Vulnerable witness reforms proposed by Keir Starmer in new ‘victims’ law’ – BBC News

‘Radical changes to the way vulnerable witnesses are treated in court are being considered by the Labour Party.’

Full story

BBC News, 7th April 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Change is long overdue for victims of crime – The Guardian

‘The court process can be traumatic for accusers like Tracy Shelvey. Will a proposed victims’ law make it fit for purpose?’

Full story

The Guardian, 2nd April 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The Not Entirely Secret Diary of Mr Lansley – Panopticon

‘What considerations are relevant when deciding whether a Ministerial diary should be disclosed under FOIA? The decision of the First-tier Tribunal in Department of Health v Information Commissioner EA/2013/0087 is, perhaps surprisingly, the first Tribunal decision to address this issue. The judgment engages with a number of difficult issues: the Tribunal’s approach to Government evidence, the value of cross-examination in Tribunal hearings, aggregation of public interests under FOIA, and Parliamentary privilege. Hence it is of general importance, going beyond the intrinsic interest of its specific subject matter.’

Full story

Panopticon, 18th March 2014

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Nigella Lawson: not a victim of the criminal justice system – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted January 7th, 2014 in bad character, cross-examination, fraud, news, victims, witnesses by sally

‘Nigella Lawson is a victim of domestic violence, but she is not a victim of the criminal justice system.’

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 7th January 2014

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

R. v. Farooqi – Has the Court of Appeal Compounded an Injustice? – Criminal Law and Justice Weekly

“Can a defendant ever have a fair trial or be safely convicted if his advocate is incompetent, asks Matthew Scott.”

Full story

Criminal Law and Justice Weekly, 19th October 2013

Source: www.criminallawandjustice.co.uk

DPP issues tough new guidelines for child sex cases aimed at ensuring more convictions, reveals Keir Starmer – The Independent

“New guidelines for dealing with child sex abuse cases published today will mark ‘the most fundamental attitude shift’ in the criminal justice system in a generation, the Director of Public Prosecutions has claimed.”

Full story

The Independent, 17th October 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Child sexual abuse victims are being failed by courts, says NSPCC – The Guardian

“Children giving evidence in court in sexual abuse cases need to be given more support because many suffer from stress before a trial, the NSPCC has said.”

Full story

The Guardian, 5th October 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Cross-Examination in the Dock – BBC Unreliable Evidence

Posted September 17th, 2013 in cross-examination, news, trials, victims, witnesses by sally

“In the first of a news series, Clive Anderson asks if overly aggressive cross-examination of witnesses in court turns trial by jury into trial by ordeal.”

Listen

BBC Unreliable Evidence, 11th September 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Top judge rejects calls for specialist sex crime courts – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 7th, 2013 in child abuse, courts, cross-examination, judges, news, sexual offences, victims, witnesses by sally

“The most senior judge in England and Wales has rejected calls for specialist courts to deal with child sex abuse cases.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 7th August 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Child abuse victims to get specialist trial judges – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 7th, 2013 in child abuse, cross-examination, judiciary, news, sexual offences, victims, witnesses by sally

“Child victims of sexual abuse will have their cases tried by a hand picked panel of specialist judges to give them more protection in criminal trials, the Lord Chief Justice is expected to announce.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 7th August 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Courtroom treatment of vulnerable victims faces review – The Guardian

“An investigation is being launched into aggressive courtroom cross-examination of vulnerable victims in the wake of high-profile child sex abuse cases, Damian Green has confirmed. The justice minister said work would be carried out over the summer to find ways to curb hostile practices after a growing number of cases in which witnesses were left ‘deeply traumatised.'”

Full story

The Guardian, 1st July 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Sex offence claims rise in wake of Savile scandal – Daily Telegraph

Posted July 1st, 2013 in child abuse, cross-examination, news, police, sexual offences, statistics, victims by tracey

“Reports of sex offences overall, both historic and current, has also increased, with one police force seeing allegations almost double since last October, when the Savile affair first emerged.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 1st July 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

The Daily Telegraph have recently introduced a limited paywall. Users will be permitted to view 20 Daily Telegraph articles per month for free, after which they will need to pay a subscription fee to access content.

Lessons from eBay, cases without hearings and a divided profession: Neuberger assesses the law – Litigation Futures

“The court system ‘may well have something to learn from online dispute resolution on eBay and elsewhere’, the president of the Supreme Court has suggested.”

Full story

Litigation Futures, 19th June 2013

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Victims to be spared from harrowing court cases – Ministry of Justice

Posted June 12th, 2013 in children, cross-examination, news, trials, victims by sally

“The most vulnerable victims are to be protected from the trauma of appearing in court, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling announced today.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 11th June 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Vulnerable victims will no longer have to give evidence in court, Chris Grayling says – Daily Telegraph

Posted June 11th, 2013 in cross-examination, evidence, news, trials, victims, video recordings by tracey

“Young and vulnerable victims of crimes should not be subjected to traumatic
cross-examinations in court, Chris Grayling has said.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 11th June 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

 

Lord Chief Justice calls for children to have evidence video recorded – Daily Telegraph

“Senior judges have called for children to be spared from the ‘damage’ of appearing in criminal trials, and instead have their evidence video recorded.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 10th June 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

‘Court is just as traumatic’: Girl who faced aggressive cross-examination aged nine says she has never recovered – The Independent

Posted May 28th, 2013 in children, cross-examination, news, victims, video recordings, witnesses by sally

“Barristers and campaigners call for pre-recorded court interviews as girl who faced aggressive cross-examination aged nine says she has never recovered from her ordeal.”

Full story

The Independent, 24th May 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Lawyers’ treatment of gang grooming victims prompts call for reform – The Guardian

“Campaigners demand urgent shake-up of court procedure after seven barristers cross-examined a girl every day for three weeks in child-grooming case.”

Full story

The Guardian, 19th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Prosecuting sexual assault: ‘Raped all over again’ – The Guardian

Posted April 15th, 2013 in cross-examination, news, prosecutions, rape, sexual offences, suicide, trials, witnesses by sally

“Frances Andrade’s experience in the witness box left her feeling violated. Within days she had killed herself. Is it time we changed the way we prosecute sexual assault?”

Full story

The Guardian, 13th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Defence lawyers exploit the weakness of sex abuse victims, says police chief Sir Peter Fahy – The Independent

Posted March 12th, 2013 in cross-examination, news, sexual offences, victims, witnesses by sally

“One of Britain’s most senior police officers has accused defence lawyers of ‘exploiting’ the weakness of sex abuse victims making prosecutors reluctant to bring cases to court.”

Full story

The Independent, 12th March 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk