Sheffield trial collapsed after juror overheard barrister discussing case in café located 150 yards from court

A trial at Sheffield Crown Court collapsed after a juror overheard a barrister discussing the case in a café located around 150 yards away.
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The jury in the trial of defendants Susan Olaleye and Ibukunoluwa Olashore were discharged on Thursday, March 23, 2023, after serving for four days.

The Star understands the trial collapsed after a juror overheard a barrister discussing the case, while both parties were present at Albie’s Coffee, which is located on Snig Hill, Sheffield city centre, a total of 157 yards – or 472 feet – away from Sheffield Crown Court.

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A source said the barrister in question is believed to have had some involvement in the case.

The Star understands the trial collapsed after a juror overheard a barristers discussing the case, while both parties were present at Albie's Coffee, which is located on Snig Hill, Sheffield city centre, a total of 157 yards –  or 472 feet – away from Sheffield Crown Court.The Star understands the trial collapsed after a juror overheard a barristers discussing the case, while both parties were present at Albie's Coffee, which is located on Snig Hill, Sheffield city centre, a total of 157 yards –  or 472 feet – away from Sheffield Crown Court.
The Star understands the trial collapsed after a juror overheard a barristers discussing the case, while both parties were present at Albie's Coffee, which is located on Snig Hill, Sheffield city centre, a total of 157 yards –  or 472 feet – away from Sheffield Crown Court.

A Sheffield Crown Court spokesperson confirmed that the jury in the case of Ms Olaleye, aged 60, of Joseph Court, London and 61-year-old Mr Olashore, of Bertrand Way, London, was discharged on Thursday, March 23. Judge David Dixon ordered a new trial, and another jury, was sworn on Monday, March 27.

Both defendants are charged with conspiracy to facilitate a breach of immigration law, and the trial is currently ongoing at Sheffield Crown Court.

It is not yet known how much discharging the original jury in the trial of Ms Olaleye and Mr Olashore will have cost the taxpayer, but previous research from the Law Society has estimated the average cost of a day in crown court to be at least £2,692.

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Trial by jury, the right for anyone accused of a crime to be tried by a 12-strong panel of their peers, is a fundamental tenet of the British legal system that dates back since before it was enshrined in law in the Magna Carta in 1215.

Anyone who is eligible for jury service can be called at any time, with the criteria including adults aged between 18 and 70 who have been a resident in the United Kingdom for at least five years since the age of 13.

After being sworn on to a jury, jurors are required to abide by a set of rules and are strictly prohibited from discussing the trial outside of the deliberation room or from looking up press reports or searching for their own evidence.

Jurors are permitted to discuss what happened in open court once a trial has concluded, but must never divulge what happened in the deliberation room.