Law Students are the best in Merseyside and Wales at the regional Bar Mock Trial

24 November 2015

Congratulations to the College Bar Mock Trial team who beat strong competition from schools all over Merseyside and Wales when they won the Chester Regional Heat of the Bar Mock Trial Competition on Saturday 21 November 2015.

The competition is run by the Citizenship Foundation with over 2000 students competing nationwide.

This is the first time the College has won the regional heat and the team are now in with a chance of a place in the National Final at the Old Bailey in London in April 2016.

The Bar Mock Trial team had to prepare the prosecution and defence for two different criminal cases; R v Lewis which involved robbery and R v Braza which involved theft and obtaining services by deception. The team comprised of barristers; witnesses; jury members and court staff.

Every member of the team delivered a superb performance on the day; beating teams from Birchwood College; Sandbach High School and St Nicholas Catholic High to reach the final against Calday Grammar School. In a tense and well fought final case, the Sixth Form College team triumphed to win the regional heat and the Chester Shield.

The team of barristers included students; James Webster, Will Hibberd, Emma Donnelly, Carl Kelly, Ruby Keeler-Williams, Ava Powell-Wallis, Martin Pugh and Anastasia Pepper. Our fantastic witnesses stood up to tough cross-examination, which included students; Meg Condliffe, Olivia Eltaki, Beth Cavanagh, Mike Taylor, Beckie Jenkins, Cameron Fellows, James Lee and Connor Jenkins. The court clerk/usher, Danielle Bentley did a fantastic job appearing in all four heats as did our juror Bromwynne Butterworth.

The cases were heard by judges, Recorder Simon Medland QC and Recorder Patrick Thompson, who praised the team for the standard of their advocacy and the work done by the witnesses and court clerks/ushers.

The team worked closely with a mentor, barrister Richard Gray, and extended a thank you to him as he taught the team the advocacy skills that gave them the edge, in the final, against a strong team from Calday Grammar School.

Head of Law, Paula Blakemore, who has prepared the team for the competition was delighted with their success, commenting, “This was a brilliant result for the students who took part as well as the college. Every member of the team was outstanding with excellent performances throughout the day.”

First year student, Ruby Keeler-Williams, who joined the college from Woodchurch High School and studies Psychology and Applied Science alongside Law commented, “The Bar Mock Trial was an incredible experience. It has given me a better understanding of court procedure.”

Fellow Law student Beth Cavanagh, who joined the college from Prenton High School for girls and studies, Spanish, History and English Language & Literature, added, “It was good to work in a strong team and compete. I gained more experience of a court and how it works as well as learning how it feels to be questioned as a witness. My favourite moment was winning!”