Criminal Law:

- Actus reus and mens rea
- Negligence and strict liability
- General defences
- Parties to crime
- Inchoate offences
- Murder, voluntary manslaughter and partial defences
- Involuntary manslaughter
- Non-fatal offences against the person
- Sexual offences
- Theft, robbery and burglary
- Fraud
- Criminal damage and arson

Criminal Practice:

- Advocacy skills for legal submissions
- Classification of offences
- Arrest and detention
- Confession evidence
- PACE Code C – requirements for the detention, treatment and sentencing of suspects in police custody
- s. 78 Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the discretion to exclude prosecution evidence
- Court Bail
- Allocation hearings for either way offences
- Trial
- Sentencing
- Appeals

1. The oral submission will take the form of a 5 minute individual presentation plus 5 minutes for questions. The student will be acting in the role of a lawyer in court, making a legal submission relating to an area of criminal practice. The assessor will be role playing as a judge and ask questions in that role. The submission will be based on a case study. Students will demonstrate effective advocacy skills on behalf of their client whilst acting in accordance with the conventions of courtroom etiquette.

2.The examination in the area of Criminal Law will test topics across the whole of the Criminal Law indicative content. The form of the examination is an online Multiple Choice Test. It follows the format of the SQE 1 Functioning Legal Knowledge test: each question comprises a short scenario and a question which requires students to apply their knowledge of criminal law to the scenario. Each question is followed by 3 possible answers and students must select the single best answer. The focus of this assessment is on application and problem solving. Questions will not test only memorisation but also require application to the facts of the case.

The learning strategy for this module will be split between direct contact with a tutor and directed, guided and self-study, together with preparation for the assessments. Students are encouraged to spend additional time each week on reading, preparation for workshops, and consolidation of learning.

The remaining non-contact hours will be spent on preparation for assessments, including undertaking formative assessment opportunities, and responding to feedback on their performance in the mock exam and formative oral submission.

Contact will include a mixture of lectures and workshops. Lectures in Criminal Law will focus on the exposition of the statutory and common law framework relating to elements of criminal liability, offences and defences. There will be opportunities for active student engagement with content through questioning and opportunities for discussion. Lectures in Criminal Practice will follow a similar format, focusing on key stages of the litigation process in criminal law.

Small group workshops are focused on consolidation of knowledge and understanding of core content, and the application of knowledge to authentic problems which criminal practitioners are likely to meet in practice. Students will be required to participate in a range of learning opportunities which promote construction of knowledge through problem-based learning. Examples of activities include paired or group work to formulate advice to a client, or to prepare and deliver oral submissions relating to evidence or a key stage of the litigation process such as bail or sentencing. By challenging students to provide reasoned legal responses to both settled and novel legal scenarios, teaching activities will develop student's awareness of the uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of current knowledge. The assessment strategy in Criminal Law will reinforce this by reflecting the multiple possible outcomes in a case, and strategic decisions that legal practitioners have to take in this dynamic area of practice. Support for the development of oral submissions will be delivered through bespoke advocacy sessions and frequent low-stakes opportunities to make submissions in class.

1. Effectively represent a client through core skills of oral advocacy and courtroom etiquette.

Communication

2. Apply knowledge of core concepts in criminal law to complex legal problems.

Application and problem solving

3. Apply critical reasoning skills to evaluate possible alternative legal outcomes on the facts of a criminal law case showing a systematic understanding of core concepts in criminal practice.

Knowledge and understanding

Law Trove

Legal databases with access to statute and case law

Allen M, Derry C and Loveless J, Complete Criminal Law (9th edn, OUP 2025)

Monaghan N, Criminal Law Directions (8th edn, OUP 2025)

Welsh L and Demetriou S, Criminal Law and Litigation (CILEX Education 2024)

Note: OUP textbooks are available on Law Trove. The editions shown above are the most recent at time of writing but students should use the most recent edition at time of study.

In Criminal Law and Practice you will explore the laws which govern criminal liability in England and Wales and be introduced to key phases of the litigation process in criminal cases. The main focus in Criminal Law is on the elements of criminal liability, including actus reus, mens rea, strict liability, defences and key offences covering homicide, assaults, property offences and sexual offences. In Criminal Practice you will study different stages of the criminal process from arrest and detention through to sentencing and appeals.

Learning activities and the final assessments concentrate on problem solving, by applying criminal law and rules of criminal practice to scenarios that may arise in legal practice. You will have practice in SQE1 style assessments for Criminal Law and develop advocacy skills in Criminal Practice. This module will be of interest to students who have either criminal law or general litigation career ambitions. The emphasis on problem-solving and communication will also support transferable skills for other graduate careers.