THE first juror in the country to be jailed for contacting a defendant on Facebook was yes- terday freed from prison.
Joanne Fraill, aged 40, was jailed for eight months earlier this year after she caused the col- lapse of a long-running Bolton drugs and corrup- tion trial.
She tracked down defendant Jamie Sewart, of Henrietta Street, Deane, using the social networking website and told her: “Don’t worry about that chge no way it can stay hung for me lol” while the jury was still deliberating.
Fraill, of Blackley, Manchester, was freed from Styal prison yester- day after serving half of her sentence.
She spent the day visit- ing family then stayed in a hotel last night as she tries to readjust to nor- mality.
Fraill has hired a “media adviser” to help her deal with the press interest in her case.
One of her daughters, Shannon, aged 18, said it was a relief to have her mum home.
She said: “We were wor- ried about her at first, but we knew she would be all right because she gets on with everyone.
Juror Joanne Fraill posted a message on her page, telling defendant Jamie Sewart not to worry about the charge “She’s going round vis- iting all her family and trying to get back to normal life.
“She didn’t have any problems in prison. She just got on with it”
Fraill was a member of the fourth jury in the trial of Sewart, along with Sewart’s boyfriend, Gary Knox, and five oth- ers.
It was a trial that cost the taxpayer an estimat- ed £6 million after it col- lapsed several times.
Sewart was cleared of conspiracy to supply but was also prosecuted for contempt of court with Fraill after the Face- book incident.
She avoided a jail sen- tence, however, because she did not try to influ- ence the jury and because she cares for her young children.
By coincidence, Knox was also released from prison yesterday, having served half of his six- year sentence, minus the time he was on remand during the trial. Knox was also cleared of con- spiracy to supply drugs, but was found guilty of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office after he bought a sensitive list of police informants from corrupt police officer Phil Berry.
He said he was now planning to get a job and spend time with his part- ner and five children.
He said: “It feels good to be a free man again.”
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