J R Spencer

Hearsay Evidence in Criminal Proceedings (eBook, PDF)

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

The Criminal Justice Act 2003 re-wrote the hearsay evidence rule for the purpose of criminal proceedings, enacting the recommendations of the Law Commission together with some proposals from the Auld Review. In 2008, Professor Spencer wrote a book explaining the new law, intended for practitioners as well as academics. Following the style of his earlier book about the new law on bad character evidence, the core of the hearsay book was a section-by-section commentary on the relevant provisions of the Act, discussing the case law that had interpreted them. Since the appearance of the first edition, the new law on hearsay evidence has been the subject of a spectacular exchange between the UK Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights, the effects of which the Court of Appeal has interpreted in several leading cases. In this new edition, the commentary is revised to take account of these developments. As in the first edition, the commentary is preceded by chapters on the history of the hearsay rule, and the requirements of Article 6(3)(d) of the European Convention on Human Rights. It is followed by an appendix containing the text of the statutory provisions and a selection of the leading cases.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury UK eBooks
• Seitenzahl: 506
• Erscheinungstermin: 1. November 2014
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781782252931
• Artikelnr.: 52840549

Autorenporträt

J R Spencer is Professor Emeritus of Law in the Law Faculty at the University of Cambridge and a Bye-Fellow at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge.

Inhaltsangabe

1 Introduction Hearsay rule and the rise and fall of the exclusionary rules
of evidence Scope and evolution of the hearsay rule Hearsay rule in
criminal law as it stood before the 2003 reform: Justifications for the
rule Criticisms of the hearsay rule Hearsay rule as seen by legal writers
The 'directness principle' or 'best evidence' approach Abolition of the
hearsay rule in civil proceedings Background to the 2003 reform: Criminal
Law Revision Committee, Fraud Trials Committee, Law Commission and Auld
Review Reform: Criminal Justice Act 2003, Part 11, Chapter 2 Conclusion:
provisional assessment of the reform Scope Date of entry into force 2
Hearsay and the European Convention on Human Rights The confrontation
principle ECHR, Article 6 (3)(d) Who is a 'witness' for the purposes of
ECHR, Article 6(3)(d)? What is meant by 'a right to examine or have
examined witnesses against him'? To what extent, if any, is it ever
possible to base a conviction on the evidence of a witness or witnesses
whom the defendant was unable to 'examine or have examined', without
infringing his rights under ECHR, Article 6(3)(d)? The defendant's right to
confrontation-the case for a new system of taking evidence ahead of trial 3
The scope of the reform, the shape of the new exclusionary rule and the new
scheme of exceptions General scope of the new law Abolition of the common
law exclusionary rule: the demise of Kearley The new exclusionary rule: CJA
2003, sections 114(1) and 115 The new definition of hearsay: conclusion
Scheme of exceptions 4 Hearsay admitted by agreement 5 The 'inclusionary
discretion' and the general discretion to exclude Discretionary inclusion
under CJA 2003, section 114(1)(d): 'safetyvalve' or alternative tap? What
are 'the interests of justice'? Particular applications of section
114(1)(d) Discretionary exclusion: PACE, section 78 and CJA 2003, section
126 6 Statements of witnesses who are unavailable (CJA 2003, section 116)
History: earlier provisions The new provision: CJA 2003, section 116 7
Documentary hearsay (CJA 2003, section 117) History Underlying issue:
'records' of different types CJA 2003, section 117 Extra conditions for the
admissibility of police records Discretion to exclude Documentary evidence
and real evidence CJA 2003, section 117: conclusion 8 Other statutory
exceptions 9 Preserved common law exceptions (CJA 2003, section 118) Public
information, etc Reputation as to character Reputation or family tradition
Res gestae Confessions, etc Admissions by agents, etc Common enterprise
Expert evidence 10 Confessions (and other extra-judicial statements by
defendants) Introduction Defendant's extra-judicial confession as evidence
for the prosecution 1 Defendant's extra-judicial 'non-confession' as
evidence for the defence: mixed statements', etc Extra-judicial statement
of one co-defendant as evidence against another Extra-judicial statements
of one co-defendant as evidence for another Defendant's extra-judicial
statements: conclusion 11 Multiple hearsay 12 The rule against narrative
Introduction Rule against narrative is retained Rules about 'refreshment of
memory' are relaxed Other common law exceptions to the rule are reformed
and put into statutory form Where the previous statement of a witness is
admissible, it is now 'evidence of any matter stated in it' A practical
point: a previous statement, if in documentary form, must not normally be
given to the jury when it retires The rule against narrative: conclusion 13
Videotaped evidence-in-chief Introduction Background Annex: Youth Justice
and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, section 27 14 Other matters: experts (CJA
2003, section 127) and proof of documents (section 133) Expert evidence:
preparatory work Documents: evidential status of a copy 15 Practical issues
Taking, recording and preservation of statements, and the rules on access
to them Evidence on commission Requirement to give notice of hearsay
evidence: criminal procedure rules Deciding applications to admit hearsay
evidence and applications for hearsay to be excluded Time and place for
deciding on the application Giving reasons for the decision Credibility of
non-witnesses whose statements are admitted Enhanced status of a witness's
previous statements Stopping the case where the evidence is unconvincing
Directing juries