EXPERT witnesses have been a puzzle for the legal system for more than a century. The book Laws of Men and Laws of Nature traces their tale back to 18the-century arguments about the causes of the decline of Wells harbour on England’s east coast (Â鶹´«Ã½, 28 August, p 51). More recent cases have brought into focus the more human consequences of flawed expert evidence.
Hazel Blears, the Home Office minister responsible for crime reduction, policing and community safety, tells me that there are five important issues involved in ensuring the quality of expert evidence used in the investigation…
