Coroner asks gardaí to issue 20 arrest warrants over jury duty no-shows

A coroner has asked gardaí to issue arrest warrants to more than 20 people who failed to turn up for jury service.

Coroner John Cannon was forced to delay an inquest into the deaths of two young men following a road traffic accident for more than an hour because he could not gather a jury.

The families of Seamus McBride, 25, and PJ Crerand, were forced to wait along with a number of gardaí and other witnesses while a jury was found.

The coroner, who was sitting at Letterkenny Coroner’s Court in Co Donegal on Thursday, was finally able to start the double inquest when he mustered six jury members.

He said a total of 30 possible jury members had been contacted but just two csme forward to gardaí to say they could not attend.

Mr Cannon said this was simply not acceptable.

He said people seemed to think that it was their decision if they turned up but it was not.

He reminded the court people had an obligation under law to appear when summoned for jury duty.

He reminded the court that the penalty for non-attendance by a jury member was a fine of €500 under the Juries Act of 1976.

He instructed Gda Sgt Brigid McGowan, who was conducting the inquest for the State, to have the arrest warrants issued to the members of the public who did not appear for jury service.