‘Lawful excuse’ and the jury as a cornerstone of a legitimate criminal justice system

23rd November 2023Tom Andrews, Lecturer in Policing, University of Derby

The recent ‘not guilty’ court verdict against nine Just Stop Oil protestors who admitted deliberately smashing the windows of a bank HQ in London might suggest that the finding was completely at odds with the law; but as former police officer and University of Derby Policing Lecturer Tom Andrews explains, the ‘lawful excuse’ defence offered in this and other cases is a long-standing and crucial element of the jury-based justice system.

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