High court: Trial held in jail illegal

The Georgia Supreme Court on Friday ordered a new trial for a man because his judge held the trial in the county jail, violating the defendant's right to a public trial.

Bobby Carroll Purvis, who was found guilty of molesting a 9-year-old girl, was tried in a courtroom at the Berrien County jail. The Supreme Court frowned on evidence showing that when Purvis' brother pressed the buzzer to enter the room to observe the trial, a jailer refused to unlock the door. Further, the judge failed to get Purvis' consent to hold his trial in the jail, the court said.