Bolton firebomb threat man bailed and on the run again – BBC News

Posted June 28th, 2010 in arson, bail, fugitive offenders, intimidation, news, witnesses by sally

“Prosecutors are under fire for not challenging the bail of a man who admitted witness intimidation only for him to go on the run for a second time.”

Full story

BBC News, 28th June 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Regina v Brewster – WLR Daily

Posted June 28th, 2010 in appeals, bad character, evidence, law reports, witnesses by sally

Regina v Brewster  [2010] EWCA Crim 1194; [2010] WLR (D) 159

“Where a party sought to admit evidence of a witness’s bad character which bore only indirectly on his credibility, and that credibility was a matter in issue in the proceedings and of substantial importance in the context of the case as a whole, such evidence was only admissible pursuant to s 100(1)(b) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 as evidence of substantial probative value on the issue of creditworthiness if it was reasonably capable of assisting a fair minded jury to reach a view as to whether the witness’s evidence was worthy of belief.”

WLR Daily, 25th 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.

Bloody Sunday inquiry: too much, too late – The Guardian

Posted June 17th, 2010 in inquiries, news, Northern Ireland, witnesses by sally

“Lord Saville could have completed his inquiry into Bloody Sunday more quickly and cheaply if he had stuck to his remit.”

Full story

The Guardian, 17th June 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Regina v Miller – WLR Daily

Posted June 4th, 2010 in appeals, bad character, cross-examination, law reports, witnesses by sally

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

Posted June 4th, 2010 in appeals, bad character, law reports, witnesses by sally

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.”

Full story

The Guardian, 2nd June 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Man jailed for brutal drug murder – The Independent

Posted May 13th, 2010 in drug abuse, intimidation, murder, news, sentencing, witnesses by sally

“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.”

Full story

The Independent, 13th May 2010

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Regina v Cooper (John) – WLR Daily

Posted May 10th, 2010 in appeals, evidence, law reports, perjury, witnesses by sally
“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

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.”

Full story

The Guardian, 30th April 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Contract killers get life after trial which changed witness anonymity law – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 1st, 2010 in anonymity, murder, news, sentencing, witnesses by sally

“Two contract killers are beginning life sentences for murder following a trial which caused Parliament to bring in a new law on witness anonymity.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 31st March 2010

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Allison v HM Advocate – Times Law Reports

Posted February 17th, 2010 in criminal records, disclosure, law reports, Scotland, witnesses by sally

Allison v HM Advocate

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

Posted January 21st, 2010 in appeals, children, news, rape, witnesses by sally

“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.”

Full story

BBC News, 21st January 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The Criminal Procedure Rules and witness attendance for magistrates – speech by Nicholas Moss, JP

Posted December 2nd, 2009 in criminal procedure, magistrates, speeches, witnesses by sally

“The Criminal Procedure Rules and witness attendance for magistrates’ – speech to the  Magistrates’ Association Council, London on 26 November 2009.”

Full speech

Judiciary of England and Wales, 1st December 2009

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

NSPCC urges more support for child court witnesses – BBC News

Posted November 24th, 2009 in children, news, witnesses by sally

“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.”

Full story

BBC News, 24th November 2009

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Redefining justice: addressing the individual needs of victims and witnesses – Ministry of Justice

Posted November 5th, 2009 in press releases, victims, witnesses by sally

“An independent study by Victims’ Champion Sara Payne of how frontline services meet the needs of victims and witnesses.”

Full story

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

Posted September 17th, 2009 in closed circuit television, evidence, news, witnesses by sally

“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

Posted August 25th, 2009 in criminal procedure, evidence, law reports, witnesses by sally

R v Greene

“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

Posted July 3rd, 2009 in children, delay, news, witnesses by sally

“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.”

Full story

BBC News, 3rd July 2009

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Sarcastic, rude: is this the way to question child witnesses? – The Times

Posted July 2nd, 2009 in children, cross-examination, news, witnesses by sally

“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.”

Full story

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

Posted June 3rd, 2009 in hearsay evidence, law reports, witnesses by sally

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