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21 May 2021 / Theo Huckle KC
Issue: 7933 / Categories: Opinion , Legal aid focus , Criminal
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Post Office postscript: what price justice?

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The PO cases bring into sharp relief serious failings & inaccessibility on both criminal & civil sides of our justice system, says Theo Huckle QC

In his comment piece here on 7 May, Jon Robins posed the question as to whether the Post Office (PO) scandal is just one example of miscarriage of justice in a system no longer fit for purpose (see ‘Post Office: far from the end of the road?’ NLJ 7 May 2021, p7). He queried in particular whether the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), established under s 8 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 in the aftermath of the 1970s miscarriage cases (Guildford Four; Birmingham Six; Maguire Seven; Judith Ward) and the ensuing Royal Commission on Criminal Justice report of July 1993, was fulfilling its intended function given the drastic reduction in its funding and, consequently, in the number of cases it referred to the Court of Appeal. Dr Robins referred to specific cases (Malkinson; Benquit) of convictions in

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NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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