‘Bufflehead’ and ‘Coxcomb’: Bushel’s Case
According to Clarendon, Sir John Kelyng (pronounced ‘Keeling’) was ‘a person of eminent learning, eminent suffering, never wore his gown after Rebellion, and was always in gaol’. As a judge,...
Drill music as bad character evidence
Introduction The past decade has seen the emergence of ‘drill music’ content increasingly used by the prosecution in criminal trials involving young, black, male defendants accused of gang-related offences. The...
Maintaining public order vs. the right to protest – the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill
The recent riots in Bristol and the police response to the Sarah Everard vigil have both served to spark a wider debate on the proper parameters that the legislature should...
“Egregious” failings in expert evidence: a shot across the bows from the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
The conjoined appeals in R v Byrne and ors. [2021] EWCA Crim 107 related to the safety of convictions arising from separate trials in which the Crown had instructed the same expert,...
The Mangrove Nine and the history of English juries
Criminal lawyers watching Steve McQueen’s Mangrove on the BBC last year may have raised an eyebrow or two during the scenes at the Old Bailey. Lawyers are used to seeing...
The EAW is dead; long live the UK-EU Surrender Agreement
The new post-Brexit extradition arrangements between the UK and the EU On Christmas Eve, the UK and the EU agreed the terms of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the...
How Machiavellian was Machiavelli?
In his slim book The Prince (published 1532, written in 1513), Niccolò Machiavelli made his now notorious assertion that the prince who hopes to succeed must learn ‘how not to...
‘A Dutiful Boy’ by Mohsin Zaidi
Chambers is extremely proud that Mohsin Zaidi’s memoir ‘A Dutiful Boy’ is published today, 20 August 2020. This exceptional and brave book highlights Mohsin’s personal experiences as a young, gay Muslim. Chambers supports...
Literary Bounty from the Chambers Family
While 2020 has seen parts of our legal system in a state of near paralysis, this year has been characterised by extraordinary accomplishments on the part of three exceptionally talented...
Digest: 20 July 2020
This edition of the digest considers one judgment of the Supreme Court, two of the Court of Appeal, and two of the High Court. In Sutherland v HM Advocate the Supreme...