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24 January 2008 / Peter Gooderham
Issue: 7305 / Categories: Features , Public , Child law , Constitutional law
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Five years on

Have any lessons been learned from Sally Clark's case? asks Peter Gooderham

It is approximately five years since Sally Clark’s second appeal was successful and she was freed from prison having served three years for the murder of two of her sons, before the conviction was overturned (see R v Clark [2003] EWCA Crim 1020, [2003] All ER (D) 223 (Apr)). The case has acquired widespread notoriety, chiefly because of issues relating to statistical and pathological evidence. Some important changes relating to expert evidence have taken place as a result of this case.

 

LEARNING FROM

A key feature of was criticism of some of the medical expert witnesses involved. Some have had their reputations ruined, and careers damaged. It remains a matter of debate whether, and to what extent, this is justified.

 

Professor Sir Roy Meadow, a paediatrician, was found guilty of serious professional misconduct (SPM) by the General Medical Council (GMC), and struck off. He had quoted misleading statistics from a government publication, Confidential

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

DAC Beachcroft—Clare Dewar

DAC Beachcroft—Clare Dewar

DAC Beachcroft strengthens Scottish real estate capabilitywith partner appointment

Womble Bond Dickinson—Brendan Ryan

Womble Bond Dickinson—Brendan Ryan

Womble Bond Dickinson appoints Brendan Ryan as partner in Public Law Projects team

Parklane Plowden Chambers—five appointments

Parklane Plowden Chambers—five appointments

Parklane Plowden Chambers welcomes five new barristers

NEWS
A time-restricted bank tax, a ‘roadmap to fiscal devolution’, extension to parental leave, entrepreneur’s relief and a giveaway on energy bills for households are the headlines in Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey’s 2026 Autumn Budget
A Court of Appeal judge has lamented the ‘very concerning’ state of the law on employee inventor compensation after a chemist’s case took five-and-a-half years to reach court, eventually being listed for a 37-day trial next year
The Law Society has emphasised that responsibility remains human, in a practice note on artificial intelligence (AI)
Respect orders, which enable police, councils, housing associations, transport networks and other authorities to take enforcement action against anti-social behaviour, have come into force across England and Wales
The Land Registry has launched two consultations aimed at making its information more publicly accessible, ‘Restructuring HM Land Registry fees’, and ‘Future of access to HM Land Registry information’
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