Six Month Jail Sentence For English Juror Who Did Online Research On Case

In a high profile case that went to England's high court, a university lecturer who did online research about a case on which she was sitting as a juror has been sentenced to six months in prison. Her research discovered that the defendant had a prior conviction, which included an allegation of rape, a fact that she shared with her fellow jurors. The Guardian report of the case includes excerpts from the tribunal's judgment that make clear that the other jurors were aware of the prohibition on online research and were disturbed about hearing what the online research had revealed.