Review: An Outline of the Law of Evidence
| Date | 01 July 1964 |
| Published date | 01 July 1964 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002201836402800309 |
| Subject Matter | Review |
200
THE
JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL LAW
has always
had
power to apply such money towards payment
of a fine,
but
this power may now be more widely exercised.
Section 26 of the 1963 Act allows
the
Court to make an
order transferring a fine to an appropriate Court where the
accused resides within the jurisdiction of another summary
Court
whether or
not
he applies for such atransfer. Formerly
this power could be exercised only on
the
application of
the
accused.
Review
AN OUTLINE OF THE LAW OF EVIDENCE. By Rupert Cross, D.C.L. and Nancy
Wilkins, Barrister-at-Law. Butterworth &Co. 27s. 6d. net.
With the second edition of
Dr.
Cross's masterly treatise on Evidence
fresh in mind one wonders why another book on evidence appears with his
name as one of the authors.
The
answer is given in the
preface-this
book
has been written as a sort of companion book to Cross and Jones' Introduction
to Criminal Law with a similar format, written in the form of article
and
explanation.
In
fourteen chapters are contained 77 "articles" which set
out
the
principles of the law of evidence in both civil and criminal cases.
Two
further
chapters link those principles with the proof of frequently recurring facts and
particular criminal cases, and a final chapter is devoted to
the
new Judges'
Rules.
The
book is avowedly shorn of all frills in the form of references to
academic literature or decisions from other jurisdictions and is devoted to
plain statements of principles followed by more detailed explanation.
It
is, therefore, not a comprehensive treatise on evidence,
but
as a
"swot"
book for revision purposes is excellent.
Students will unquestionably find it valuable.
It
is claimed
that
police
officers will welcome
it
as a book for promotion examinations,
but
it is pro-
bably too detailed for ordinary police purposes and might be found to be
rather heavy going.
This
is not to say that the content of the book is not good.
It
is indeed
excellent and the format and type promote easy reading.
Into
some 230 pages are compressed the major principles of the law of
evidence with references to statutes and decided cases up to
the
beginning of
1964.
This
book will probably become a standard text book for law students,
and
should be in police libraries for reference purposes.
To continue reading
Request your trial