Pupils are in the dock
Published 16 Jan 2012 09:30
BARRHEAD and Neilston pupils turned lawyer for the day to find who was really to blame in one of the strangest cases ever to come before a Scottish court.
And that meant revisiting the facts behind the distressing story of the snail found in a bottle of ginger beer back in 1928 - when complainer Mrs May Donohue was able to persuade the House of Lords, the highest court in the land, that she was in the right.
Pupils from St Luke's High and Barrhead High joined Eastwood students at Paisley Sheriff Court for a re-enactment of the now famous case, and found out first hand why it became an international legal landmark by establishing the principles of the law of negligence.
The special mini-trial session, staged at Paisley Sheriff Court, was organised by the Faculty of Advocates, and aimed to introduce pupils to the complexities of the legal world in a fun way.
Pupils played the roles of prosecution and defence lawyers, court staff, witnesses and jurors under the watchful eye of real-life clerks of court, advocates, procurators fiscal, and local solicitors.
During their day in court the pupils ran their own simplified Sheriff Court criminal jury trials using an information pack compiled by the Faculty and with the help of the professional volunteers. The facts of the snail case were straightforward - the year was 1928 and Mrs May Donoghue was in the Wellmeadow Cafe, Paisley, when a friend bought her a bottle of Stevenson's ginger beer.
She had consumed some of the beer, but when the remains of the bottle were poured, out popped what appeared to be a decomposing snail - and she decided to sue manufacturer David Stevenson.
The actual case never went to trial but at the Sheriff Court the pupils staged a civil trial based on the facts of the case.
Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Richard Keen QC said: "The Mini Trial initiative is an excellent way to help young people appreciate the value of Scotland's unique legal system and to discover, in an enjoyable way, how it works in practice."
The aim of the initiative, which was launched by High Court judge Lord Kinclaven and the Faculty six years ago, is to demystify the law in an enjoyable way, allowing pupils to see what really happens in court.
It's also intended as a means of providing insight for those young people who might be considering a legal career.
This article appeared in Barrhead News 12 Jan 12
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