By Richard Vogler, Professor of Comparative Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, University of Sussex
George Orwell noticed the tendency of repressive law to degenerate into farce, when truth becomes a lie and common sense is heresy.[1] This is worth remembering today, when the Solicitor General, Michael Tomlinson KC, has concluded that it is a prosecutable offence for a climate campaigner, Trudi Warner to hold up a sign outside a criminal court, simply proclaiming one of the fundamental principles of the common law; the right of a jury to decide a case according to its conscience.[2] Presumably Mr Tomlinson will be taking the same action against those responsible for maintaining the fabric of the Old Bailey, where a historic plaque is proudly displayed, celebrating the “courage and enduranc...
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