... to the test in 1670. The trial of William Penn and William Mead resulted in one of the most important developments of the common law jury. (Slapper, G., & Kelly, D., 2003) During the previous six years English juries had often acquitted Quakers for violating Parliament's command that all religious services conform to Anglican ritual. The King's Bench frequently responded to verdicts for acquittal in such trials by fining jurors. The jury system therefore has a historical place in British history and is embedded in our notions of justice. Any mention of abandoning our judicial system in the United Kingdom would be met with outcry from civil liberties groups and the recent proposals to remove the jury system from fraud cases has indeed done so. However, in considering whether jury trial is a defendant's most important protection against injustice, a definition of what a trial actually is, its purposes and ...

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