Published 29 April 2021
Unreliable witness testimony has been the biggest cause of miscarriages of justice over the past half century, a major new study suggests. The research also suggests that regulations governing the powers of police have been effective in reducing wrongful convictions caused by unreliable confessions.
Unreliable witness testimony has been the biggest cause of miscarriages of justice over the past half century, a major new study suggests.
The research also suggests that regulations governing the powers of police have been effective in reducing wrongful convictions caused by unreliable confessions.
Dr. Rebecca Helm, from the University of Exeter Law School, led the analysis of more than two hundred and fifty miscarriages of justice that have occurred in England & Wales over the last fifty years. This research has led to a new publicly available database of over 350 convictions overturned due to factual error in England and Wales and elsewhere in the U.K., f
Dr Charlotte Bishop
A University of Exeter expert is advising on legal reforms designed to better protect people from abuse using intimate images.
The Law Commission is currently conducting a review of the existing criminal law on so called “revenge porn”. This often includes sharing, or threatening to share, intimate images or videos of someone, either on or offline, without their consent.
Before a consultation began last month the Law Commission consulted experts, including Dr Charlotte Bishop, from the University of Exeter Law School, other academics and the Revenge Porn Helpline. Dr Bishop will also be taking part in stakeholder events throughout the consultation period including an academic roundtable to discuss the provisional proposals for reform.
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‘Fake News Law’ needed to protect public against spread of fake news, experts argue
Dr Helm and Professor Nasu argue the best way to reduce the harmful effects of fake news is likely to be to prevent its creation in the first place, and that criminal sanctions may be the most effective way to do this.
There is an urgent need to regulate fake news, and even criminalising the deliberate creation and spread of false information should not be ruled out, legal experts have warned.
University of Exeter legal experts have said restrictions on freedom of expression to reduce the spread and adverse impact of fake news are inevitable. Their research has shown such restrictions can be introduced legally, and must be introduced by the government rather than social media platforms in order to protect the public and democracy.