Libertas Chambers Hosts Landmark FASD Criminal Justice Training
The first chambers to host specialist training from the University of Salford’s leading FASD research hub.
On Tuesday 5 May 2026, Libertas Chambers hosted a 2-hour training session for members of chambers and solicitor colleagues on FASD and criminal justice in England and Wales. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol. Research in the UK shows that FASD may occur in 3-4% of the population and research in Canada has found much higher figures for prison populations. However, FASD is often missed or misdiagnosed, leaving people with FASD and their families with insufficient support and access to services and at risk of ignorance in criminal justice. The training debunked the stigma blaming mothers for drinking alcohol during pregnancy with preliminary findings of causes by sperm from a male partner.
The training also debunked the suggestion that all people with FASD have distinctive facial features where research shows it is found in only 10% of those affected. The research has found that FASD is rarely picked up and certainly not understood in criminal justice where it can lead to false confessions and a failure to identify relevant cognitive issues. The training discussed the need for screening tools in the police station and at court for defence lawyers to be able to identify those potentially affected in order to instruct suitable experts.
It concluded that FASD can be relevant to fitness to plead, voluntariness, conduct, fault elements, and various defences alongside fitness to stand trial and special measures.
We were delighted to welcome Dr Alan Price, Dr David Gilbert, Uzma Naseem, Tania Goddard and David Connolly (a father of a son with FASD who described their experiences of systemic failure). The event was moderated by Dr Felicity Gerry KC
You can read more about the University of Salford FASD research here https://hub.salford.ac.uk/fasd/
You can read Felicity’s paper with David Gilbert and Gabrielle Hill here https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39875345/
