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Kingsley Napley’s Medical Negligence Team ‘walks together’ with the Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity
Sharon Burkill
A recent Court of Appeal judgment has examined the question of how far good character directions extend. A good character direction is a common direction which may be given by a judge to a jury as part of the summing up at the end of a trial. The court sought to bring clarity to this overly complicated area. The court applied common sense to situations where a defendant is of classic good character. However, the position remains one of broad reaching judicial discretion in respect of some murkier characters.
As a result of recent, high profile, instances of contempt by jurors, amendments have been made to the statutory regime for juror contempt by the introduction of Sections 68-77 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015. The principal effect of this legislation has been to create specific criminal offences to deal with contempt by jurors.
Sharon Burkill
Natalie Cohen
Caroline Sheldon
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