A TEAM of hopefuls from a Herefordshire school will go before the jury in a bid to win a national mock trial competition.

Thirteen legal eagles from Weobley High School have won their way through county and regional heats to have their chance to take number one spot in the country.

It is only the third year that the 500-pupil school has entered the competition, in which the team has to prosecute or defend a mock case before magistrates.

The idea of the initiative is to give young people a better understanding of the workings of the legal system.

But they were spared some of the realities of real life - there were no adjournments, no papers went missing and the defendant turned up!

Matt Lewis, of Hereford solicitors Shawcross and Co, gave the Weobley team expert legal advice.

"The pupils have worked very hard and given up a lot of their own time to compete," said Gill Pawlow, who has co-ordinated the team for the school.