Evidence in chief (and see “cross-examination”) meaning

In this issue: Criminal procedure and evidence Proceeds of crime Sentencing Bribery, corruption, sanctions and export controls Consumer protection and cartels Cybercrime and data protection offences Environmental offences Financial services and pensions offences Food safety and hygiene offences Health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences Local authority prosecutions International Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Criminal procedure and evidence Victims and Courts Bill Introduced on 7 May 2025 by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the Rt. Hon. Shabna Mahmood, the Victims and Courts Bill is currently progressing through Committee Stage. Liam Lane, an associate at Peters & Peters, examines the Bill’s central provisions. See News Analysis: Victims and Courts Bill... HMCTS announces pre-recorded evidence service now live across all Crown Courts HM Courts & Tribunals Service has announced that the...

PI & Clinical Negligence horizon scanner—May 2024 [Archived] ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is no longer maintained. It distils the principal legal developments relevant to personal injury and clinical negligence practitioners as at 30 April 2024. For matters predating this horizon scanner, please refer to PI and Clinical Negligence horizon scanning—overview. Key PI and clinical negligence developments Judicial College Guidelines, 17th Edition now available on Lexis+ — The 17th Edition of the Judicial College Guidelines is now accessible on Lexis+, via Butterworths Personal Injury Litigation Service (BPILS), Division IX, Quantum Summaries. See: Butterworths Personal Injury Litigation Service, Division IX, Quantum Summaries. Tenth edition of the King’s Bench guide published — The tenth edition of the King’s Bench Guide was issued on 19 April 2024...

This Practice Note outlines the solemn trial process in Scotland and ought to be carefully considered alongside the Scottish solemn criminal procedure—flowchart. For further information on pre-trial preparation within the solemn route, consult Practice Note: Solemn procedure in Scottish criminal proceedings. For assistance on appeal routes in solemn cases in Scotland, refer to Practice Note: Scottish criminal appeals—solemn procedure. For a primer on how criminal offences are investigated and prosecuted in Scotland, see Practice Note: The investigation and prosecution of criminal offences in Scotland. Update effective 1 December 2025: modernisation of criminal court procedure The Criminal Justice Modernisation and Abusive Domestic Behaviour Reviews (Scotland) Act 2025 brings in a suite of permanent reforms, superseding the temporary measures created during the COVID-19 pandemic. Practitioners must read all procedural references in this Practice Note in the context of those statutory amendments. Electronic signatures and document transmission Sections 303C–303F of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 (CP(S)A 1995) permit electronic signatures and electronic service of documents in criminal cases,...

Part 2 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 (YJCEA 1999) sets out a range of directions the court may make to meet the needs of vulnerable or intimidated witnesses for the prosecution or the defence. These operate alongside the court’s general case management powers in the Criminal Procedure Rules 2025 (CrimPR 2025), SI 2025/909, Pt 3; see Practice Note: Pre-trial and case management hearings in the Crown Court. The defendant cannot benefit from these measures. For the position regarding steps available in respect of the accused, see Practice Note: for the accused. In brief, potential measures for witnesses are: shielding the witness from the defendant giving evidence via live link or permitting evidence to be heard in private directing that wigs and gowns be removed during the witness’s testimony video-recorded evidence-in-chief video-recorded cross-examination and re-examination deploying intermediaries to improve witness communication, and supplying communication aids for young or incapacitated witnesses Eligibility To be eligible...