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24 February 2015 / Tracey Stretton
Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Technology , Jackson
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Silent witness

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

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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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