Welcome to the July edition of our monthly Criminal Appeals Bulletin.

The Bulletin aims to highlight recent changes in case law and procedure in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, the Caribbean and Hong Kong and to provide practical guidance to those advising on appellate matters. Our monthly case summaries illustrate when an appellate court is likely to interfere with conviction or sentence, as well as looking at the courts’ approach to procedural matters. The featured article provides an in-depth commentary on a current appeal topic - in this edition James Wood QC looks at the CACD’s treatment of challenges to safety based on the use of anonymous witnesses and calls for the implementation of special counsel.

I look at the latest CACD response to grounds criticising the summing up, an attempt to re-open an appeal after the final hearing, LCJ’s consideration of an appeal against Crown Court reporting restrictions, and the NICA’s approach to fresh evidence challenging the reliability of a confession statement.

Richard Thomas looks at the latest Hong Kong appeals involving challenges to convictions based on criticisms of the translator, and of trial counsel.

I look at the decision from the Caribbean Court of Justice declaring the mandatory death penalty in Barbados unconstitutional.

Doughty Street has some of the most experienced appellate practitioners at the Bar, including the contributors to the leading works on appellate procedure - The Criminal Appeals Handbook, Taylor on Criminal Appeals, Blackstones Criminal Practice (appeals section), Halsbury’s Laws (Appeals).

Please feel free to e-mail us or to call our crime team on 020 7400 9088. We also offer our instructing solicitors a free Advice Line, where they can discuss initial ideas about possible appeals, at no cost to them or their client.  More information on our services can be found on our website.

We hope that the bulletin is of interest to you. 

Paul Taylor QC

Head of the DSC Criminal Appeals Unit