Citations: [2000] EWCA Crim 61 Links: Bailii Jurisdiction: England and Wales Criminal Sentencing Updated: 04 October 2022; Ref: scu.158711
The court was asked: ‘Whether the common-law offence of perverting the course of public justice is committed where false evidence is given or made, not to defeat what the witness believes to be the ends of justice, or not to procure what the witness believes to be a false verdict.’ Photographs had been taken of … Continue reading Re S 36 Criminal Justice Act 1972; Attorney General’s Reference No 1 of 2002: CACD 14 Oct 2002
The allegation was of a serious assault on the defendant’s wife. The prosecution considered she would not be a reliable witness, and did not call her. Other evidence being inadmissible, the defendant was acquitted. The AG appealed. Held: There is no rider in law to the res gestae exception disapplying the exception if better (or … Continue reading Regina v W (Reference Under Section 36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1972): CACD 8 May 2003
The petitioner appealed a refusal of his claim for compensation. He was a serving police officer injured whilst arresting an offender. He had retired on medical grounds and received pensions, which the Board found deductible from any award reducing his claim below the minimum. The relative scheme sought to award damages on a basis comparable … Continue reading Cantwell v Criminal Injuries Compensation Board: IHCS 9 Feb 2000
The judge’s discretion to exclude a statement on the ground that its admission would be unfair is a matter of degree, but the first and principal decision is whether the prosecution has proved that it was made voluntarily. The court discussed what would be ‘oppressive’ in questioning by the police, and adopted part of a … Continue reading Regina v Prager: CACD 1972
The plaintiff sought damages following the death of her husband when working for the defendant. The limitation period expired on Saturday 5 September 1970. The writ was issued on the Monday following.
Held: The appeal succeeded. The writ was . .
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Citations: [2000] EWCA Crim 10 Statutes: Criminal Justice Act 1972 36 Jurisdiction: England and Wales Criminal Sentencing Updated: 28 July 2022; Ref: scu.158660
The defendant was accused of having racially abused the complainant by referring to him as an ‘immigrant doctor’ before the assault. The trial judge had held that the word ‘immigrant’ was so wide in its possible application as not to be capable of constituting racial abuse. Held: Whether such words constituted racial agravation in the … Continue reading Attorney General’s Reference (No 4 of 2004): CACD 22 Apr 2005
Waste products could become ‘controlled waste’ and subject to licensing procedures without there being a recovery or disposal operation being involved. A rendering process produced a condensate which the company wished to spread on farm land without a licence. The company had argued that no recovery process was involved, and therefore it was not waste … Continue reading Attorney-General’s Reference (No 5 of 2000): CACD 6 Jun 2001
The defendants were accused under both the 1981 Act or the 1968 Act of use a false instrument with intent to defraud. They had been acquitted after a ruling from the judge that it was necessary for the prosecution to prove lack of entitlement in the defendant of what was sought to be obtained. The … Continue reading Attorney General’s Reference (No 1 of 2001): CACD 11 Jul 2002
An application was made to discharge an anonymity order made in previous criminal proceedings before the House. The defendant was to be retried for rape under the 2003 Act, after an earlier acquittal. The applicant questioned whether such a order could properly be made, and said that in any event it should be discharged. Held: … Continue reading Attorney General’s Reference No 3 of 1999: Application By the British Broadcasting Corporation To Set Aside or Vary a Reporting Restriction Order: HL 17 Jun 2009
Orse Attorney General’s Reference No 2 of 2001
The AG sought to appeal from the decision that an indictment against the seven defendants should be stayed on the ground that there had been a breach of Article 6(1). They were accused of . .
The Crown cannot be required to adduce evidence which (or to tender for cross-examination a witness whose evidence) is not capable of belief: ‘. . . the prosecution ought normally to call or offer to call all the witnesses who give direct evidence of the primary facts of the case, unless for good reason, in … Continue reading Regina v Russell-Jones: CACD 1995
Test for police protection need The court considered the degree of risk to an individual which should give rise to a duty on the police to protect him under article 2. Held: Lord Diplock said: ‘My Lords, bearing in mind the relative gravity of the consequences of the court’s expectation being falsified either in one … Continue reading Regina v Governor of Pentonville Prison, Ex parte Fernandez: Fernandez v Government of Singapore: HL 1971
The defendant was convicted of murder. Evidence during the trial suggested a possibility of manslaughter, but neither the defence nor prosecution proposed the alternate verdict. The defendant now appealed saying that the judge had an independent duty to leave that option to the jury. Held: The appeal succeeded. The judge should have left a manslaughter … Continue reading Regina v Coutts: HL 19 Jul 2006
In prosecuting a juror for acts intended to pervert the course of justice, it must be shown not only that the juror spoke to the defendant about the matter, but that the juror intended to interfere with justice or the nature of the communication did so. Brooke LJ said: ‘It appears from the authorities that … Continue reading Regina v Lalani: CACD 22 Jan 1999
The claimant alleged complicity by the defendant, (now former) Foreign Secretary, in his mistreatment by the US while held in Libya. He also alleged involvement in his unlawful abduction and removal to Libya, from which had had fled for political persecution. The defendants now appealed from rejection of the defendants’ claim to state immunity and … Continue reading Belhaj and Another v Straw and Others: SC 17 Jan 2017
The court admitted in evidence, by applying the res gestae rule, a statement of the defendant’s co-accused. Citations: [1999] EWCA Crim 1686 Jurisdiction: England and Wales Cited by: Cited – Regina v W (Reference Under Section 36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1972) CACD 8-May-2003 The allegation was of a serious assault on the defendant’s … Continue reading Regina v James NJ: CACD 17 Jun 1999
The case involved an assault. The crown sought to introduce as evidence a statement made by the defendant’s brother at the scene under the res gestae rule. Held: The circumstances were such as to allow admission of the evidence under the tests laid down in Andrews and Ratten. Citations: [1997] EWCA Crim 731 Jurisdiction: England … Continue reading Regina v Giles: CACD 13 Mar 1997
The court’s opinion was sought in relation to two questions referred by the Attorney General under s36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1972: 1. can a defendant be properly convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence in the absence of evidence as to that defendant’s state of mind? 2. can a non-human defendant be convicted of … Continue reading Attorney General’s Reference No 2 of 1999: CACD 15 Feb 2000
The applicant sought review of a decision to remove him from a witness protection scheme within the prison. He claimed that having been promised protection, he had a legitimate expectation of protection, having been told he would receive protection while he was in prison. He had not eventually been relied upon as a witness. Held: … Continue reading Bloggs 61, Regina (on the Application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department: CA 18 Jun 2003
The defendant sought judicial review of his court-martial and of the confirming officers. He said the court should have heard that he committed the offence whist intixicated after taking an anti-malarial drug. The court dd not explain why it had found no causal connection beween the treatment and the offence. Held: There is no over-riding … Continue reading Regina v Ministry of Defence ex parte Colin James Murray: QBD 15 Dec 1997
For possession of an indecent image of a child to be proved, it was necessary to establish some knowledge of its existence. Images stored without the defendant’s knowledge by browser software in a hidden cache, of which he was also unaware, were not such, and a conviction was quashed. The situation was akin to a … Continue reading Atkins v Director of Public Prosecutions; Goodland v Director of Public Prosecutions: Admn 8 Mar 2000
Complaint was made against the council for creating a statutory nuisance under the 1990 Act. The tenant sought compensation under the 1973 Act. The council appealed an award of andpound;3,000 compensation. Held: Compensation should be awarded for the period from the date of the notice until the date of the hearing. Where however the proceedings … Continue reading Regina v Liverpool Crown Court, Ex Parte Cooke: QBD 3 Apr 1996
The best evidence rule does not generally exclude the admission of evidence of lesser quality. If such a rule exists, it applies only to documents in the possession of the partyAckner LJ said: ‘The old rule, that a party must produce the best evidence that the nature of the case will allow, and that any … Continue reading Kajala v Noble: CACD 1982
The Court was asked: ‘As: (i) a public body with obligations in public law and (ii) a public authority under the Human Rights Act 1998 can the Secretary of State for Health ‘the S/S’ lawfully refuse to refer a patient’s case to the First-tier Mental Health Review Tribunal ‘MHRT’ under section 67(1) of the Mental … Continue reading Modaresi, Regina (on The Application of) v Secretary of State for Health: SC 24 Jul 2013
Former HL decision in Siebe Gorman overruled The company had become insolvent. The bank had a debenture and claimed that its charge over the book debts had become a fixed charge. The preferential creditors said that the charge was a floating charge and that they took priority. Held: The appeal was allowed. The debenture, although … Continue reading National Westminster Bank plc v Spectrum Plus Limited and others: HL 30 Jun 2005
Domestic Offence requires Domestic Defence Each defendant sought to raise by way of defence of their otherwise criminal actions, the fact that they were attempting to prevent the commission by the government of the crime of waging an aggressive war in Iraq, and that their acts were accordingly justified in law. Held: The law on … Continue reading Regina v Jones (Margaret), Regina v Milling and others: HL 29 Mar 2006
The prosecutor had lead and relied at trial on evidence obtained by compulsory questioning under the 1986 Act. Held: In doing so the prosecutor was acting to give effect to section 433. The decision in Lambert to disallow retrospective effect of Human Rights decisions in appeal cases may have been incorrect, but will be followed. … Continue reading Regina v Kansal (2): HL 29 Nov 2001
Admission of hearsay evidence The defendant appealed by case stated against his conviction for assault. He said that certain evidence, a statement from the complainaint, and a recording of the 999 call, should not have been admitted as hearsay. Held: Fulford LJ said: ‘Although the court has a cardinal responsibility to ensure that a defendant … Continue reading Barnaby v The Director of Public Prosecutions: Admn 6 Feb 2015
The applicants challenged their convictions and sentences for conspiracy to corrupt. They owned a company manufacturing fuel additives. Technology developments meant that they came under increasing pressure on sales. They were said to have entered into corrupt agreemets to boost sales, sweetener payments being said to have been made by their agents. They complained that … Continue reading Serious Fraud Office v Papachristos and Another: CACD 19 Sep 2014
Guidance for Wasted Costs Orders Guidance was given on the circumstances required for the making of wasted costs orders against legal advisers. A judge invited to make an order arising out of an advocate’s conduct of court proceedings must make full allowance for the fact that an advocate has to make decisions quickly and under … Continue reading Ridehalgh v Horsefield; Allen v Unigate Dairies Ltd: CA 26 Jan 1994
The appellants had entered Fortnum and Masons to demonstrate against tax avoidance. They appealed against convitions for aggravated trespass. Held: The statutory question posed by s.68 is whether the prosecution can prove that the trespasser has done anything on the land (‘there’), apart from trespassing, with the required statutory intent? As to that, there is … Continue reading Bauer and Others v The Director of Public Prosecutions: Admn 22 Mar 2013
It was alleged that the defendant had tampered with a sample of wheat to be used in an arbitration, and he was accused of perverting the course of justice. Held: Perverting the course of justice is a common law offence covering a wide variety of situations. The offence was committed when a person does an … Continue reading Regina v Vreones: 1891
The claimant pursued a civil claim for damages, alleging complicity of the respondent in his torture whilst in the custody of foreign powers. The respondent sought that certain materials be available to the court alone and not to the claimant or the public under a closed material procedure. It argued that whilst the need for … Continue reading Al Rawi and Others v The Security Service and Others: SC 13 Jul 2011
Res Gestae to admit circumstances of complaint (Victoria) Evidence had been admitted under the res gestae rule, that a woman making a telephone call was in a hysterical state. Held: It was properly used. Where a statement is made either by the victim of an attack or by a bystander, which is itself hearsay, but … Continue reading Ratten v The Queen: PC 1 Jul 1971
The claimants had been in coaches being driven to take part in a demonstration at an air base. The defendant police officers stopped the coaches en route, and, without allowing any number of the claimants to get off, returned the coaches to London. The officer acted saying that he feared a breach of the peace … Continue reading Laporte, Regina (on the application of ) v Chief Constable of Gloucestershire: HL 13 Dec 2006
Court of Appeal must follow Own Decisions The claimant was injured and received compensation. He then sought to recover again, alleging breach of statutory duty by his employers. Held: The Court of Appeal was in general bound to follow its own previous decisions. The court considered the circumstances in which it could depart from a … Continue reading Young v The Bristol Aeroplane Co Ltd: CA 28 Jul 1944
Res Gestae no means of avoiding witness The court should deprecate any attempt to use the res gestae doctrine as a device to avoid calling a witness if he or she were available. The court laid down six tests for the admission of evidence under the res gestae rule.Lord Ackner said: ‘My Lords, may I … Continue reading Regina v Andrews: HL 1987
The defendant saw disparaging statements made about him by neighbours in the course of divorce proceedings. He wrote to them and asked them to withdraw the statements they had made and threatened proceedings for slander. He was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice. Held: A threat or promise made to a witness … Continue reading Regina v Kellett: CACD 1976
There was no violation of Article 6 where the statement of a co-habitee was read at the trial without her being called to give evidence but, in Austrian law, a co-habitee cannot be compelled to be a witness and the court said that the right on which . .
The defendant appealed against his conviction, saying that his counsel and solicitors had withdrawn at the last moment on the grounds of professional embarrassment, the defendant having altered his instructions. New lawyers were unwilling to assist . .
