20/12/2022
In 1976 Dennis McGrory was acquitted of the murder of his common-law niece who was 15 years old at the time of her murder in 1975. At that time there was no ability to conduct DNA comparisons. However, in 2019 following the advances in scientific techniques high and low vaginal swabs taken from the deceased were analysed and showed potential matches to the DNA of the defendant. Tom Little KC advised the DPP on making a ‘double jeopardy’ application to the Court of Appeal to quash the 1976 acquittal. Tom made that application in 2021 and the acquittal was quashed by the Court of Appeal. The defendant was charged with offences of murder and rape and was convicted on 19th December 2022 following a trial prosecuted by Tom.
Press coverage of the conviction can be found here: Sex killer cleared of murdering girl nearly 50 years ago convicted in double jeopardy retrial
In this week’s edition Linda Nelson examines how and when to serve surveillance evidence, and how and when to respond to it; and John Schmitt asks whether it’s necessary to have a claim form re-sealed if it’s been amended prior to service, and urges caution…
This week Thomas Yarrow revisits the vexed question of the use of artificial intelligence in legal research – and our intrepid reporter finds that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. In fact the experience led him to such depths of despair that he…
This week Ben Rodgers relays two tales from the coalface, both relating to applications to resile from admissions. Readers will be interested to know that in both cases the court applied the balance of prejudice test with the result that the defendants’ applications were refused….
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