14 March 2008
R v Lamaletie [2008] EWCA Crim 314, [2008] All ER (D) 425 (Feb)
Where the prosecution wishes to rely, pursuant to s 101(1)(d) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (CJA 2003), on previous convictions as evidence of propensity, there is no rule that full details are necessary.
It is good practice for such details to be available in case they are required, but whether or not they are necessary in order for the jury fairly to assess the relevance of the convictions to propensity will depend on the facts of the particular case.
Moreover, a mere list of convictions may be sufficient for the purposes of CJA 2003, s101(1)(g), because what is relevant is character in a broad general sense.
