“A criminal trial is not a game under which the guilty defendant should be provided with a sporting chance. It is a search for truth in accordance with the twin principles that the prosecution must prove its case and that a defendant is not obliged to inculpate himself, the object being to convict the guilty and acquit the innocent. Requiring a defendant to indicate in advance what he disputes about the prosecution case offends neither of those principles.”
“(3) In the following sequence – (a) the prosecutor may summarise the prosecution case, concisely identifying the relevant law, outlining the facts and indicating the matters likely to be in dispute; (b) to help the members of the court to understand the case and resolve any issue in it, the court may invite the defendant concisely to identify what is in issue ….” (a) the prosecutor may summarise the prosecution case, concisely identifying the relevant law, outlining the facts and indicating the matters likely to be in dispute; (b) to help the members of the court to understand the case and resolve any issue in it, the court may invite the defendant concisely to identify what is in issue ….”
“[29] … Suppose that in the present case the matter had proceeded to a summary trial in the way that the parties originally expected. Because of the way that the issues were identified in the case progression form, the prosecution would not have thought it necessary to adduce identification evidence. If then, after the prosecution had called its evidence dealing with the nature of the events, Miss Firth had submitted that there was no case to answer because there was no proof of identification, Mr Grout recognises that there would be a problem. To put it colloquially, the prosecution would have been led up the garden path. He submits that it would not be possible in those circumstances for the prosecution to introduce the case progression form. Rather the appropriate course would be for the prosecution to seek an adjournment. As a matter of practical reality, the case would then have to go off to a future date, probably before a different bench of magistrates, and the prosecution would have to set about seeing whether they could obtain further identification evidence, involving identification parades, by now a considerable time after the incident. [30] If one asks rhetorically whether that approach is consistent with the object of theCriminal Procedure Rules 2010 , i.e. whether it would further the interests of justice, do fairness and encourage expedition, the answers are obvious. I see no unfairness, in such a case, in the prosecution being able to put in evidence the case progression form.”
“Given that statutory regime in the Crown Court embedded primarily in the CPIA and the Criminal Procedure Rules, and the obligation to put “cards on the table” through the attendance of the trial advocate at the PCMH, the requirements of a PCMH form in the Crown Court should be seen primarily as a means for the provision of information to enable a judge actively to manage the case up to and throughout the trial, and the parties to know the issues that have to be addressed and the witnesses who are to come. The nature of the defence should appear from the defence statement with the statutory consequences provided for in the event of a breach of requirements. The Crown is also generally protected by the principles in the Chorley Magistrates' Court case and R v Penner, if in breach of the obligation to identify the issues an ambush is attempted by the defence.”
“Applying what we have set out, therefore, the position should be, provided the case is conducted in accordance with the letter and spirit of the Criminal Procedure Rules, that information or a statement written on a PCMH Form should in the exercise of the court’s discretion under s.78 not be admitted in evidence as a statement that can be used against the defendant. The information is provided to assist the court. Experience has shown that, unless the position is clear, the proper administration of justice is hampered. There may of course be cases where it would be right not to exercise the discretion but to admit such statements. Those circumstances are fact specific, but an example is a case where there was no defence statement, despite the judge asking for one to be provided, and an ambush attempted inconsistent with what was stated on the PCMH Form. In such a case it would not be appropriate to exercise the discretion to refuse to admit what was stated on the form, if an adjournment to enable the Crown to deal with the issue could be avoided. However, we think, provided the parties adhere to the letter and the spirit of the Criminal Procedure Rules and follow the practices we have outlined, such cases should be very, very rare.”
“The issue of a practice direction is the exercise of an inherent power, … and … it cannot be open to another judge of the court to which the practice direction is intended to apply to ignore that practice direction or to suggest in a judgment that a practice direction should no longer be followed in that court.”
“Immediately prior to the commencement of a trial, the legal adviser must summarise for the court the agreed and disputed issues, together with the way in which the parties propose to present their cases. If this is done by way of pre-court briefing, it should be confirmed in court or agreed with the parties.”
“24B.3 The parties should keep in mind that, in most cases, the members of the court already will be aware of what has been declared to be in issue. The court will have access to any written admissions and to information supplied for the purposes of case management: CrimPR 24.13(2). The court’s legal adviser will have drawn the court’s attention to what is alleged and to what is understood to be in dispute: CrimPR 24.15(2). If a party has nothing of substance to add to that, then he or she should say so. The requirement to be concise will be enforced and the exchange with the court properly may be confined to enquiry and confirmation that the court’s understanding of those allegations and issues is correct. Nevertheless, for the defendant to be offered an opportunity to identify issues at this stage may assist even if all he or she wishes to announce, or confirm, is that the prosecution is being put to proof. 24B.4 The identification of issues at the case management stage will have been made without the risk that they would be used at trial as statements of the defendant admissible in evidence against the defendant, provided the advocate follows the letter and the spirit of the Criminal Procedure Rules. The court may take the view that a party is not acting in the spirit of the Criminal Procedure Rules in seeking to ambush the other party or raising late and technical legal arguments that were not previously raised as issues. No party that seeks to ambush the other at trial should derive an advantage from such a course of action. The court may also take the view that a defendant is not acting in the spirit of the Criminal Procedure Rules if he or she refuses to identify the issues and puts the prosecutor to proof at the case management stage. In both such circumstances the court may limit the proceedings on the day of trial in accordance with CrimPR 3.11(d). In addition any significant divergence from the issues identified at case management at this late stage may well result in the exercise of the court’s powers under CrimPR 3.5(6), the powers to impose sanctions.”
“The defendant [carried out][took part] in the conduct alleged: - No. The defendant was present at the scene of the offence alleged: Yes. The defendant was correctly identified: - Yes The defendant was arrested lawfully: - Yes. Defendant’s interview [summary][record] is accurate: - Yes – No comment.”
“I do not remember any of these incidents. I put the prosecution to proof.”
“We found the evidence of Mr Lowe, a fully independent witness, to be reliable and consistent. We found that Ms Santos was assaulted by being forcefully and violently pushed, resulting in her falling over a low wall and that the assailant ran after her and repeatedly kicked out at her. We noted the appellant’s no comment interview and the acceptance on the PET form of presence at the scene. We drew an adverse inference from his failure to give evidence in court. We were satisfied so that we were sure that Mr Valiati was the perpetrator of the attack on Ms Santos and found him guilty of assault by beating.”
“(i) When reaching our verdict were we entitled to consider the following questions on the PET form that were answered in the affirmative part 3 paragraph 8.1 The defendant was present at the scene of the offence alleged; The defendant was correctly identified; The defendant was lawfully arrested; even though they were not contained within part three, paragraph 9 PET form that is entitled ‘Admissions’? (ii) Were we entitled to find that the perpetrator of the assault was the defendant, in the absence of specific identification evidence being presented by the Crown?”
“The defendant [carried out][took part] in the conduct alleged: - This was left blank but this and the following question were bracketed and marked “See below”
“1. Did not provoke incident and not aggressor 2. Any violence used in reasonable self-defence. 3. Did not take part in joint enterprise attack on either complainant. 4. Accepts picked up mobile but at the time did not realise belonged to complainant. deny comments alleged by [one of the complainants]. 5. Admissibility of Q & A with PC Ramchandan (Breach of PACE - Interview without caution or appropriate adult).”
“Notwithstanding the comments made in the PET form, we were of the opinion that the evidence of the two complainants was sufficient to place the appellant at the scene of the incident for the reasons we have already mentioned [regarding the rejection of the submission of no case to answer]. The issue of mistaken identity was not raised as a trial issue. We felt that the witnesses’ evidence alone (and not in conjunction with what was stated in the PET form) was sufficient to satisfy us, to the criminal standard, that the appellant was guilty of the offences with which she has been charged.”