An independent body for expert witness accreditation is urgently needed to guard against miscarriages of justice, a leading criminal barrister claimed this week.

Speaking at a Bond Solon expert witness conference in London, Michael Mansfield QC said many recent cases have featured expert witnesses who are unqualified in the areas where they claim expertise, and juries have no way of knowing for certain whether a person giving evidence is qualified to do so.


Mr Justice Collins, whose decision in the case of paediatrician Professor Sir Roy Meadow was partially overturned recently by the Court of Appeal, said it was vital for experts to make it clear where the limits of their expertise lay and make it plain to the tribunal when they were going beyond it.