Juror information to be restricted

Justice Minister Simon Power. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Cabinet has signed off proposals to remove the addresses of potential jurors from jury lists, Justice Minister Simon Power said today.

He said the decision followed convicted murderer George Baker, who represented himself in a recent trial, corresponding with a juror after appearing to memorise address details from the jury list.

"Although there have been some changes to protect the privacy of jurors, this incident showed that juror information needs to be further restricted," Mr Power said.

Under current law a jury list must contain the name, occupation, date of birth and full address of potential jurors.

Since 2008 self-represented defendants have been prohibited from keeping a copy of the jury list or taking notes, but they can inspect the list under supervision.

"The law needs to be tightened further because incidents like this have the potential to shake jurors' confidence in the jury system and discourage the public from participating in this important civic duty," Mr Power said.

The change will be made by inserting it in a justice bill that is already being processed by Parliament.

- NZPA