Practitioners must make themselves aware of reported practice directions in the court before which they appeared. Defending counsel, having been misled as to his client’s conviction history made an agreement with the prosecution about character evidence. That arrangement unravelled, leading to the abandonment of the trial, and a wasted costs order. In this case that was unfair. The defence team had requested lists of previous convictions and they had not been provided, and the prosecution had also contributed to counsel’s error.
Citations:
Times 18-Apr-2000, Gazette 29-Jun-2000
Legal Professions, Criminal Practice
Updated: 08 April 2022; Ref: scu.81638