Investigative Interviewing

Using the ‘miscarriage of justice’ known as the ‘Cardiff Newsagent Three’ as an example of how police

interviewing techniques have been called into question, discuss how investigative interviewing

principles may be applied to maximise evidential opportunities at interviews with witnesses and

suspects. Your response should seek to make reference to the PEACE model framework of

interviewing and the ‘conversation management’ and ‘cognitive interviewing’ principles where

relevant.

You should demonstrate how these Investigative Interviewing principles can be harnessed to facilitate

ethical interviews in which the evidential integrity of witness and suspect accounts can be maintained

whilst simultaneously safeguarding the interests of the vulnerable interviewee.

It is recommended that you base your analysis on the England and Wales Court of Appeal (Criminal

Division) decision O’BRIEN, HALL and SHERWOOD, R v. [2000] EWCA Crim 3 (25th January, 2000)

found at:

URL: https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Crim/2000/3.html

Required word count: 3,000 (+ or 10%)