The claimant, a patient hld at Rampton Hospital faced charges of attempted murder of two nurses. His lwayers had asked for the right to see their client in private, but eth Hospital objected, insisting on the presence of two nurses at all times. They said this was to protect both the lawyers and the client who had a history of self harm. A nurse had in fact intervened during an interview. He suggested that the presence of the two nurses contributed to the appellant’s decision to instruct his counsel not to cross-examine the Rampton witnesses, and that it inhibited the ability of counsel to give advice and take instructions shortly before the appellant gave evidence. The presence of the nurses – state employees with a custodial function – who were able to overhear confidential communications meant that this right was abrogated both in itself and in its consequences at the appellant’s trial, thereby rendering the proceedings unfair.
Held: The appeal failed: ‘In our judgment, by way of an additional common law qualification or exception to the inviolable nature of legal professional privilege, and in what is likely to be an extremely narrow band of cases, it will be appropriate to impose a requirement that particular individuals can be present at discussions between an individual and his lawyers if there is a real possibility that the meeting is to be misused for a purpose, or in a manner, that involves impropriety amounting to an abuse of the privilege that justifies interference. This case exemplifies the rare circumstances in which it will be necessary to take this step.’
Fulford LJ, Holroyd, Singh JJ
[2015] EWCA Crim 1328, [2015] WLR(D) 344
Bailii, WLRD
England and Wales
Citing:
Cited – Regina v Cox and Railton 1884
(Court for Crown Cases Reserved) The defendants were charged with conspiracy to defraud a judgment creditor of the fruits of a judgment by dishonestly backdating a dissolution of their partnership to a date prior to a bill of sale given by Railton . .
Cited – Regina v Derby Magistrates Court Ex Parte B HL 19-Oct-1995
No Breach of Solicitor Client Confidence Allowed
B was charged with the murder of a young girl. He made a confession to the police, but later changed his story, saying his stepfather had killed the girl. He was acquitted. The stepfather was then charged with the murder. At his committal for trial, . .
Cited – Regina (Daly) v Secretary of State for the Home Department HL 23-May-2001
A prison policy requiring prisoners not to be present when their property was searched and their mail was examined was unlawful. The policy had been introduced after failures in search procedures where officers had been intimidated by the presence . .
Cited – Regina v Special Commissioner And Another, ex parte Morgan Grenfell and Co Ltd HL 16-May-2002
The inspector issued a notice requiring production of certain documents. The respondents refused to produce them, saying that they were protected by legal professional privilege.
Held: Legal professional privilege is a fundamental part of . .
Cited – Three Rivers District Council and others v Governor and Company of the Bank of England (No 6) HL 11-Nov-2004
The Bank anticipated criticism in an ad hoc enquiry which was called to investigate its handling of a matter involving the claimant. The claimant sought disclosure of the documents created when the solicitors advised employees of the Bank in . .
Cited – Regina v Grant CACD 4-May-2005
The police had secretly and unlawfully recorded conversations between the defendant and his solicitor whilst he was in custody. The judge rejected a claim of abuse of process. He appealed his conviction for murder.
Held: The appeal was . .
Cited – McE, Re; McE v Prison Service of Northern Ireland and Another HL 11-Mar-2009
Complaint was made that the prisoner’s privileged conversations with his solicitors had been intercepted by the police.
Held: The Act made explicit provisions allowing such interception and set out the appropriate safeguards. The interceptions . .
Cited – Warren and Others v Attorney General of The Bailiwick of Jersey (Court of Appeal of Jersey) PC 28-Mar-2011
(Jersey) Lord Dyson criticised elements of the decision in R v Grant and said: ‘Nevertheless, the Board respectfully considers that the decision in R v Grant was wrong. The statement at para 54 suggests that the deliberate invasion of a suspected . .
Cited – Regina v Francom; Regina v Latif (Clare); Regina v Latif (Melna); Regina v Bevis; Regina v Harker CACD 24-Oct-2000
The judge failed to give a direction in accordance with recommendations from the Judicial Studies Board and counsel in the case as to the need for the jury not to draw inferences from the defendants’ failure to mention certain facts on interview. . .
Cited – S v Switzerland ECHR 28-Nov-1991
ECHR Judgment (Merits and just satisfaction) – Violation of Art. 6-3-c; Non-pecuniary damage – financial award; Costs and expenses award – domestic proceedings; Costs and expenses award – Convention . .
Cited – Regina v Togher, Regina v Doran, Regina v Parsons CACD 9-Nov-2000
In the light of the Human Rights Act, it would now be almost inevitable that a finding that the defendant had not had a fair trial, would lead to a finding that his conviction could not be regarded as safe. Where a defendant had pleaded guilty, but . .
Cited – Brennan v The United Kingdom ECHR 16-Oct-2001
The applicant had complained that, after his arrest he had been refused adequate access to a lawyer. He had not been allowed to see his solicitor for two days, and only then in the presence of a police officer. No inferences had been drawn from his . .
Cited – McInnes v Her Majesty’s Advocate SC 10-Feb-2010
The defendant complained that the prosecution had not disclosed the fact that a prosecution witness had convictions, and that had it been disclosed it would have undermined the prosecution. Other statements taken were not disclosed as had later . .
Cited – JSC BTA Bank v Ablyazov and Others ComC 8-Aug-2014
The Claimant sought disclosure from the First and Second Respondents of documents relating to their assets which would attract legal professional privilege unless falling within the iniquity exception to such privilege, and which are currently held . .
Cited – Ocalan v Turkey ECHR 12-Mar-2003
The applicant had led Kurdish separatists training and leading a gang of armed terrorists. Warrants for his arrest had been taken out in Turkey. He had lived for many years in Syria but then sought political asylum in Greece, Russia and Italy, none . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Criminal Practice, Human Rights
Updated: 03 January 2022; Ref: scu.551038