I think the jury get it wrong

Barrister on TV's hit Murder Trial drama fears verdict is botched

- NICOLA METHVEN

A BARRISTER who appears in the new series of The Jury: Murder Trial believes that the show's 12 volunteers reach the wrong verdict.

On TV for four nights from Tuesday, the second series uses actors to reenact another real-life court case, watched by 12 ordinary people who must then reach a verdict as a jury.

The only major difference from the first series of Channel 4's Bafta-winning programme, shown last year, is that this time there is one jury instead of two - audience feedback said that 24 characters was too many.

But barrister Alex McBride, who appears as a legal expert, thinks the jurors reach the wrong verdict in the case of a young mum who fatally stabbed her boyfriend of six months.

On trial for murder, she claims she acted in self-defence.

Though the verdict reached remains a secret for now, Alex hints that he thinks the jurors' judgment is clouded by their own life experiences before they enter the jury room.

One juror, retired chef Dave, is convinced the young woman is guilty from the off, while support worker Aimee is equally sure she is innocent and is a victim of domestic abuse.