Guess Who's Back!

After a long 10 weeks in jury service, Mrs Morse has returned to the Sixth Form and we thought we'd get the scoop on what she was up to. We have been very curious about the case she has worked on and also thought we needed to clear up a few rumours, especially the one saying she was in prison herself! This article also covers a few facts about Mrs Morse's time in school and as a teenager.

The Old Bailey

It all began with a letter calling Mrs Morse to jury service with a minimum trial time of 2 weeks. Having previously served at Snaresbrook Court, she felt she knew what to expect, but as it turns out, this case was very "complicated case". Lianne Gordon had been shot dead in her home (December 2023) by a Hackney gang member; it was up to our teacher and her fellow jurors to decide who was to blame. The two defendants, one 18 (16 at the time of the crime) and the other aged 21, were charged with affray, possession of a knife, attempted murder and the murder of Gordon, who's son was involved in a rival gang and the target of the shooting. Both denied all of the charges despite there being a lot of "complex evidence" such as CCTV, phone records and internet history. Mrs Morse said it was difficult sitting at the Old Bailey, facing the victims' family yet having to separate emotion from her decisions.

As a teacher, Mrs Morse had received previous training from another school to aid students involved in gangs and so she felt she was more "aware of gang culture" since being exposed to it, yet once again she had to separate herself from that and look at the facts, not feelings, which I think many of us would struggle with. She feels it is sad as some children are "essentially groomed" into gangs from a very young age, the younger defendant in particular had been "associated with that gang since he was about 12", making you wonder about his situation. However the fact remains he did "kill somebody" and "was guilty" and has now been sentence to a minimum of 29 years in prison. The other defendant was not convicted of these crimes as the court did not have enough evidence to prove his association with the crime. When asked about the feeling of a heavy responsibility regarding the sentencing of this case, Mrs Morse told us the "deliberation was the hardest of all... it took us a week". While it was clear that the younger defendant was guilty as he could clearly be seen on CCTV, the older defendant was much more difficult. The jury obviously doesn't want to convict someone if they are innocent but "do definitely want to get them off the streets if they are not".

With one defendant going free and the other going to prison, I asked Mrs Morse what she thought was the best course of action for these situations; retribution or rehabilitation. She said she felt it was good that criminals are off the streets, but wasn't sure if prisons were the best place to rehabilitate or recover these people into society. The prison that the young defendant was sent to, for example, is notorious for gang violence and culture so it must be asked; is this the best place to send someone that we want to teach not to be involved in these things? Or is it just more important that they are moved away from civilians? In the end, Mrs Morse says she was anticipating being back and is happy that she is, she missed the staff and students alike and is glad it is over as it got quite "emotionally draining" towards the end. Particularly in the deliberation room, she reported that things could get quite passionate as the jurors tried to convince others of their beliefs while still dealing emotionally with the tragic crime.

During our conversation, Mrs Morse said that "Coopers is unique in that the school motto is so actively practiced... That whole 'LasB' spirit really does help". This is particularly relevant regarding the topic we were discussing. While it was said as an afterthought when talking about her time at this school, I think the idea of practicing 'Love as Brethren', even in small ways, can make a difference in someone's day and while it may seem that this is so small compared to something as big and threatening as knife and gang crime, creating a culture of care in our school and community is an essential step towards a more peaceful society.

Mrs Morse also shared some interesting things about her time at school that I feel shouldn't be left out:

• She was 'Editor' of the 'Abbs Cross Clarion' newspaper that printed and sold 500 copies per edition!

• They published articles on the release of the 1st Star Wars movie in 1977, the shocking release of 'God Save the Queen' by the Sex Pistols, the invention of the MRI machine and the death of Elvis Presley.

• Mrs Morse also attended one of the first Glastonbury concerts in the late 70s, when they were free!

• She "fell into" teaching after accidentally creating a homework club for her son and a few of his classmates and finding it was quite rewarding after helping them pass their GCSEs.

By Olivia Sumpton