Law digests: 9 May 2025

Appeal

R v Perry [2025] UKSC 17

This is an appeal to the Supreme Court in a criminal case from Northern Ireland. The certified question is whether the interpretation of a defence statement is a question of law for the trial judge. That would depend on the nature of the statement made in the defence statement and the purpose for which it is being relied upon. The key legal finding is that the interpretation of a paragraph in the appellant's defence statement raises a question of fact, not law, for the trial judge. The concurrent factual findings of the trial judge and Court of Appeal that the appellant lacked credibility should not be disturbed absent a misdirection or perverse conclusion.

Barrister

Taylor v The Bar Standards Board [2025] EWHC 1029 (Admin)

The Administrative Court allowed the appellant barrister’s statutory appeal pursuant to s 24 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013 against a sanction imposed by a disciplinary panel of the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service. The appellant barrister had admitted