Public lecture discusses legal reform

Law expert Professor David Ormerod QC has given a public lecture at Northumbria Law School exploring: The Scope of Reform for Offences Against the Person.

Professor Ormerod is the Law Commissioner for England and Wales responsible for Criminal Law, Evidence and Procedure. Previously he has been a practicing member of 18 Red Lion Court, specialising in serious Fraud cases. He is also Professor of Criminal Justice at Queen Mary, University of London and is the author of Smith and Hogan’s Criminal Law and editor of Blackstone’s Criminal Practice and of the Criminal Law Review.

The legislation governing offences against the person dates back to 1861. In its recent scoping consultation paper, the Law Commission asks whether the Act is so defective in principle and practice that it ought to be reformed. The Commission cites the 1998 Home Office draft Bill on offences of Violence as a possible model for any future reform.

Professor Ormerod discussed the Law Commission’s approach to criminal law reform and outlined the background to the consultation paper. He raised a number of issues including: Are the 1861 Act offences still fit for purpose? How much difference would a clear modern statute with a hierarchy of offences make? Should any future reform include provisions dealing with transmission of disease?

Kevin Kerrigan, Executive Dean for Northumbria Law School and Newcastle Business School, said: “We were delighted to welcome Professor Ormerod to Northumbria Law School and to hear his insightful and highly engaging lecture on this important legal debate. With a national and international reputation for excellence in legal education, we aim to give out students every opportunity to learn from the finest legal minds around, and this was just the latest example of this approach. We have a strong track record of attracting the best here, both to give public lectures but also to our research strengths through the globally renowned Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice, which brings together leading academics, judges and lawyers.