Majority verdicts in England and Wales brought in ‘partly for racial and class reasons’

Winston Trew, one of the Oval Four, was wrongfully convicted after a majority verdict by a jury and was an adviser to the Appeal project. Photograph: Sam Tobin/PA

The introduction of majority verdicts in criminal trials in England and Wales was partly motivated by a desire to dilute the influence of minority ethnic people and the labouring classes serving on juries, according to research.

The study, by the miscarriage of justice charity Appeal, said that while the widely accepted narrative for allowing majority verdicts – introduced by parliament in 1967 – as opposed to unanimous verdicts, was that it would prevent jury “nobbling” (corruption), there was another reason that was more disreputable.