header-logo header-logo

Silent witness

24 February 2015 / Tracey Stretton
Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Technology , Jackson
printer mail-detail

Tracey Stretton highlights the power of electronic evidence

Somewhere between conviction and appeal in the widely publicised Oscar Pistorius trial, I find myself thinking not only about the tragedy that occurred two years ago but also about justice and about the power that electronic evidence has to shape it. I am going to perhaps disappoint you now by expressing no opinion on the case, even though I am a South African lawyer, mainly because I do not feel equipped to do so and because we are somewhere between a conviction and an appeal.

Watching a trial played out in the media is no match for reading the actual transcripts of the trial, studying the legal concepts and working with forensic experts to form a proper view of the evidence. Many of us have felt for some time, however, that there were silent witnesses in the room on the fateful night that Reeva Steenkamp was shot. These took the shape of iPhones and iPads which might have revealed what happened. I thought it would be instructive

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Freeths—Ruth Clare

Freeths—Ruth Clare

National real estate team bolstered by partner hire in Manchester

Farrer & Co—Claire Gordon

Farrer & Co—Claire Gordon

Partner appointed head of family team

mfg Solicitors—Neil Harrison

mfg Solicitors—Neil Harrison

Firm strengthens agriculture and rural affairs team with partner return

NEWS
Conveyancing lawyers have enjoyed a rapid win after campaigning against UK Finance’s decision to charge for access to the Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has launched a recruitment drive for talented early career and more senior barristers and solicitors
Regulators differed in the clarity and consistency of their post-Mazur advice and guidance, according to an interim report by the Legal Services Board (LSB)
The dangers of uncritical artificial intelligence (AI) use in legal practice are no longer hypothetical. In this week's NLJ, Dr Charanjit Singh of Holborn Chambers examines cases where lawyers relied on ‘hallucinated’ citations — entirely fictitious authorities generated by AI tools
The Solicitors Act 1974 may still underpin legal regulation, but its age is increasingly showing. Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Morrison-Hughes of the Association of Costs Lawyers argues that the Act is ‘out of step with modern consumer law’ and actively deters fairness
back-to-top-scroll