Comparing different newspaper styles

2.1 You are going to read two articles about the same event from different newspapers. In pairs, A read article 1 and B read article 2. Don’t worry about new words. Then talk to your partner. Decide exactly what happened.

Article 1

Jailed because of a cough!

As the foreman of the jury got to his feet to deliver his verdict at the climax of the two-day trial, the traditional tense silence descended on the court.

For the defendant Alan Rashid, it was the moment of truth. Unfortunately for him it was also the moment when a member of the jury couldn’t control the tickle in the back of his throat any longer. He suddenly coughed just at the moment when the foreman declared Mr Rashid ‘not guilty’. Because of the cough nobody heard the word ‘not’ – so in an instant an innocent man was turned into a convicted criminal!

As 32-year-old Mr Rashid, who is unemployed, stood devastated in the dock – and with the puzzled jury wondering what on earth was going on – Judge Michael Gibbon jailed him for two years on a charge of making a threat to kill. Mr Rashid’s lawyer tried to console him as he was taken to the court cells to wait for the van to take him to prison. Judge Gibbon then thanked the jurors at Cardiff Crown Court for their efforts during the trial and let them go.

But as they walked out of court a puzzled member of jury asked a court official why Mr Rashid had been sentenced for two years after being found not guilty. The official immediately realized there had been a mistake and called everyone back to court. Mr Rashid was taken back into the dock and Judge Gibbon told him he was free to go. Mr Rashid’s lawyer said afterwards, ‘He was totally confused. One moment he was facing two years in prison and next he was going home on the bus.’

Article 2

Juror’s cough clears throat but jails innocent man

A man found not guilty by a jury was jailed by mistake because somebody coughed as the foreman delivered the verdict.

Judge Michael Gibbon sentenced Alan Rashid to two years’ imprisonment believing he has been found guilty of making a threat to kill. But the ill-timed cough drowned out the vital word ‘not’, leaving the court and defendant convinced that he had been convicted. Judge Gibbon, 68, told Rashid ‘The maximum sentence for making a threat to kill is ten years. Taking everything into consideration, the least sentence I can give you is two years ‘imprisonment’.

Mr Rashid, 32, of Llanrumney, Cardiff, was led to the cells at Cardiff Crown Court and the judge discharged the jury. But as Mr Rashid waited for a van to take him to jail, a mystified juror asked a court usher why a man they had acquitted was being imprisoned. The court was hastily reconvened and Mr Rashid was freed.

Nicholas Williamson, the court manager, said, ‘It was very bizarre. The jury foreman indicated a guilty verdict and the court proceeded to sentence the defendant. One of the jurors was puzzled why he was jailed after being found not guilty, and the judge was informed. Mr Rashid was a very relieved man when the judge explained what had happened.’

Jurors had not spoken up earlier during the hearing on Wednesday because they believed that Mr Rashid had been convicted of other offences

Glossary

foreman / ‘ fo: mәn/ noun - судьялар немесе топ қызметкерлерінің басшысы

convict / kәn’vikt/ verb - біреуді кінәлау

the dock /dok/ noun - сотта айыпталушы адам отыратын/тұратын жер

cell / sel/ noun - түрмедегі камера

defendant /di’fendәnt /noun - сотта айыпталушы адам

acquit/ ә’kwit/ verb - біреуді ақтау

2.2 Now quickly read each other’s article with the glossary. Then in pairs answer the questions below, writing short notes. Say in which article you found the information. Write 1, 2, or B (both).

1. Where was Mr Rashid from?

____________________________________________ □

2. How old was he?

____________________________________________ □

3. What did he do for a living?

____________________________________________ □

4. What was he accused of ?

____________________________________________ □

5. What was the atmosphere like before the jury gave the verdict?

____________________________________________ □

6. What was the jury’s real verdict?

____________________________________________ □