Eleanor Laws QC and HHJ Rook QC delivered a day long training on how courts should treat vulnerable witnesses and defendants with reference to the Advocates Gateway.
Video recorded cross examination of a limited category of Vulnerable Witnesses has been piloted in three court centres (Liverpool, Leeds and Kingston) since 2014.
The Ministry of Justice has announced that video recorded cross-examinations will take place in every case involving an extended category of vulnerable witness within the next year.
This is a sea change in court procedure. All solicitors and barristers conducting criminal cases will now require a good working knowledge of the new provisions and how they will work in practice.
These cases are governed by a separate Judicial Protocol and practitioners must be familiar with the Advocates Gateway Tool kits, and the special provisions for Ground Rules Hearings.
Eleanor Laws QC will outline the new provisions and basic requirements for practitioners in this area.