Folks, don’t try this on your Evidence Law final exams! Â Read more at ITV.com…
Witness ‘too believable’ says judge
A woman’s case has been thrown out of court after the judge ruled her evidence too “believable”.
Driving instructor Denise Dawson, 36, was punched and robbed as she was giving a lesson in Bristol.
Judge Jamie Tabor described her as “honest, utterly decent and brave” but thought her “impressive” performance in the witness box could sway the jury.
He felt her three-second glimpse of the alleged attacker, 20-year-old Liam Perks, was insufficient to ensure a safe conviction.
Perks, of Fennell Grove, Henbury, who denied robbing Mrs Dawson in December 2007, was found not guilty on Judge Tabor’s direction.
Judge Tabor told the court: “Denise Dawson was a particularly impressive witness because she showed courage, clarity of thought and was undoubtedly honest. The jury may lend more weight to her evidence than her facts allow.”
