Vulnerable witnesses allowed to give evidence pre-trial – BBC News
‘Vulnerable witnesses can give evidence before a trial starts from Monday as part of a pilot scheme in three Crown Courts in England.’
BBC News, 28th April 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: witnesses
Relief from sanction and witness statements – The Barristers’ Hub
‘The Court of Appeal last week handed down judgment in the case of Chartwell Estate Agents v. Fergies Property & Anor. [2014] E. W. C. A. Civ. 506. It is an important decision for all civil practitioners, as it deals directly with the question of relief from sanction under the modified Rule 3.9 of the Civil Procedure Rules, and mollifies to some extent the (at least perceived) harshness of the rule in Mitchell v. News Group Newspapers [2014] 1 W. L. R. 795 – so much so that the Westlaw service run by respected legal publishers Sweet & Maxwell now state that the Mitchell decision has received “mixed or mildly negative judicial treatment”.’
The Barristers’ Hub, 23rd April 2014
Source: www.barristershub.co.uk
Sharif Demirsay murder: Three teens given life sentences – BBC News
‘Three teenagers have been given life sentences for murdering a grandfather in a gold and cash raid.’
BBC News, 11th April 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Frances Andrade suicide ‘could and should’ have been prevented – BBC News
‘The suicide of a violinist days after she testified in court against an ex-choirmaster “could and should” have been prevented, a report has said.’
BBC News, 10th April 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Beyond the veil: What happened after Rebekah Dawson refused to take her niqab off in court – The Independent
‘If your memory is sufficiently jogged, you may recall the recent case of a female defendant who refused to remove her full-face veil in court. It prompted a predictable outbreak of public indignation and liberal soul-searching. The question boiled down to this: could, or should, an English court accommodate a woman who hid her face, citing religious precepts, in a country where the face and facial expression are regarded as key to identity?’
The Independent, 7th April 2014
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Attorney general resists call to protect witnesses from court cross-examination – The Guardian
‘Dominic Grieve QC, the attorney general, has resisted calls for young and vulnerable witnesses to be cross-examined by a judge rather than several barristers to avoid aggressive courtroom questioning .’
The Guardian, 7th April 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
A voice for victims of crime – The Guardian
‘Justice isn’t just about sentencing: it’s about encouraging victims to come forward in the first place. Labour’s planned law will help. By Keir Starmer.’
The Guardian, 6th April 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
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.’
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?’
The Guardian, 2nd April 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Second bites at the cherry, defective witness statements and sanction: a practical view from the Bar – Littleton Chambers
‘In his monthly column, James Bickford Smith discusses the Court of Appeal’s recent guidance on communications with judges after draft judgments are circulated, some interesting judicial
observations on defective witness statements, and the Commercial Court’s important relief from
sanctions decision in Re C (A Child) [2014] EWCA Civ 70.’
Littleton Chambers, 7th March 2014
Source: www.littletonchambers.com
Outcry after judge imprisons child sex victim for 20 hours – Daily Telegraph
‘A teenage victim of sexual abuse was locked up in police cells overnight after she refused to give evidence in court against her attacker’
Daily Telegraph, 5th March 2014
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
PC Keith Blakelock trial: witnesses given immunity from prosecution – The Guardian
‘Witnesses against a man charged with being part of a mob that hacked a police officer to death almost 30 years ago themselves took part in the attack and have been given immunity from prosecution, a jury has heard.’
The Guardian, 3rd March 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Revealed: How the CPS betrays victims of crime – numbers of witness protection staff falls by 57% in just three years – The Independent
‘The Crown Prosecution Service has cut the number of staff it employs to look after witnesses – some of whom are victims of crime – by more than half in just three years, an investigation has revealed.’
The Independent, 24th February 2014
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Can a solicitor be personally liable to pay costs? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange
‘The possibility that a firm of litigation solicitors, despite acting properly for a client in advancing their interests, could nonetheless end up being held liable to pay a huge costs order, is unsurprisingly something that would sound alarm bells across the profession. This is a possibility that was raised in DLA Piper UK LLP v BDO LLP (the major firm of City solicitors versus a major firm of accountants).’
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 31st January 2014
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
Company barred from giving evidence in court due to “substantial delay” in providing witness statements – OUT-LAW.com
‘Civil court litigants must comply with court orders or “face the consequences”, an expert has said, after the High Court barred a company from giving evidence about a particular issue at trial after it failed to exchange witness statements within a reasonable time.’
OUT-LAW.com, 28th January 2014
Source: www.out-law.com
Childhood memories can be deceptive – Daily Telegraph
‘The brain may fill in gaps when it cannot remember details from childhood, according to study which could have important implications for court cases.’
Daily Telegraph, 28th January 2014
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Sixty victims of loan sharks in witness protection – The Guardian
‘Sixty victims of loan sharks are in witness protection, according to the country’s leading official tasked with breaking the cycle of fear, intimidation and violence trapping families who have borrowed money from illegal lenders.’
The Guardian, 24th January 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Court’s permission needed to extend time for service of witness statements – Hardwicke Chambers
‘In almost every litigated case the parties usually find themselves needing to vary the dates of some directions. This can be done by way of written agreement between the parties and is allowed by CPR 2.11.’
Hardwicke Chambers, 22nd January 2014
Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk
