‘An “unashamed and unrepentant” juror who spent two decades in the police has been jailed for six months after causing a rape trial to collapse by researching the defendant online.’
The Guardian, 25th May 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Non-jury trials will continue to be used in Northern Ireland, with the secretary of state saying the move is “regrettable” but necessary due to the security situation.’
BBC News, 25th April 2023
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Over the period 2007 to 2021, the jury conviction rate for all rape charges stood at an average of 58%, with a high of 75% in 2021, according to new research published in the Criminal Law Review[1]. In 2007, the jury conviction rate was 55%. This research was commissioned by senior judiciary following public concerns that the jury conviction rates for rape were extremely low, and analysed 5,623,800 criminal charges from January 2007 to December 2021, not just including sexual offences.’
Pump Court Chambers, 9th March 2023
Source: www.pumpcourtchambers.com
‘A climate activist who allegedly held a sign outside court telling jurors they were entitled to find protesters not guilty based on their conscience may still face a criminal charge.’
The Guardian, 4th April 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Restrictions placed on non-violent climate protesters who have been tried in criminal courts were part of a “deeply concerning” “pincer movement” narrowing their rights to free expression, leading lawyers have told the Guardian.’
The Guardian, 8th March 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Three climate protesters who stopped traffic to bring rush hour chaos to the City of London face a possible retrial.’
The Guardian, 2nd March 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Juries in rape cases are more likely to convict than acquit a defendant, according to landmark research analysing nearly six million charges and every verdict reached between 2007 and 2021. The research, conducted by UCL’s Professor Cheryl Thomas, was commissioned by HM Judiciary after a petition was submitted to parliament calling for all jurors in rape trials to complete compulsory training about rape. The petition, signed by 16,445 people, stated that research showed jurors accepted commonly held rape myths, resulting in many incorrect not guilty verdicts.’
Law Society's Gazette, 21st February 2023
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Four people have been found guilty of trying to fix the trial of a drugs kingpin.’
BBC News, 8th December 2022
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Four climate activists have gone on trial for allegedly blocking the M25, in the first of dozens of jury trials planned for supporters of the Insulate Britain campaign.’
The Guardian, 21st November 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A woman and her partner have each been sentenced to 39 years in prison for the “horrific” murder of 15-year-old Sebastian Kalinowski.’
The Guardian, 4th November 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The jury in the trial of former Manchester United player Ryan Giggs has been discharged after failing to reach verdicts on any of the charges.’
BBC News, 31st August 2022
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The mother of a black teenager fatally stabbed by a white boy says if the roles were reversed her son “would have gone down for murder”.’
BBC News, 6th July 2022
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Analysis: Specialist lawyers, a jury trial, social media and targeting Heard all helped Depp win in Virginia.’
The Guardian, 2nd June 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Actor and political activist Laurence Fox has failed in his bid for the first libel trial by jury in a decade over a social media spat between him and three public figures he called “paedophiles” on Twitter.’
Law Society's Gazette, 18th May 2022
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Actor Laurence Fox is seeking the first jury trial in a libel case for a decade over a social media spat between him and three public figures he called “paedophiles” on Twitter.’
Law Society's Gazette, 28th April 2022
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Jurors who have to see and hear harrowing evidence during a trial should be given more support, an academic has said.’
BBC News, 23rd April 2022
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A foreman of a jury who carried out internet research that led to the conviction of a defendant has been given a suspended prison sentence. Timothy Chapman, 62, caused other members of the split jury at Huntingdon Crown Court to change their mind after using a search engine to ask the question: “How hard is it to break bones?”’
Law Society's Gazette, 16th January 2022
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Cases have included climate, environment, human rights and anti-war protests where damage to property was not denied.’
The Guardian, 6th January 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A jury has been discharged following its failure to reach a verdict on allegations that a police officer assaulted the former footballer Dalian Atkinson with a baton after he was felled by a stun gun on the night he died.’
The Guardian, 24th June 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
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