Twelve bad men

Sir: In his article ‘Guilty’, it appears that the cases quoted by Andrew Urban were heard by a jury. To be judged by one’s peers was thought to be fair but when judged by a motley riff-raff of twelve undesirables, the accused will be in peril.

In a recent case, the defendant could have been exonerated but for advanced dementia precluding the testimony of the key witness.