In exercising case management powers under the Criminal Procedure Rules 2005 r.3.2 and directing the adjournment of a trial to obtain further prosecution evidence, a district judge had possibly undermined the defendant's case on self-defence to a charge of common assault and taken away points available to him in his closing speech. That conduct and the resulting appearance of bias rendered the trial unfair.

DC (Silber J, Males J)

24/05/2013