Bench books
Bench books
The two documents a judge actually reaches for, published only as PDFs of 342, 577 and 227 pages. Indexed by chapter, with a direct link to the page each one starts on.
Crown Court Compendium, Part I — Jury and Trial Management
Crown Court Compendium Part 1 - Oct 25 (Mar 26 update)577 pages138 chapters indexed
Open the full PDF at judiciary.uk →- 1Preliminariesp19
- 1-2The purpose and structure of the Compendiump21
- 1-3Timing of directions of lawp22
- 1-4Written directions and routes to verdictp24
- 2Jury managementp27
- 2-2Challenge and stand down of a jurorp35
- 2-3Alternate jurorsp37
- 2-4Discharging a juror or juryp39
- 2-5Conducting a viewp44
- 3Trial managementp47
- 3-2Defendant unfit to plead and/or stand trialp54
- 3-3Trial in the absence of the defendantp57
- 3-4Trial of one defendant in the absence of another/othersp61
- 3-5Defendant in personp63
- 3-6Special measuresp75
- 3-7Intermediariesp79
- 3-8Anonymous witnessesp82
- 3-9Interpretersp84
- 4Functions of judge and juryp87
- 5Burden and standard of proofp91
- 6Indictmentp94
- 6-3Multiple incident and specimen countsp97
- 6-4Alternative verdictsp103
- 6-5Agreement on the factual basis of the verdictp106
- 7Criminal liabilityp109
- 7-2Joint participation in an offencep112
- 7-3Joint principalsp113
- 7-4Accessory/secondary liabilityp115
- 7-5Withdrawal from joint criminal activityp128
- 7-6Conspiracyp131
- 7-7Criminal attemptsp138
- 7-8Causationp140
- 8States of mindp147
- 8-2Recklessnessp151
- 8-3Malicep155
- 8-4Wilfulnessp157
- 8-5Knowledge, belief and suspicionp159
- 8-6Dishonestyp164
- 8-7Mistakep170
- 9Intoxicationp173
- 10Evidence – generalp179
- 10-2Corroboration and the special need for cautionp183
- 10-3Expert evidencep188
- 10-4Delayp195
- 10-5Evidence of children and vulnerable witnessesp200
- 11Good characterp207
- 12Bad characterp216
- 12-2Directions applicable to all CJA s.101(1) “gateways”p219
- 12-3S.101(1)(a) – Agreed evidencep221
- 12-4S.101(1)(b) – Evidence of bad character adduced by the defendantp223
- 12-5S.101(1)(c) – Important explanatory evidencep225
- 12-6S.101(1)(d) – Relevant to an important matter in issue between the defendant and the prosecutionp227
- 12-7S.101(1)(e) – Substantial probative value in relation top234
- 12-8S.101(1)(f) – Evidence to correct a false impression given by the defendant about themselfp237
- 12-9S.101(1)(g) – Defendant’s attack on another person’s characterp240
- 12-10S.100 – Non-defendant’s bad characterp242
- 13Cross-admissibilityp245
- 14Hearsayp252
- 14-2Hearsay – witness absent – s.116p256
- 14-3Hearsay – business documents – s.117p259
- 14-4Hearsay – introduced by agreement – s.114(1)(c)p261
- 14-5Hearsay – interests of justice – s.114(1)(d)p263
- 14-6Hearsay – previous inconsistent statement – s.119p264
- 14-7Hearsay – previous inconsistent statement of hostile witness – s.119p267
- 14-8Hearsay – statement to refresh memory – ss.139 and 120(3)p270
- 14-9Hearsay – statement to rebut an allegation of recent fabricationp272
- 14-10Hearsay – statement as evidence of person, object or place – s.120 (4) and (5)p274
- 14-11Hearsay – statement of matters now forgotten – s.120 (4) and (6)p276
- 14-12Hearsay – statement of complaint – s.120 (4), (7) and (8)p278
- 14-13Hearsay – res gestae – spontaneous exclamation – s.118(1) and (4)p280
- 14-14Hearsay – statements in furtherance of a common enterprisep282
- 14-15Hearsay – out of court statements made by one defendantp285
- 14-16Hearsay – multiple hearsay – s.121p289
- 15Identificationp291
- 15-2Identification from visual images: comparison by the juryp296
- 15-3Identification from visual images by a witness who knows D and so is able to recognise themp301
- 15-4Identification from visual images by a witness who has special knowledgep304
- 15-5Identification by facial mappingp307
- 15-6Fingerprints and other impressionsp311
- 15-7Identification by voicep318
- 15-8Identification by DNAp323
- 15-9Glossaryp333
- 16Defendant – things saidp335
- 16-2Exculpatory statementsp341
- 16-3Liesp342
- 17Defendant – things not said or donep347
- 17-2No account given for objects, substances or marks s.36p357
- 17-3Refusal to provide intimate samplesp361
- 17-4Failure to make proper disclosure of the defence casep363
- 17-5Defendant’s silence at trialp368
- 17-6Defendant’s failure to call witnesses to support their defencep374
- 18Defences – generalp375
- 18-2Alibip389
- 18-3Duressp391
- 18-4Sane automatismp396
- 18-5M’Naghten insanity including insane automatismp399
- 18-6Defences available to people subject to slavery or other relevant exploitationp404
- 18-7Consent where charged with strangulationp413
- 19Homicidep418
- 19-2Diminished responsibility – abnormality of mental functioningp422
- 19-3Loss of controlp433
- 19-4Gross negligence manslaughterp445
- 19-5Unlawful act/Constructive act manslaughterp450
- 19-6Causing or allowing a child or vulnerable adult to die or suffer serious physical harmp455
- 19-7Hierarchy of “defences to murder”1462p465
- 20Sexual offencesp474
- 20-2Sexual offences – historical allegationsp487
- 20-3Sexual offences – grooming of childrenp489
- 20-4Sexual offences – consent and reasonable belief in consentp491
- 20-5Sexual offences – capacity and voluntary intoxicationp497
- 21Verdicts and deliberationsp501
- 21-2Plea of guilty whilst the defendant is in the charge of the juryp502
- 21-3Withdrawing a count from the juryp503
- 21-4Unanimous verdicts and deliberationsp504
- 21-5Adjournments during deliberationp507
- 21-6Taking partial verdictsp509
- 21-7Majority verdictsp511
- 21-8The Watson directionp513
- 21-9If the jury ultimately cannot reach verdictsp515
- 21-10Final remarks to the jury after verdictsp516
- 22Appendix Ip517
- 1-2Foreword (to the June 2023 edition) by Lord Justice Dingemans, Vicep519
- 1-3Foreword (to the June 2022 edition) by Lord Justice Fulford, outgoingp521
- 1-4Foreword (to the August 2021 edition) by Lord Justice Edisp522
- 1-5Foreword (to the December 2020 edition) by Lord Justice Holroyde,p524
- 1-6Foreword (to the December 2019 edition) by the Lord Chief Justice ofp526
- 1-7Foreword (to the 2018 edition) by The Rt Hon Sir Brian Levesonp529
- 1-8Sir David Maddison and HH John Waitp530
- 1-10Foreword (April 2016)p531
- 1-11Acknowledgements (April 2016)p533
- 23Appendix IIp535
- 24Appendix IIIp540
- 24-2JUROR QUESTIONNAIREp541
- 25Appendix IVp545
- 26Appendix Vp547
- 27Appendix VIp555
- 28Appendix VIIp568
- 29Appendix VIIIp572
Crown Court Compendium, Part II — Sentencing
Crown Court Compendium Part 2 - Oct 25 (Mar 26 update)227 pages13 chapters indexed
Open the full PDF at judiciary.uk →- Generalp11
- Pre-sentencing mattersp23
- Disposals (general)p36
- Disposals for childrenp55
- Disposals for adultsp82
- Further powers of sentencingp145
- Consequences of conviction and/or sentencep170
- Passing sentencep177
- After sentencingp181
- Breach, revocation or amendment of ordersp184
- Template for sentencep191
- Communicating sentences to childrenp195
- Use of s.66 Courts Act 2003p218
Equal Treatment Bench Book
ETBB - July 2024 (February 2026 update)342 pages12 chapters indexed
Open the full PDF at judiciary.uk →- 1Litigants in person and lay representativesp19
- 2Children, young people and vulnerable adultsp37
- 3Physical disabilityp75
- 4Mental disabilityp86
- 5Capacity (mental)p106
- 6Sexp118
- 7Modern slaveryp144
- 8Race and ethnicityp149
- 9Religionp178
- 10Sexual orientationp188
- 11Social exclusion and povertyp194
- 12Trans peoplep206