Juror Catherine Leahy has been jailed for six years for taking bribes during a trial
A juror who took almost £3,000 in bribes has been jailed for six years in the first prosecution of its kind in Scotland.
Catherine Leahy, 62, accepted inappropriate payments while deliberating during a cocaine trafficking and money laundering trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
The former classroom assistant was caught after police received a tip-off that she had broken bribery laws and bugged her home.
Leahy was the spokeswoman for the jury which acquitted Graham Clark, an alleged drug dealer, and others. Prosecutors are now considering whether to try Clark again.
A court that police discovered four payments of £300, £1,000, £1,200 and £330 were made into Leahy’s accounts between April 19 and June 2, 2016.
The prosecution against her was brought after police recorded incriminating conversations between her and her 22-year-old son Joseph, after detectives took the unusual step of bugged her home in the Springboig area of Glasgow.
Her son was heard saying she had ‘got bribed’ while she said: ‘There is nothing that can link you with them.’
She was convicted of offences under the Bribery Act 2010 and jailed for six years at the High Court in Edinburgh today.
Passing sentence, Lord Turnbull said: ‘In my judgement to agree to accept a bribe from or on behalf of the accused while serving as a juror in that high court trial involved conduct that is such a serious breach of the public duty that forms a cornerstone of our freedom.
‘It is throughly obvious that a lengthy custodial sentence is merited in such circumstances.’
Leahy was prosecuted after police recorded her talking to her son, Joseph, about the bribes
The judge added: ‘The evidence in this case was the product of a listening device which was placed in your home. It provided overwhelming proof of your guilt in this matter.
‘Your evidence to this court in which you denied your actions was quite ridiculous.’
Leahy had denied the accusations and claimed the money came from a cheque for £7,446 from a British Shipbuilders pension and a savings club.
Her lawyer Thomas Ross QC told the court Leahy was a woman who cared for her parents and husband before they died.
Leahy served as a juror in the trial of Clarke, his wife Lindsay and others which ran from November 2015 to April 2016. All charges against Clarke were not proven. His wife was convicted of mortgage fraud.
Prosecutors are now giving further consideration to the circumstances of the original trial in which Leahy served as a juror.
The bribes were made during a drugs and money laundering trial at Glasgow’s High Court
The Crown can ask the court for authority to bring a fresh prosecution in cases where a person was previously acquitted in certain circumstances, including when an offence against the course of justice in the original trial is considered to have been committed.
Liam Murphy, procurator fiscal for Specialist Casework, said: ‘The role of the jury sits at the heart of our criminal justice system and is fundamental to our rule of law.
‘This is the first prosecution of its kind in Scotland which shows that cases of jury interference are exceptionally rare.
‘Leahy took advantage of a position of public responsibility for financial gain without any regard to the consequences.
‘The prosecution against Leahy was built on a thorough and complex investigation by Police Scotland using covert surveillance to uncover the true nature of the offence.’
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