Question: Analyse current UK Law relating to the admissibility of expert opinion evidence in criminal trials.
Answer: As a general proposition, the rule in relation to criminal trials is that opinion evidence is inadmissible; a witness may only testify with regard to facts which he actually perceived and not of inferences drawn from those perceptions. In a criminal trial, the drawing of inferences is for the jury or other tribunal of fact and it is up to them to reach an opinion in any given matter, not the witness. Traditionally, the reason for this is that an opinion on its own is seen to have little, if any, probative weight and as such, if admitted, would usurp and undermine the very function of the trier of fact. In civil trials, the rule has been largely abrogated, however this is probably due to the fact that the vast majority of civil cases are not heard in front of a jury; it is felt that t......(short extract)
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Details: - Mark: 63% | Course: Law of Evidence | Year: 2nd/3rd | Words: 3420 | References: Yes | Date written: October, 2004 | Date submitted: October 11, 2008 | Coursework ID: 23
