Trinity social housing law barrister, Gary Willock was one of the speakers at Chambers’ 2024 Housing Law Conference held in Leeds and delivered a talk entitled:
‘Whose Lie Is It Anyway?’ - Credibility of Evidence in Civil Proceedings
In the context of Civil Court proceedings, memory is unreliable and credibility is not the same as honesty. Reliability of the evidence may be influenced by bias (conscious or otherwise), wishful thinking or discussion with others.
In this recorded talk, Gary explores the challenging issue of whether and how a witness's evidence can be relied on by the Court.
Gary's session covers the following topics:
- Key factors in assessing credibility
- Indicators of unsatisfactory witness evidence
- Demeanour
- Corroboration
- Inherent probability
- Consistency with admitted or indisputable facts
- Contemporaneous evidence & documentation
- Dishonesty
- Inherent plausibility & consistency of evidence
There is a handout that accompanies the session. If you do not have a copy and would like one, please email paul@trinitychambers.co.uk
This recorded seminar and its accompanying notes are made available for educational and information purposes only. The views expressed in it are those of the speaker. The contents do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. The speaker and Trinity Chambers accept no responsibility for the continuing accuracy of the contents. Contact Trinity Chambers if you have a specific legal query.