August EWJ 24 - Flipbook - Page 89
Collaborative Progress in Justice:
MEWA LLP and Cambridgeshire Police
by Mark Nicol, Medical Expert Witness Alliance (MEWA) LLP www.mewa.org.uk
In a recent collaborative effort between MEWA LLP
and Cambridgeshire Police, a significant advancement
has been made in the process of arranging expert witnesses for Crown Court hearings. The collaboration
began when Sasha Motley, Acting Detective Inspector
at Cambridgeshire Police, reached out to MEWA LLP
on September 22, 2023. This partnership aimed to
address the logistical challenges and reluctance
surrounding expert witnesses' attendance in person
at court hearings.
Our initial conversation focused on understanding
each other's processes and identifying ways to enhance
efficiency on both sides. During the meeting, we developed a process and created templates to streamline
operations. Sasha and her team outlined the cases
they were struggling with and sought solutions to the
reluctance of expert witnesses.
In the weeks that followed, MEWA engaged with
paediatric radiology experts to address these issues.
Due to the limited number of specialists in this field
who also have experience providing court reports,
finding experts willing and able to take on this work
is challenging.
Historically, it has been a standard practice for expert
witnesses to attend court in person to provide
evidence in criminal hearings. However, the COVID19 pandemic and subsequent national lockdowns necessitated a shift to remote testimonies via video links.
While other court proceedings continued to embrace
this practice post-lockdown, Crown Courts have been
more resistant to this change. This reluctance has led
to numerous delays, as police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) struggled to find experts willing
to sacrifice entire days to travel across the country for
in-person testimonies.
One expert, based in Scotland, expressed concern with
traveling for in-person court appearances and highlighted the logistical challenge of traveling long distances. He recounted past experiences where he had to
dedicate three days to attend court. Another expert's
main concern was the lack of firm timetables, which
made it difficult to schedule their work commitments.
They emphasized that more concrete dates and times
would allow for better planning and availability.
The dialogue between MEWA and Cambridgeshire
Police continued, leading to my visit to Thorpe Wood
Police Station to review the new case processes in detail. A final draft of our collaborative plan was submitted a week later. On December 19, 2023,
Cambridgeshire Police held a meeting with senior staff
and a senior Judge in Cambridgeshire to discuss the
possibility of utilizing video evidence for child abuse
Recognizing the need for a solution, Sasha Motley and
a colleague travelled from Peterborough to Birmingham to meet with Lei Zhang and myself, Mark Nicol,
at MEWA LLP. Both parties entered the discussion
with cautious optimism, unsure of what to expect
from each other. Yet, through this collaboration, it became evident that both MEWA and Cambridgeshire
Police shared a commitment to improving the system.
EXPERT WITNESS JOURNAL
87
AUGUST 2024
