A construction worker named Lou Sur will face charges of break and enter and theft in Cranbrook on Wednesday, April 27th - but he won't appear at the courthouse.

Instead, Lou Sur will face trial by jury at the Key City Theatre at 7 p.m. in front of judge Mr. Justice Hangem.

Starting to ring alarm bells? That's because it's a mock trial with a fictional accused and a cast of Cranbrook legal characters.

The free mock trial celebrates Cranbrook Law Day, part of the Canadian Bar Association's B.C. Law Week. The event is a chance for curious Cranbrook residents to see how a trial is conducted, and to test their notions of burden of proof, innocence until proven guilty, reliability of testimony and evidence.

"We see what we see on TV, but the American system is a little bit different, so I think it will be educational for most people and I hope they will find it interesting," said Crown prosecutor Ann Katrine Saettler, who is organising the event.

The Honourable Judge William Sheard will participate in the mock trial - but he will play the court clerk. In turn, a court clerk will play Justice Hangem.

Lou Sur will be played by defence counsel Rick Strahl. Three Crown prosecutors, a civil lawyer, a sheriff and an RCMP officer will fill out the roles.

"It will be a jury trial. It's a charge of break and enter a dwelling house and commit theft. The jury will be randomly selected from the audience. We'll ask the jurors to come to a decision, then we'll ask the audience their opinion as well," said Ms. Saettler.

When audience members arrive at the Key City, they will be given a ticket for the draw to be a jury member.

"It should be a light-hearted but informative look at how a jury trial runs," said Ms. Saettler.