Trump & Brexit - Who's fooling whom?
Among the many mangled sayings of George W. Bush one of the most infamous was his butchering of this aphorism:“There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that...
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Code D Rodeo: Keeping PACE
In a recent trial my opponent was reminiscing about the ubiquity of verballing before the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 was enacted. He then asked me if I remembered those days. A perfectly...
View ArticleTrial by Camera: who benefits from recorded cross-examination?
Theatre v film. Some appreciate both art forms equally some prefer one to the other. What all can agree on is they represent very different experiences for the audience. It is worth bearing that...
View ArticleA review of Nina Raine's 'Consent'
Police officers and doctors more than any other professionals suffer from the teeth grinding frustration of seeing their occupations ludicrously misrepresented on the screen. However any visit to the...
View ArticleA preview of Channel 4's The Trial: A Murder in the Family
With good cause many actors hold dear to the maxim: 'Never read your own reviews'. Barristers do not have that luxury; instead every trial concludes with a review announced to your face in open court....
View ArticleThe Miserable Month of May
The first responsibility of government is protection of the people. Judged by that standard the harsh truth is that Mrs May has already failed as Prime Minister. That is a harsh judgement because...
View ArticleUp with the lark; down with the nightingale - Justice Jaded
Where is justice done? When is justice done? These are two questions that almost never get asked as being peripheral to the main and only question: Is justice done? However they are essential...
View ArticleDebating with Pros and Cons
Over a door at reception to Her Majesty's Prison Pentonville there is a sign: Beware of the sliding doors. I don't know how many of its inmates are fans of Gwyneth Paltrow's 1998 film of the same name...
View ArticleGrenfell Tower: What lends legitimacy?
Legitimacy, most formally defined, means in accordance with the law but another and equally valid meaning is having the quality of acceptance. The furore that has surrounded the appointment of Sir...
View ArticleA tribute to His Honour Judge John Plumstead
When I was a young(er) barrister I remember one of my colleagues reminiscing about the French chef at Knightsbridge Crown Court to whom an order was given on arrival in the morning for a freshly cooked...
View ArticlePrey & Prejudice: Time to Regulate the Paedophile Hunters?
If church attendance figures are anything to go by few in modern Britain still believe in the devil. That however is not to say that belief in and fear of evil is any less than it ever was. Almost...
View ArticleDouble or Bust? - Magistrates' Sentencing Powers
The retiring Lord Chief Justice has been reported as suggesting that magistrates' sentencing powers should be doubled to enable them to sentence offenders to prison for 12 months for a single offence....
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Goodbye John Thompson American Hero
Have you ever met an astronaut? Hardly any of us have been in space, a few more have summited Everest, a few more yet have won Olympic gold medals. Achieving any of these things is extraordinary...
View ArticleThe road to freedom - why cyclists need protecting not prosecuting
In blogging topicality is everything. It is a source of wonder to me the speed with which some other legal bloggers manage to publish posts in the hours or even minutes after a high profile legal...
View ArticleThe Perfect Prosecution - A Recipe
Those of us that prosecute and defend often see prosecutions in nautical terms. Can the Crown construct a watertight case? Can the defence torpedo the case and blast a hole below the waterline?A much...
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Legal Aid - A Defence (again)
I am convinced it is not by chance that The Secret Barrister’s avatar is a bunny rabbit because only the Duracell Bunny or a close relative could blog as indefatigably as she does which leads to my...
View ArticleLaughter is the best medicine (& the best defence)
Nobody loves a prosecutor. I learnt this quite early in my career when friends and family would be fascinated to hear of trips to the cells or prison visits. But tell them you were the Crown's...
View ArticleUnduly Enlarging Scheme?
Child sexual abuse is an abhorrent crime. Filming or photographing child sexual abuse is an abhorrent crime. Viewing films or photographs of child sexual abuse is an abhorrent crime. All of these...
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Privilege Part One
The Bar Council is running a successful social media campaign at the moment titled #IAmTheBar. Barristers from across the country are recounting the adversity they overcame, the long roads they...
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Privilege Part Two
Waitrose running out of hummus, your Uber rating taking a knock, that day's Pilates class being full are all classic first world problems. But a quandary I wrestle with eclipses them all, namely...
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