The defendant appealed his conviction of rape, complaining that the judge had unfairly imposed a time limit on the cross-examination of the complainant.
Held: The appeal failed: ‘The management of a trial involves the exercise of judgment and discretion. This court will not interfere with a decision made by the judge when exercising this function unless it is plain that it has resulted in unfairness. This is for the simple reason that the trial judge is in a far better position than this court to decide what fair and sensible trial management requires in any given case. In the present case, we are in no doubt that the trial judge’s decision to impose a time limit on the cross-examination of the complainant was entirely justified. It did not result in any unfairness to the appellant. ‘
[2005] EWCA Crim 805
Bailii
England and Wales
Updated: 26 July 2021; Ref: scu.466415