Civic duty certainly went off the rails for one attorney. British attorney Caroline Elizabeth Mitchell was sent to jail for two weeks after pleading guilty to disclosing information to jurors that was not evidence provided in court.
Seems Mitchell, a now former attorney at Irwin Mitchell — the international law firm based in the U.K. with over 800 attorneys, didn’t think much of the evidence presented at a child sexual abuse trial where she was serving as a juror. So… she decided to do her own research. And, rather than just leave the breach of protocol at that, the aspiring gumshoe decided to share what she learned with other jurors.
As reported by Legal Cheek:
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The jury was given a floor plan of the property but not the dimensions of the rooms, which could have changed since the 1970s when the alleged abuse is said to have occurred.
But despite jury members being warned not to speculate on the size of the rooms, Mitchell is said have found details of a neighbouring property, including the dimension of its rooms, on property website Rightmove.
The former Irwin Mitchell solicitor, who qualified in 1995, took a screenshot and then showed that on her iPad to other jurors the next day. A court clerk witnessed the incident.
And being an attorney, well, Mitchell should have known better. Which is something the judge was quick to point out during sentencing.
Sentencing Mitchell, Recorder of Leeds, Judge Guy Kearl QC, said: “I don’t doubt you didn’t intend to undermine the course of justice but that is the effect of what you were doing.” As a solicitor, he added, Mitchell knew “the importance of court orders and the consequences of breaching them”.
“I have formed the view in line with the facts … appropriate punishment can only be be found by an immediate custodial sentence,” Judge Kearl QC added.
Due to Mitchell’s actions, the case had to be retried — at an estimated cost of £30,000.
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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).