On Monday 12^th March, Ashmole Year 12 students interested in Law took part in a workshop conducted by the University of Law on the Oscar Pistorius trial. We began by hearing Oscar’s defence, assessed the reliability of his account, and acted as Oscar’s defence lawyer. This was incredibly interesting, as we had to defend a man that had been found guilty of murder, and has been sentenced to 13 years in prison. This also made it quite challenging as we had to open our minds to the possibility that the death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, was in fact an act of self-defence

We then heard the perspective of Michelle Burger, a neighbour of Oscar Pistorius and analysed her story to judge whether she had been telling the truth or not, and whether we would be able to use her point of view as evidence for our own case. Throughout the hour, we were constantly fed invaluable tips and information about how law is put into practice in a real life case. We were taught vital skills that solicitors and barristers use in their everyday life, something that would massively benefit anyone wanting to work as a lawyer in the future.

The session only ran for an hour, yet the representative of the university was happy to answer any questions and the workshop ran over time, reflecting how eager we were! It was a great experience for everyone that attended as not only was it informative, but it was also highly engaging. The experience definitely improved my understanding of criminal law, and it is something I can write on my personal statement when applying for university.

Richard 12N2