Learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
- explain the rules for admissibility and presentation of expert evidence
- describe the duties and responsibilities of forensic experts
- discuss the challenges posed by expert evidence and how these might be overcome
- discuss the issues raised by expert evidence in the context of a miscarriage of justice.
The table below outlines the activities you will undertake in this course.
What to expect
| Activity 1 | Addressing ‘rape myths’ | 20 minutes | |
| Activity 2 | What do courts consider reliable expert evidence? | 30 minutes | |
| Online reading | Expert witnesses jailed in London after perjury on ‘industrial scale’ | 10 minutes | |
| Activity 3 | Should experts be immune? | 30 minutes | |
| Activity 4 | Which expert opinions are true and valid? | 30 minutes | |
| Activity 5 | The prosecutor’s fallacy | 20 minutes | |
| Activity 6 | Cadaver detector dogs | 30 minutes | |
| Activity 7 | Try your hand at using likelihood ratios | 20 minutes | |
| Activity 8 | Introduction to the Sally Clark case | 30 minutes | |
| Activity 9 | Preventing future miscarriages of justice | 30 minutes |
OpenLearn - Expert evidence and forensic science in the courtroom 
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