Bloody Sunday inquiry: too much, too late – The Guardian
“Lord Saville could have completed his inquiry into Bloody Sunday more quickly and cheaply if he had stuck to his remit.”
The Guardian, 17th June 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Category: witnesses
Regina v Miller – WLR Daily
Regina v Miller [2010] EWCA Crim 1153; [2010] WLR (D) 142
“In criminal proceedings, the circumstances in which one party would be permitted pursuant to s 100(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to ask a witness a question in cross-examination with a view to eliciting an answer implicating that witness in bad behaviour, which behaviour that party would be otherwise unable to prove, were infrequent and limited in scope.”
WLR Daily, 3rd June 2010
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Regina v Braithwaite – WLR Daily
Regina v Braithwaite [2010] EWCA Crim 1082; [2010] WLR (D) 141
“Material contained in police crime reports that unproven allegations had been made against a person who was someone other than a defendant, or that that person had been investigated in respect of an offence, would rarely be of substantial probative value to an issue at trial sufficient to render it admissible as evidence of bad character against that person pursuant to s 100(1)(b) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.”
WLR Daily, 3rd June 2010
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Jim Watts is serving 12 years for abusing disabled women but is he a victim of a miscarriage of justice? – The Guardian
“Jim Watts, 57, a former disability bus driver, is serving a 12-and-a-half year jail sentence for sexually assaulting four severely mentally and physically disabled women.But there are serious concerns, raised by his legal team, that Watts, a married father of two, has been the victim of a gross miscarriage of justice, and that his case could serve as a significant deterrent to people thinking of working with severely disabled people.”
The Guardian, 2nd June 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Man jailed for brutal drug murder – The Independent
“A drug addict was sentenced to life in prison today for murdering a ‘vulnerable’ and ‘much loved’ father-of-three in a ‘vicious and brutal’ attack.”
The Independent, 13th May 2010
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Regina v Cooper (John) – WLR Daily
“Where a defendant was charged with perjury, he could not be convicted solely on the evidence of a witness who relied on business records which he had prepared himself and which did not therefore represent independent evidence.”
WLR Daily, 7th May 2010
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Carey’s intervention backfires – The Guardian
“As a lawyer, I can recognise Lord Laws’ judgment in the McFarlane case as stinging rebuke to Lord Carey.”
The Guardian, 30th April 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Contract killers get life after trial which changed witness anonymity law – Daily Telegraph
“Two contract killers are beginning life sentences for murder following a trial which caused Parliament to bring in a new law on witness anonymity.”
Daily Telegraph, 31st March 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Allison v HM Advocate – Times Law Reports
Supreme Court
“In criminal proceedings in Scotland, the Crown was under the same obligation to disclose to the defence any outstanding charges against a prosecution witness as it was to disclose a witness’s previous convictions.”
The Times, 17th February 2010
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Baby P killer Steven Barker loses rape appeal – BBC News
“One of the three people jailed over the death of Baby Peter has lost an appeal against his conviction for the rape of a two-year-old.”
BBC News, 21st January 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
The Criminal Procedure Rules and witness attendance for magistrates – speech by Nicholas Moss, JP
“The Criminal Procedure Rules and witness attendance for magistrates’ – speech to the Magistrates’ Association Council, London on 26 November 2009.”
Judiciary of England and Wales, 1st December 2009
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
NSPCC urges more support for child court witnesses – BBC News
“More than 1,000 children under the age of 10 were listed as witnesses in courts in England and Wales last year, BBC News has learned.”
BBC News, 24th November 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Redefining justice: addressing the individual needs of victims and witnesses – Ministry of Justice
“An independent study by Victims’ Champion Sara Payne of how frontline services meet the needs of victims and witnesses.”
Ministry of Justice, 4th November 2009
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Fake video footage ‘persuades half of people to wrongly accuse others of crime’ – Daily Telegraph
“Fake video footage can persuade almost half of viewers to accuse people of crimes they have not committed, new research suggests.”
Full story
Daily Telegraph, 17th September 2009
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
R v Greene – WLR Daily
“Where a judge ruled that a witness could be treated as a hostile in examination at trial within the meaning of s 3 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1865 by the party calling him, but that witness did not in the event prove to be hostile, the judge was still obliged to warn the jury to approach that witness’s evidence with some caution, and the nature of that direction depended on the particular circumstances of the case.”
WLR Daily, 14th August 2009
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Child witnesses ‘wait too long’ – BBC News
“Young witnesses in sex abuse or violence cases are being forced to wait more than a year to give evidence in England and Wales, a report has said.”
BBC News, 3rd July 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Sarcastic, rude: is this the way to question child witnesses? – The Times
“The cross-examination of the four- year-old girl in the Baby Peter-related rape trial raised uncomfortable questions about how the justice system treats child witnesses.”
The Times, 2nd July 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Regina v Horncastle; Regina v Blackmore; Regina v Marquis; Regina v Graham; Regina v Carter – Times Law Reports
Regina v Horncastle; Regina v Blackmore; Regina v Marquis; Regina v Graham; Regina v Carter
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
“A criminal trial could be fair although the defence did not have the opportunity of examining every prosecution witness.”
The Times, 3rd June 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Call for reform over child witnesses in court – The Independent
“The barrister who cross-examined the four-year-old girl raped by one of Baby P’s killers has called for reform in the way that child witnesses are treated by the courts system.”
The Independent, 22nd May 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Government welcomes report highlighting major improvements for victims and witnesses – Ministry of Justice
“Over 80% of victims and witnesses are satisfied with their experience of the criminal justice system, an independent report published by the Criminal Justice inspectorates today, has highlighted.”
Ministry of Justice, 7th May 2009
Surde: www.justice.gov.uk
