Jailed juror, 19, in plea for release

The mother of a student set to spend Christmas behind bars for faking illness to skip jury duty was today launching legal action to try and secure his release.

Debbie Ennis says her "quiet and shy" son Matthew Banks has been harshly treated after he was locked up for 14 days.

The Rugeley pair went to see a production of Chicago in London when Banks, aged 19, should have been hearing the summing up in the trial of a man accused of running over his girlfriend.

Ms Ennis is vowing to take her son's case to the highest court in the land.

He had been rumbled by court officials when he was inadvertently given away by his boyfriend, and police were sent looking for him.

Judge Martin Rudland labelled him "frivolous" and sent him to a young offenders' institution "with a heavy heart".

Language student Banks, who started at Manchester University in September, was due to attend court for the fifth day of a trial at Manchester Crown Court.

But instead he phoned in claiming to have been throwing up all night. His absence meant the case was halted for a day as other jurors were sent home.

He was found out when the court rang his home to see if he would be well enough to return after the weekend. His boyfriend Christian Orr told officials he had "gone to London to see a show."

Banks had not told anyone at the start of the trial that he had pre-booked tickets for the theatre. They were a Christmas present from his boyfriend who had to drop out at the last minute, so Banks invited his mother to accompany him instead.

After police went to interview Mr Orr, the student rang the court again claiming that he was recovering at his mother's home in Staffordshire.

The judge told Banks, who admitted contempt of court, that lying to court officials for such a frivolous reason was a serious offence.