[cooperino]

Originally Posted by Ozcubowner

The court case has begun but it takea an 18 page assessment for Jury selection ??????
He claims he felt threatened by a woman in pyjamas from the opposite side of the vehicle and across another police officer
Extradite him to Australia and we will ensure he gets non-discriminatory Justice
Oz

Oz,

While I feel your frustration in regard to our Judicial system and constitutional rights.. Keep in mind its the only system we have available. Is it flawed? Of course "all counties systems have at least some flaws" Is it a lengthy process? It absolutely is. In most cases lawyers from both sides are inundated by court process's, testimony, subpoena's, depositions and an overwhelming amount of evidence gathering. The 18 page assessment may sound like a large number. Think about it though. The jury selection of 12 will come from a much larger number of potential jurors. In this country you have the right to a defense in court no matter what you have been charged with. Innocent until proven guilty. Thus the reason why you can plead the fifth. The idea is if you are arrested for something, you are not a lawyer and you should really never speak to anyone about your charges without your lawyer present. In fact, its sort of a good thing he plead the fifth during the questioning process. In this country, the moment you ask for a lawyer to be present no more questioning is to be done by police investigators until a lawyer is present. If they continue questioning after this without a lawyer present the case may be deemed a mistrial.

Anyway. I'm saddened by this happening here or anywhere. I hope the outcome is one that the family of the victim can live with.