Professor Felicity Gerry QC will be joined by Dr Susie Hulley and Dr Tara Young in this expert webinar highlighting the role of the law, and its agents, in generating silence among young suspects. Drawing on a study by Dr Hulley and Dr young, of serious multi-handed violence and ‘joint enterprise’ as a legal response, this webinar highlights the role of the law, and its agents, in generating silence among young suspects. These Young people face a precarious trap, as their silence is interpreted as guilt by the police, propelling them towards charge. Their study concludes that to avoid over-charging and to encourage Young people with knowledge of serious violence to talk, structural change is needed. The system must reverse the legal rules regarding silence and reform the law on secondary liability to reduce the legal risks of talking. Felicity Gerry QC is well known as defending a range of ‘joint enterprise’ cases, most recently in murder in 3 criminal trials involving young accused people aged 18, 13 and 17 in one of which a ‘no comment’ interview was excluded and another is on appeal on the issue of extensions of liability through adverse inferences. Dr Susie Hulley is a Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge and is on the Advisory Board for the Prison Reform Trust’s Building Futures Programme. She has worked on a range of research studies including a study of the experiences of prisoners serving very long sentences from a young age. Dr Tara Young is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research at Kent University. The central focus of her research is on marginalised young people as perpetrators and victims of anti-social behaviour and violent crime. Register today – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/169434369761 To ensure you don’t miss out on future events please register for our newsletter by clicking here. This event has now finished, if you’d like, you can view the recording of it here.    

DNA gets in places you wouldn’t always expect it to – when a criminal case is in full swing this can cause issues as all it takes are a few mistakes and your DNA ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Our very own Felicity Gerry QC goes through this idea and many more in this webinar alongside a cast of other professionals. You can view the webinar below.

We recently held a webinar delving into the topic of gross negligent manslaughter – taking a deeper look into medical, drug, and food-related deaths. Read the article relating to this event here. Presented by Professor Felicity Gerry QC and Dr Oliver Quick – Felicity defended the appeal in Rebelo where the Court of Appeal of England and Wales considered manslaughter in the context of a diet pill bought online and the scope of women’s autonomy in eating disorders. She has long experience of appearing in cases of homicide involving complex legal and medical issues. Oliver Quick is a Reader in Law and Co-Director of the Centre for Health, Law and Society at the University of Bristol. He has written widely about law and patient safety with particular expertise on gross negligence manslaughter. His research was heavily cited in the Independent Review of Gross Negligence Manslaughter and Culpable Homicide established by the General Medical Council. If you’d like to find out more sign up for our newsletter here

Siobhan Grey QC will be joined by Professor Michael Kopelman, Neuropsychiatrist and Professor Chris Brewin, Clinical Psychologist to discuss the accuracy of memory in the courtroom, memory disorders and how neuro-imaging – CT scans and MRI scans – is being relied upon at trial. This talk will give a brief introduction to some of the ways in which clinical neuroscience is implicated in the criminal courts, with particular reference to memory disorders and incorporating issues such as amnesia for offences, automatism, alcohol-related memory disorder, and fitness to plead. It will give a basic account of how such cases are assessed, including neuro-imaging, and the problems which can arise. Siobhan Grey QC, is a criminal defence advocate who has led in many murder cases where the central issues involved memory disorders and has relied upon neuroimaging to show a deterioration in the brain. Ms Grey QC has recently succeeded in having a murder conviction quashed in the Court of Appeal on the grounds of fresh evidence and she is currently instructed in appellate cases before the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Appeal and the Privy Council. She is also instructed to lead for the Defence in forthcoming murder cases. Professor Michael Kopelman is Emeritus Professor of Neuropsychiatry, Kings College, London. He ran a Neuropsychiatry and Memory Disorders Clinic for 25 years at St Thomas’s Hospital, London. He was President of the British Academy of Forensic Sciences. He has written on many aspects of amnesia and memory disorders – from the nature of cognitive deficits in neurological disease to amnesia in crime. His medico-legal work has included a variety of criminal, extradition, death row, civil and Court of Appeal cases. Professor Chris Brewin is Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London. In 2013 he received the Robert S. Laufer Memorial Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. He is acknowledged as a leading expert in trauma and memory and his medicolegal work has focused on memory for historic sexual abuse. Register today – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/memory-and-brain-disorders-in-criminal-trials-registration-158397999681 To ensure you don’t miss out on future events please register for our newsletter by clicking here.

We recently held a webinar delving into the topic of Forensic Archaeology – looking deeper into use of forensic archaeology in mass graves and major crime from Srebrenica to the Moors Murders to the Fred West investigations as well as in buried homicide, treasure troves and commercial construction This lecture also considers the recent ICC decision in Dominic Ongwen on Article 56 of the Rome Statute and the rights of defendants in the collection and preservation of physical and witness evidence . Presented by Professor Felicity Gerry QC and Abi Carter and Sarah Day – Felicity has defended a range of historic cases including a criminal trial where all the evidence (prosecution and defence) was on video. She is on the lists of counsel at the International criminal court (ICC) and the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) in the Hague. She has a particular expertise in out of time appeals and scene examination and a particular interest in the Richard III investigation. Abi Carter is a Forensic Archaeologist and Director of Forensic Resources Ltd. Abi worked on some of the forensic evidence associated with the mass graves of the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sarah was part of the defence team for Ao An at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. You can find the webinar here or watch it below. To stay up to date with insight articles, webinars, and chamber news why not subscribe to Libertas Lens (our periodic newsletter) – Click here to register

We recently held a webinar delving into the topic of Autism & the law – taking a deeper look into the petition for Alex Henry and the issues for those living with autism and facing criminal charges. In criminal proceedings legal professionals have to consider, recognise and respond to a range of issues that regularly confront medical professionals. These include adverse mental health; equality, and inclusion issues; poverty; evidence of bullying; parental substance misuse (alcohol and/or drug use); domestic (inter-partner) violence; and child abuse. Add to this Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) where the display of challenging behaviour, particularly by children and within the criminal justice system means we have a forest of problems with no apparent clearing. You can find the webinar here or watch it below. To stay up to date with insight articles, webinars, and chamber news why not subscribe to Libertas Lens (our periodic newsletter) – Click here to register

Update: This event has now been completed. You can find our post event blog here. Sign up open for our next Libertas Webinar – details below. Discussing the distinctions between unlawful acts and gross negligence, the recent case of R v Rebelo No2 on autonomy in causation and the continuing issues with the meanings of “substantial cause”, “reasonable foreseeability” and “obvious and serious risk” following Honey Rose v R Presented by Professor Felicity Gerry QC and Dr Oliver Quick – Felicity defended the appeal in R v Rebelo No1 where the Court of Appeal of England and Wales considered manslaughter in the context of a diet pill bought online and the scope of women’s autonomy in eating disorders. She has long experience of appearing in cases of homicide involving complex legal and medical issues. Oliver Quick is Reader in Law and Co-Director of the Centre for Health, Law and Society at the University of Bristol. He has written widely about law and patient safety with particular expertise on gross negligence manslaughter. His research was heavily cited in the Independent Review of Gross Negligence Manslaughter and Culpable Homicide established by the General Medical Council. Register today – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gross-negligence-manslaughter-medical-drug-and-food-related-deaths-registration-152993091455 To ensure you don’t miss out on future events please register for our newsletter by clicking here.    

Forensic Archaeology and the preservation of evidence for international and domestic criminal trials Discussing the use of forensic archaeology in mass graves and major crime from Srebrenica to the Moors Murders to the Fred West investigations as well as in buried homicide, treasure troves and commercial construction. This lecture also considers the recent ICC decision in Dominic Ongwen on Article 56 of the Rome Statute and the rights of defendants in the collection and preservation of physical and witness evidence . Presented by Professor Felicity Gerry QC and Abi Carter and Sarah Day – Felicity has defended a range of historic cases including a criminal trial where all the evidence (prosecution and defence) was on video. She is on the lists of counsel at the International criminal court (ICC) and the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) in the Hague. She has a particular expertise in out of time appeals and scene examination and a particular interest in the Richard III investigation. Abi Carter is a Forensic Archaeologist and Director of Forensic Resources Ltd. Abi worked on some of the forensic evidence associated with the mass graves of the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sarah was part of the defence team for Ao An at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. Register today – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/forensic-archaeology-and-the-preservation-of-evidence-for-criminal-trials-registration-152988981161 To ensure you don’t miss out on future events please register for our newsletter by clicking here. This event is finished – you can find it here