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Stephen Mason, Barrister, with a team of international contributors
Publisher LexisNexis. Price: £178.21
ISBN/ISSN: 9781405749121. April 2010
Paper is terribly last millennium. Relevant material now regularly exists on servers, laptops, mobile telephones and a whole variety of gadgets. Pressure for electronic service and presentation of cases is coming from a variety of sources, such as the CPS’ digital drive starting this April. For counsel to advise properly, there is a need to understand the workings of these little black boxes, not only so that challenges can be made but also so that such technology can be used to best present one’s case.
Stephen Mason’s book is a wide-sweeping work that seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the issues involved for all aspects of electronic evidence.
Sensibly, it starts with general terms and the sources of digital evidence. The explanations on basics in computing are welcome and thankfully jargon free. No doubt due to the rapid changes in this world, it does not claim to be a comprehensive review of the technologies.
The absence of specific references to social networking and to tablet computing is a shame given their ubiquity and ever increasing use as a source of evidence. Such a point is minor, however, given the true strength of this book. The rebuttable presumption of a properly functioning computer is one in which we all be familiar. Professor Tapper’s suggestion that this is a “rash assumption in relation to such sophisticated devices, with so much potential error, as computers” is quoted with approval. Why this is the case and what one should do about it is fully addressed.
Issues of reliability, authenticity and quality are dealt with succinctly and elegantly. Mason gives a thorough guide not only on how to recognise whether there is a need to go beyond the face value of the evidence, but also authoritatively on the steps needed to mount a proper challenge.
Who knows what devices we can’t live without will exist in the near future. What is certain is that the need to understand electronic evidence thoroughly is going to become more important. Mason’s book is a valuable first step to that goal.
Neil Ross, 15 New bridge Street
Stephen Mason’s book is a wide-sweeping work that seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the issues involved for all aspects of electronic evidence.
Sensibly, it starts with general terms and the sources of digital evidence. The explanations on basics in computing are welcome and thankfully jargon free. No doubt due to the rapid changes in this world, it does not claim to be a comprehensive review of the technologies.
The absence of specific references to social networking and to tablet computing is a shame given their ubiquity and ever increasing use as a source of evidence. Such a point is minor, however, given the true strength of this book. The rebuttable presumption of a properly functioning computer is one in which we all be familiar. Professor Tapper’s suggestion that this is a “rash assumption in relation to such sophisticated devices, with so much potential error, as computers” is quoted with approval. Why this is the case and what one should do about it is fully addressed.
Issues of reliability, authenticity and quality are dealt with succinctly and elegantly. Mason gives a thorough guide not only on how to recognise whether there is a need to go beyond the face value of the evidence, but also authoritatively on the steps needed to mount a proper challenge.
Who knows what devices we can’t live without will exist in the near future. What is certain is that the need to understand electronic evidence thoroughly is going to become more important. Mason’s book is a valuable first step to that goal.
Neil Ross, 15 New bridge Street
Stephen Mason, Barrister, with a team of international contributors
Publisher LexisNexis. Price: £178.21
ISBN/ISSN: 9781405749121. April 2010
Paper is terribly last millennium. Relevant material now regularly exists on servers, laptops, mobile telephones and a whole variety of gadgets. Pressure for electronic service and presentation of cases is coming from a variety of sources, such as the CPS’ digital drive starting this April. For counsel to advise properly, there is a need to understand the workings of these little black boxes, not only so that challenges can be made but also so that such technology can be used to best present one’s case.
The Bar Council continues to call for investment for the justice system and represent the interests of our profession both at home and abroad
By Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
AlphaBiolabs has made a £500 donation to Sean’s Place, a men’s mental health charity based in Sefton, as part of its ongoing Giving Back initiative
Q&A with Tim Lynch of Jordan Lynch Private Finance
By Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Little has changed since Burns v Burns . Cohabiting couples deserve better than to be left on the blasted heath with the existing witch’s brew for another four decades, argues Christopher Stirling
Six months of court observation at the Old Bailey: APPEAL’s Dr Nisha Waller and Tehreem Sultan report their findings on prosecution practices under joint enterprise
The Amazonian artist’s first international solo exhibition is wholly relevant to current issues in social and environmental justice, says Stephen Cragg KC
Despite its prevalence, autism spectrum disorder remains poorly understood in the criminal justice system. Does Alex Henry’s joint enterprise conviction expose the need to audit prisons? asks Dr Felicity Gerry KC
It’s been five years since the groundbreaking QC competition in which six Black women barristers, including the 2025 Chair of the Bar, took silk. Yet today, the number of Black KCs remains ‘critically low’. Desirée Artesi talks to Baroness Scotland KC, Allison Munroe KC and Melanie Simpson KC about the critical success factors, barriers and ideas for embedding change
