2014 Kalisher Lecture on the future of forensic science in criminal trials by the Lord Chief Justice – Judiciary of England and Wales

Posted October 17th, 2014 in criminal justice, expert witnesses, forensic science, speeches by tracey

‘The Rt. Hon. The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales gave the 2014 CBA Kalisher Lecture on the 14 October 2014.’

Full speech

Judiciary of England and Wales, 16th October 2014

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Are juries being blinded by science? – The Guardian

Posted October 15th, 2014 in criminal justice, expert witnesses, forensic science, juries, Law Commission, news by sally

‘Expert witnesses are being subjected to greater scrutiny by the criminal courts, despite the government’s refusal to implement safeguards recommended by its own law reform advisers.’

Full story

The Guardian, 15th October 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Lie detector tests introduced to monitor released sex offenders – The Guardian

‘Lie detector tests monitoring the behaviour of released sex offenders across England and Wales have begun this week, amid calls for the technology to be used more widely in police investigations.’

Full story

The Guardian, 8th August 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Regina (Nunn) v Chief Constable of Suffolk Constabulary – WLR Daily

Posted June 20th, 2014 in appeals, disclosure, evidence, forensic science, law reports, murder, Supreme Court by tracey

Regina (Nunn) v Chief Constable of Suffolk Constabulary: [2014] UKSC 37; [2014] WLR (D) 265

‘Where, after a defendant’s trial had ended in his conviction, material came to light which might cast doubt on the safety of the conviction, the prosecutors’ duty of disclosure required him to disclose that material to the defendant, unless there were good reason not to do so, and, where there was a real prospect that further inquiry might reveal such material, to make that inquiry. There was, however, no indefinitely continuing duty on police or prosecutors to respond to whatever inquiries the defendant might make for access to case materials to allow re-investigation.’

WLR Daily, 18th June 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Supreme Court rejects Kevin Nunn’s evidence release plea – BBC News

Posted June 18th, 2014 in appeals, disclosure, evidence, forensic science, murder, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘A man serving life in prison for murdering his ex-girlfriend has lost his fight to have forensic exhibits retested.’

Full story

BBC News, 18th June 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

R (on the application of Nunn) (Appellant) v Chief Constable of Suffolk Constabulary and another (Respondents) – Supreme Court

R (on the application of Nunn) (Appellant) v Chief Constable of Suffolk Constabulary and another (Respondents) [2014] UKSC 37 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 18th June 2014

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

Kevin Nunn: Judges to rule over fresh forensic tests eight years after murder conviction – The Independent

Posted June 18th, 2014 in appeals, disclosure, evidence, forensic science, murder, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘A salesman serving life in prison for murdering his former girlfriend will today find out the result of his Supreme Court fight to have key forensic exhibits retested.’

Full story

The Independent, 18th June 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Lord Leveson warns against ‘CSI effect’ in barring crime solving – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 27th, 2014 in forensic science, judges, news, speeches, witnesses by sally

‘Lord Leveson has warned against people believing crimes are solved just by forensic scientists and not by people coming forward, like they are on television’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 25th May 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Legal aid cuts leave family courts in chaos, experts say – The Guardian

‘Cuts in legal aid are creating chaos in the family courts, according to legal experts, who warn that the resulting delays are having a serious impact on the children of warring parents.’

Full story

The Guardian, 29th March 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

From “Shaken Baby Syndrome” to “Non-Accidental Head Injury” – The Continuing Research and the Law – Family Law Week

‘David Bedingfield of 4 Paper Buildings charts the recent history of scientific research into serious non-accidental head injuries suffered by babies and the response of the family and criminal courts in England and Wales.’

Full story

Family Law week, 11th March 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Man wrongly convicted of sexual assault is freed after 17 years in jail – The Guardian

‘A man who spent 17 years behind bars after being wrongly convicted of a sexual assault has been freed by the court of appeal after DNA evidence pointed to another man as the perpetrator.’

Full story

The Guardian, 13th December 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Identical twins need never be tried for same crime after DNA breakthrough – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 12th, 2013 in DNA, families, forensic science, news by sally

‘Cases of identical twins being tried for the same crime may never happen again after a scientific breakthrough found there are subtle differences in their DNA.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 11th December 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Consultation on new powers for the Forensic Science Regulator – Home Office

Posted November 8th, 2013 in codes of practice, consultations, forensic science by tracey

“A consultation on strengthening the powers of the Forensic Science Regulator has been launched today.”

Full consultation

Home Office, 8th November 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

More than a slip ‘twixt cup and lip – UK Human Rights Blog

“Technical evidence can sometimes be crucial to judicial decisions and this case shows how dramatic the consequences are for a family if evidence is unreliable. If the respondent in this case had not put probity before its commercial interests, a mother would have been deprived of the care of her child. Hence the importance of publishing the judgment.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 25th October 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Surprise bid to put Shrien Dewani on trial in Britain – The Guardian

“Lawyers for Shrien Dewani, the honeymoon murder suspect, are to ask British prosecutors to consider bringing a case against him in a dramatic attempt to avoid a trial in South Africa.”

Full story

The Guardian, 21st September 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Robbing Peter to Profit Paul – CrimeLine

Posted September 9th, 2013 in contracting out, costs, evidence, forensic science, legal aid, news, police by tracey

“In December 2010 the government announced plans to close the Forensic Science Service (FSS). The FSS was the primary source of forensic expertise to prosecution authorities, and a major provider of expertise to defence lawyers – demonstrating a world class position as provider of impartial evidence to the criminal justice system. Whilst at the time of closure there was already an increasing move to outsourcing services to private forensic providers, the bulk of market share was taken by the FSS, meaning that private providers had little commercial clout. Since the demise of the FSS the position has shifted and power is split between the buyers of services (primarily the police) and the private providers. One matter of grave concern at the moment is in relation to accessing forensic material.”

Full story

CrimeLine, 9th September 2013

Source: www.crimeline.info

Forensics upheaval ‘threat to justice’, MPs warn – BBC News

Posted July 25th, 2013 in crime, forensic science, news, reports, select committees by tracey

“Major crimes could go unsolved unless the government does more to support forensic science, MPs have warned.”

Full story

BBC News, 25th July 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Man sues over forensics live bullet conviction mix-up – BBC News

Posted June 7th, 2013 in evidence, firearms, forensic science, human rights, negligence, news by tracey

“A man wrongfully convicted of possessing ammunition after forensics staff mixed
up his £3 keyring and a live bullet is suing the government.”

Full story

BBC News, 7th June 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Brain training: how can experts ensure justice is unbiased? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted May 22nd, 2013 in bias, expert witnesses, forensic science, news by sally

“In an ideal world, experts would be brought into a case to help ascertain what has happened, use objective instruments that quantify and interpret the evidence, and provide the court with an unbiased view. However, the reality is that often experts are recruited to help make a case for an existing theory of what has happened, and they rely on subjective judgments and interpretations. Can we expect experts to be objective? Is it realistic that without specific cognitive measures experts can be impartial?”

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 21st May 2013

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Rape accused was victim of forensics error, regulator finds – The Guardian

Posted October 2nd, 2012 in forensic science, mistake, news, rape by sally

“A man who was wrongly charged with rape was the ‘innocent victim of an avoidable contamination’ at a private forensics laboratory, an official report concludes.”

Full story

The Guardian, 1st October 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk