IN A significant development on Day 12 of the Erin Patterson murder trial in Morwell on Thursday, May 15, one of the 15 jurors in the case was discharged by Justice Christopher Beale.
In court on Thursday, in front of the remaining 14 jurors, Justice Beale provided the court with the reason for discharging ‘Juror Number 84’.
He said he had received credible information that the jury member had been discussing the case with family members and friends, and while he hadn’t made a decision on whether the juror had discussed the case outside the jury room, he couldn’t rule it out.
“Under Section 43 of the Juries Act, I have the power to discharge a juror if it appears to me that the juror should not continue to act as a juror and as I explained to him, that’s what I have done,” said Justice Beale.
He went on to remind the jury of his instructions that they should only discuss the case with their fellow jurors in the privacy of the jury room and not with anybody else.
“It is vital to the administration of justice,” he said.
The remaining 14 jurors will continue to hear the case until the end of the trial when a ballot will be conducted, before the jury retires to consider its verdict, to decide which 12 of them go forward to make a decision in the case.
The trial continues in the Supreme Court in Morwell. Erin Patterson, the Leongatha mother of two, who has been charged with three counts of murder and one of attempted murder, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
