A live 'murder trial experience’ is coming to the North East - and you get to be on the jury

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to decide someone's fate as part of a jury, you can now have the chance to experience it as part of a unique event coming to the North East.
The event will take place at the Village Hotel Newcastle in AugustThe event will take place at the Village Hotel Newcastle in August
The event will take place at the Village Hotel Newcastle in August

A live murder trial experience will be taking place at the Village Hotel Newcastle in August, where attendees will have the power to decide if the accused is guilty of murder.

Guilty or not guilty?

The event will take place at the Village Hotel Newcastle in AugustThe event will take place at the Village Hotel Newcastle in August
The event will take place at the Village Hotel Newcastle in August

Attendees will be faced with the case of Frank Lane, who is accused of murdering his wife Alison on 25 March 2017. But her body has never been found.

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Just like a real trial, a judge will preside over the case and the prosecution and defence will call witnesses to the stand to give evidence.

The evidence will then be cross examined by the defence and as part of the jury, it will be up to you make up your mind whether Frank Lane is guilty of murdering his wife or not.

Alex Khan, from London-North Western Trains, attended a screening event and said, "The experience was incredible. There were people who had made up their minds before they had event sat down.

Guests will have the power to decide if the accused is guilty of murder (Photo: The Murder Trial Live)Guests will have the power to decide if the accused is guilty of murder (Photo: The Murder Trial Live)
Guests will have the power to decide if the accused is guilty of murder (Photo: The Murder Trial Live)

"The whole thing is a mind game. A man's liberty is at stake here and the weight of responsibility is huge. I began to question my own decisions."

A national social experiment

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The trial has been produced by leading criminal barristers and the ITAE Group and will unfold live in front of the audience, who will also get a two-course meal during the course of the evening.

The event has been designed as a national social experiment, designed to test the robustness of the UK justice system.

The trial will be replicated at 40 different locations around the UK, arriving in Newcastle on Sunday 11 August as part of the national tour.

Executive producer Samuel Piri said, "There's a real current appetite for crime and justice programmes at the moment and we wanted to test how fit for purpose our justice system is in this modern age.

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"The fascinating thing about this experiment is that the same trial and evidence could produce different verdicts in different locations.”

How to join the jury

The ITAE Group are seeking 150 jurors to take part in the experiment this summer.

Tickets for the event are priced from £69 per person, plus booking fee, and includes a two course meal before the trial begins.

Potential jurors can sign up for the Newcastle event in August online.