If you ask the ordinary person on the street what is the purpose of a trial, they will probably say “it is to ascertain the truth of what happened”. Unfortunately, that assumption can be false and misleading. What the court decides to be the truth may not necessarily be the truth. In a trial, the judge and jury must decide the truth based only on the evidence presented by each side and the arguments of the lawyers. Truth is thus what the judge and jury decide it is – nothing else. Although most trials are dull and the verdict predictable, there are still occasions when the unexpected suddenly intervenes and the verdict is a surprise to all. This book is about seven trials with surprising verdicts. Some trials actually happened and have been embellished a little, and others are the author’s invention – he believes they might happen someday.
