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23 September 2020 / Alec Samuels
Issue: 7903 / Categories: Features , Criminal
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R v Broughton: can this be right?

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R v Broughton: a strong prosecution case on the face of the evidence, but a quashed conviction. Alec Samuels reviews the case

In brief

  • In Broughton the jury convicted but the Court of Appeal quashed the conviction.

At the Bestival musical festival in 2017, the defendant (D) gave and supplied his girlfriend (V) some illegal drugs. Furthermore he ‘bumped them up’, that is to say he added something stronger than was normally to be expected. D took V to an adjoining wood. V took the drugs. V became visibly seriously ill and distressed, showing the classic signs of illegal drug abuse. D did not call the police or the gig officials. D was subject to a suspended sentence, so apprehensive about doing so.

After some delay D did call V’s parents, who lived some hours distance away (and set off by car). Eventually D did call the gig officials; but unfortunately there was a misunderstanding over location, and it took quite a long time finally to locate

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