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Last updateThu, 07 Dec 2023 1pm

New book is the expert’s guide to drink drive prosecutions

Joanne Caffrey picIn the UK it is not unlawful to drink and drive. It is only unlawful to drive while above the prescribed limit of alcohol or be unfit to drive through the amount of alcohol consumed.The prescribed limit also differs around the UK. Scotland, for example, has a stricter level than England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Prosecutions of suspected drink drivers sometimes fail because the police fail to follow correct procedures.

As an ex-police custody sergeant, police trainer and now expert witness, Joanne Caffrey has conducted in excess of 1,000 evidential drink drive procedures, taught officers what they should be doing, and provided courts with reports for what the officers did or did not do.


Family court expert report draws two cheers

0n8716Criticism from lawyers, judges and the press may be deterring health professionals from being expert witnesses in family cases. Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division, warned back in 2018 that the supply of expertise was ‘drying up’.

In autumn 2018 Sir Andrew established a working group to identify the scale of the problem, to look at the causes and to identify possible solutions. Mr Justice Williams was appointed to chair the group with representation from the judiciary, legal profession, royal medical colleges and other interested bodies.

Authored by AI - Here be crypto dragons: it’s all about the evidence, proclaims the CastellGhostWriteBot

Can you tell if this has been authored by a robot? Would it matter, legally or otherwise, if you couldn’t?

Are you crypto-friendly, or if not, at least crypto-aware?

Bitcoin is on a rollercoaster – zooming up and down in value. Who can predict which way or by how much? Are you one of the early adopters, adroitly enjoying the financial thrills and spills of a Bitcoin punt, despite allegations of ‘crypto whales’ manipulating the market for their own devious gain?

When it comes to supporting the rule of law, experts matter

Lord Neuberger delivered the keynote address at the annual conference of the Expert Witness Institute at Church House, Westminster in September. ELIZABETH ROBSON TAYLOR of Richmond Green Chambers summarises the highlights.

Looking back on autumn, lawyers will recall that it isn’t just a season of mists and mellow fruitfulness – although most do enjoy those. With predictable regularity, the falling leaves of autumn not only herald in the new legal year, they also create a really quite inspiring backdrop for fruitful new opportunities to meet, greet, network, contemplate and confer.

Tyre expert’s evidence in multi-fatal accident supports change to tyre laws

A campaign to ban the use of tyres more than 10 years old on public service and commercial vehicles has moved a step nearer to success, with the announcement by the Transport Secretary that there will be a consultation on the issue.

The campaign – named Tyred – has attracted considerable attention in the North of England since its launch by Frances Molloy, whose son Michael was one of three people killed in 2012 when the minibus they were travelling in on the way home from a music festival veered off the road and crashed.