Abuse of Process

Description:

BOOK REVIEW

ABUSE OF PROCESS: A practical approach

By Colin Wells

With contributions from Greg Foxsmith and Paul Hynes

LEGAL ACTION GROUP

www.lag.org.uk

ISBN: 1-903307-46-5

STAYING POWER OF THE DEFENCE

An appreciation by Phillip Taylor MBE of Richmond Green Chambers

When I did my first ‘abuse of process’ application I was not a happy man! The reason was that I could hardly find anything out about the subject and my instructions were sparse (to put it mildly). The problem was the lack of proper research into abuse of process proceedings, no detailed statements in our main books, and limited practitioner information which could only be found in Archbold initially. This was not helpful on the Western Circuit where Blackstone was preferred. Life has been made so much easier by this refreshing book on abuse of process by Colin Wells, aided and abetted by Rock Tansey QC and his excellent foreword, and all the 25 Bedford Row colleagues involved.

Wells has written a practical approach which supplements comprehensive coverage of criminal procedure with a practitioner’s link to tactical guidance, skeleton arguments and useful reference materials somewhat lacking elsewhere as I found to my cost some years ago. Rightly, his target audience will comprise criminal lawyers, police station advisers, Crown Prosecutors, HM Customs and Excise officials, criminal litigation students, not forgetting members of the Judiciary who will find the schematic overview very helpful.