CBA Lecture: Insanity / Fitness to Plead

Wednesday 25th January

18.00 – 19.00

Online

The talk will consider unfitness to plead, mental condition defences, disposals and sentencing, with a particular focus on the distinction between how fitness to plead is dealt with in the magistrates’ court and in the Crown Court.

Introduction: Paul Jarvis (6KBW College Hill) – CBA Education Joint Chair

Speaker: Natalie Wortley (Northumbria University)

Natalie Wortley is Associate Professor of Law at Northumbria University, where she teaches and researches criminal law, evidence and mental health law. She has published widely and spoken at numerous national and international conferences on topics in these areas. Her research focuses on vulnerable suspects and defendants and she contributed to the Law Commission’s work on unfitness to plead (see Law Com. No. 364).

Natalie is a member of the Executive Committee of the Society of Legal Scholars and was invited to join the Scientific Committee of the International Academy of Law and Mental Health in 2017. She is a member of the Commentary Board of Criminal Law Week (frequently commenting on cases involving procedure/sentencing of offenders with mental disorders; expert evidence; forensic evidence; and sexual offences). She joined the Criminal Law Review’s commentary team in 2022 and was previously case note editor for the Journal of Criminal Law.

Natalie also sits as a Deputy District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts) and a fee-paid judge of the mental health tribunal, and lectures Criminal Evidence and Procedure for the Judicial College.

https://researchportal.northumbria.ac.uk/en/persons/natalie-wortley/publications/

The access link will be circulated soon the day of the lecture

Please email the administrator to book

This lecture will be recorded