Man who shouted insults at jury in attempt to influence trial avoids prison

A man who shouted abuse at a jury during a visit to the trial venue has been sentenced to seven months in prison, suspended for two years.

Phillip Harris has pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to influence a jury following a 2019 incident during the trial of Bruce Boyer, who is accused of running over a man with his car.

Harris, who lived near the scene in Ravenswood, was called as a witness but refused to cooperate with authorities.

During the jury trial, Harris came out of his home and began yelling at jurors, calling Boyer “guilty” and saying he “ran him over on purpose.”

“Fuck, he’s as guilty as anyone, he did it on purpose. I saw him do it, he locked it up,” he shouted.

He also told jurors to take him to the courthouse, saying: “My name is Phillip Harris. Find me on Facebook. I am a witness.”

The defense attorney filed a motion to dismiss grand jury charges related to this incident and the trial was adjourned until September 2020.

Boyer eventually pleaded guilty to another charge of causing grievous bodily harm by dangerous driving.

Judge Tamara Jago said the incident was “serious” and that “any free and democratic society depends in large part on maintaining a fair, just and non-corrupt judicial system.”

“The community and the courts will not tolerate interference in the work of judges,” she said.

“Any such conduct could threaten the integrity of the criminal justice system and discourage potential jurors from serving on juries.”

Judge Jago noted Harris’ previous convictions for driving offences, assault, drugs offences, bail offences, breaching domestic violence police orders, dishonesty offences and criminal damage to property.

“You should clearly understand Mr. Harris, this was a perfectly balanced order and if you fail to comply with the terms of your probation, you will be required to serve a prison sentence unless it is unjust,” Jago said.