Dr Brian Brewis

Assistant Professor

School: Northumbria School of Law

Dr Brian Brewis is a Senior Lecturer at Northumbria Law School.

Brian completed his LLB (Hons) in 2010 and was awarded his PhD in 2017. His thesis, "Sexual Behaviour Evidence: A Critical Examination of Section 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999" focused on the evidence and cross-examination of complainants in sexual offence proceedings.

Brian's research interests include criminal evidence with a focus on sexual history evidence and bad character evidence and judicial/jury decision making.

Brian teaches modules on Evidence, Legal Skills and Sports Law. He is a Fellow of the Higher Edcuation Academy and is an external examiner at the Univeristy of Swansea.

Campus Address

Room 343, City Campus East

Email Brian

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Common law no more? Reinstating the section 275 admissibility test in Scottish sexual offence trials: Daly v HM Advocate: [2025] UKSC 38, Brewis, B. 12 Aug 2026, In: The Journal of Criminal Law
Sexual Behaviour Evidence in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division): Presenting the need for reform, Brewis, B., Dargue, P. 1 Dec 2025, In: The Journal of Criminal Law
Sexual behaviour evidence and evidence of bad character in sexual offence proceedings: Proposing a combined admissibility framework., Brewis, B., Jackson, A. 1 Feb 2020, In: The Journal of Criminal Law
The meaning of ‘reasonable belief in consent’ under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and the admissibility of bad character evidence under the Criminal Justice Act 2003: R v Hepburn [2020] EWCA Crim 820, Brewis, B., Storey, T. 1 Oct 2020, In: The Journal of Criminal Law
The interpretation of s. 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 and the impact of R. v A (No.2) ([2002] 1 A.C. 45), Brewis, B. 15 Jun 2016, In: The Journal of Criminal Law
Court of Appeal: Interpretation of s. 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999: Meaning of 'Sexual Behaviour of the Complainant', Brewis, B., Stockdale, M. Apr 2014, In: The Journal of Criminal Law
False allegations: the limitations of the ‘evidential basis test’: R v All-Hilly (Salaam David) [2014] EWCA Crim 1614, Stockdale, M., Brewis, B. Dec 2014, In: The Journal of Criminal Law
Interpretation of S. 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999: Meaning of ‘Sexual Behaviour of the Complainant’: R v RP [2013] EWCA Crim 2331, Brewis, B., Stockdale, M. 1 Apr 2014, In: Journal of Criminal Law
Sexual history evidence and impact on belief in consent, Brewis, B. Aug 2014, In: The Journal of Criminal Law
Admissibility of low Template DNA evidence, Stockdale, M., Brewis, B. Apr 2013, In: The Journal of Criminal Law