Speed, R. v

Speed, R. v

The judge's direction on the relevance of the appellant's previous convictions was fair, tailored to the evidence, and did not amount to misdirection; the appellant's tactical choice to adduce his record justified the jury considering its impact on credibility.

Parties
Prosecution: Regina; Defendant: Robert James Speed
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Judgment Date
07 October 2013
Procedural Posture
Criminal Appeal / Judgment on Appeal
Outcome
appeal dismissed
Legal Topics
Bad Character Evidence, Credibility, Sexual Offences, Jury Directions
Criminal Law Bad Character Evidence Credibility Sexual Offences Jury Directions

Case Brief

Summary, issues, holding and outcome

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Parties

Regina

Prosecution

Robert James Speed

Defendant

Procedural Posture

Criminal Appeal / Judgment on Appeal

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Whether the trial judge erred in directing the jury on the relevance of the appellant's previous convictions to credibility.
  2. 2 Whether the appellant's previous convictions could be used to support the prosecution's case.
  3. 3 Whether the judge's summing-up was unfair or amounted to misdirection.

Ratio Decidendi

The judge's direction on the relevance of the appellant's previous convictions was fair, tailored to the evidence, and did not amount to misdirection; the appellant's tactical choice to adduce his record justified the jury considering its impact on credibility.

Court Disposition

appeal dismissed