This week’s Mock Trial was a fantastic evening for aspiring lawyers in the local area, with students from The Maynard, West Exe School, Exmouth Community College and Blundell’s School all putting their skills to the test in this uniquely immersive experience of the courtroom!
The trial was run by over 20 Law students from the University of Exeter and overseen by retired judge, David Tyzack, who has kindly supported the mock trial for a number of years now, and a barrister from Magdalen Chambers, Usmaan Siddiqui. Attending students were asked to unravel a fictional scenario – a Friday night fight leading to a charge of assault causing bodily harm – with the prosecution and defence each preparing and presenting their cases following processes used in actual trials. Their work paid off with brilliant discussions and invaluable guidance from the Law students: in the end, the final decision of innocence or guilt was split, showing just how persuasive each side’s arguments were!
This wonderful taste of what it would be like to work in a real court was only possible the help of the amazing volunteers from the university and beyond, and we are so incredibly grateful to them for their support each year.
