Trial juror who struggled with English discharged

Audi driver Albert Jarosz was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving by a jury of 11

A juror at a trial of a man accused of causing death by dangerous driving was discharged because she had difficulty understanding English.

Judge Allison Hunter was alerted to the problem at the end of the first day of the trial of Audi driver Albert Jarosz, at Luton Crown Court, earlier this month.

The judge discharged the woman after deciding that the trial could continue with 11 jurors, rather than the normal 12.

A spokeswoman for the government agency which oversees the administration of courts said there would be no investigation into the issue because the judge acted in "accordance with protocol".

Guilty

Jarosz, 27, of Brereton Road, Bedford, had gone on trial on 18 August after Rodrigo-Vasile Cosma, 25, died as a result of being hit by a turbo-charged Audi A6 at a junction in Bedford town centre on 26 March 2024.

He admitted causing death by careless driving - but denied causing death by dangerous driving.

Jurors found him guilty of causing death by dangerous driving on 20 August.

He is due to be sentenced on 14 October.

The woman was one of 12 jurors selected from a panel on 18 August and swore an oath in English.

Judge Hunter was alerted to the language problem late on the first day of the hearing - after prosecution barrister Sam Barker had summarised the case in an opening statement.

She discussed the issue with lawyers for the prosecution and defence - in the absence of jurors - and decided the trial could carry on.

When the trial continued on 19 August she told the remaining jurors that the woman had been discharged because of a "personal problem".

Albert Jarosz went on a trial at Luton Crown Court on 18 August

A spokeswoman for HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) told the BBC in a statement: "Jurors are randomly selected from the electoral register.

"Those who feel their English isn't sufficient can apply to be excused, and judges can discharge a juror if the issue only becomes clear in court."

HMCTS said there would be no investigation into why the language problem was not spotted before the trial began because, "the court acted in accordance with protocol".

Jarosz, who gave evidence with the help of an interpreter, told jurors that he had been born in Poland, moved to the UK in 2019, and was a car body worker at a garage in Milton Ernest, Bedfordshire.

He said he had exchanged a Polish driving licence for a UK version, had been driving in the UK for about four years before the accident, and had never read The Highway Code.