to be merciful and impose a suspended sentence, but Lord Judge rejected this. | |
| He said there was "no sufficient basis" for suspension "in this case an immediate custodial sentence is appropriate for the contempt which has been proved". | |
| 'Really apologise' | 'Really apologise' |
| Dallas appeared before the High Court last Thursday after government legal advisers began contempt proceedings. | |
| Dallas had said earlier in a written statement: "I had no intention at all to prejudice the jury in any way. I had no intention to disobey what the judge said." | |
| Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC told Lord Judge, Lady Justice Hallett and Mr Justice Openshaw that Dallas had impeded the administration of justice and was in contempt. | Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC told Lord Judge, Lady Justice Hallett and Mr Justice Openshaw that Dallas had impeded the administration of justice and was in contempt. |
| But the academic, who was suspended from her job as a psychology lecturer, told the judges she had "no intention" of influencing the jury. | But the academic, who was suspended from her job as a psychology lecturer, told the judges she had "no intention" of influencing the jury. |
| "I did not understand that I could make no search on the internet," she said. | "I did not understand that I could make no search on the internet," she said. |
| "I really apologise. I never thought it would cause such disruption," she added. | "I really apologise. I never thought it would cause such disruption," she added. |