How 'sure' do we have to be before deciding that something is true 'beyond a reasonable doubt'

Related Sector: Expert Witness

The Crown Court Bench Book provides that 'being sure is the same as entertaining no reasonable doubt'. This is an inherently vague concept, and one that is influenced by the expert in a number of ways.

At the annual Bond Solon Expert Witness Conference, Human Rights Laywer, Clive Stafford Smith, carried out an on-the-spot survey of our delegates by asking them to measure their level of certainty of a 'diagnosis' beyond a reasonable doubt.

See the full results here.

This article was first published in Solicitors Journal (www.solicitorsjournal.com) on 10th November 2016 and is reproduced by kind permission.