A judge has criticised financial sector workers as having a “notorious reputation” for trying to avoid jury duty.
Mr Justice Paul Carney made the remark before ordering an accountant to sit on a jury despite the man’s protests that he could not miss work because he was the only person capable of doing his job.
The jury is required to serve on a Central Criminal Court rape trial which is due to last two weeks.
The man told Mr Justice Carney that he is an accountant with a subsidiary of Eircom and the only person in his firm who can complete the month-end accounts.
The judge replied that Eircom is “a huge company” and said the man’s circumstances were not exceptional enough to warrant being excused from jury service.
“People in the financial world have a notorious reputation among us for trying to get out of doing their duty,” he said before ordering the man to serve on the jury.
After a full jury was selected, Mr Justice Carney asked if the jurors were satisfied they could stick with the trial for two weeks. The accountant again spoke up and said he was “not particularly satisfied” as he would have to work seven or eight hours a day as well as serving on the jury.
The judge responded that Eircom has thousands of employees. “What makes you so special?” he said. He added that Eircom has a legal obligation to make its employees available for jury service
The accountant said he has a “particularly stressful job” and it would take a long time to train somebody else to fulfil his role. He added that he has recently been out sick for six months.
Mr Justice Carney relented and excused the man from service.
“I’m not in the least bit satisfied with your attitude but it’s not in the interests of justice to have a juror labouring under a grievance,” he said.
A replacement juror was called up for the trial, which is due to start tomorrow.
Mr Justice Carney excused, without comment, several other potential jurors from serving including a man who has just started a new job and another who said he works for a small company.