The Jury: Murder Trial | Series 2 Preview (Channel 4)

The second series, like the first will examine the jury system by recreating an entire, real murder trial from the original transcripts in front of a randomly selected jury. In a change from the first series, this series will only feature one jury.

The second series will follow in the footsteps of the first series, by recreating a real case from the original court transcripts in front of a brand new jury. Having received the evidence, will the jury come to the same conclusion as in the original trial? And after they have deliberated, will the individual jurors feel they were swayed, or gave a true fair verdict?

The case is of a young mother who says she killed her boyfriend in self-defence, but is she telling the truth? A real-life murder trial is restaged - with actors - for a jury of 12 ordinary people. Will the jury agree with the verdict of the original trial?

Will they come to the same conclusion as the real-life case from the exact same evidence presented in the same way or will other factors play a part in their decision? How well will they follow the complexities of the law around loss of control? And after they have deliberated, will they even agree with each other’s verdicts?

Episode 1: Watching the trial in Liverpool Crown Court, are 12 ordinary people from the local area. As the prosecution lay out their case, the jurors immediately start to draw different conclusions from the evidence. Some suspect the defendant was a victim of domestic abuse. Others aren’t so sure.

Episode 2: A young mother claims she stabbed her boyfriend in the chest to stop him strangling her.

The jury are presented with evidence of his previous violent behaviour – including shocking CCTV footage from the night of the killing itself. Some jurors believe the defendant, and are convinced she is a victim of domestic abuse. But others suspect she is lying, and think the evidence doesn’t fully add up. As the divide in the jury deepens, alliances and friendships begin to form.

Episode 3: The prosecution try to prove the defendant is lying about the night of the murder. They present evidence of her previous violent behaviour, and challenge her over the lies she told to police and emergency services about her boyfriend’s death. Tempers flare in the jury room, as jurors increasingly disagree with each other. An argument leads to tears, and rival groups begin to accuse the others of failing to assess the evidence properly.

Episode 4: After a final, surprising new piece of evidence from the defence, both sides present their closing arguments. The jurors retire to consider their verdict. Arguments break out, and the foreperson is forced to plead for calm. Will the deadlocked, bitterly opposed jurors be able to find common ground, and deliver justice? Or will they fail to deliver a verdict at all?

The Jury: Murder Trial returns Tuesday 26th August at 9pm on Channel 4.