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Dr Gregory Durston

Reader, School of Law, Kingston University.

Dr Gregory Durston Areas of expertise

Find out more about Dr Gregory Durston

Overview

After graduating from St Andrew's University with a degree in history, Gregory studied for the bar and was called by Middle Temple. He subsequently also joined Lincoln's Inn. After a period in practice at the common law and criminal bar he became a lecturer at the Inns of Court School of Law. He was also awarded an LLM and PhD by the London School of Economics. In 1989 he joined Kingston University Law School as a senior lecturer and was made Reader in 2008. His research interests currently cover the law of evidence, contract and criminal justice history. 

He has also spent several years teaching English law in a Japanese University while on leave of absence form Kingston. He is particularly interested in criminal justice history (along with more modern legal topics) and has written several books and articles in this field as well as giving numerous conference papers on this theme. Many of these focus on the Metropolitan area and its immediate hinterland. Gregory is currently working on eighteenth-century juries in London and Middlesex.

Qualifications

Year gained Subject
2001 Ph.D Thesis "the Impact of Policing reform on Crime in Nineteenth-Century London", London School of Economics.
1989 LL.M (with Merit), London School of Economics.
1984 - 1985 Inns of Court School of Law, Trinity Bars Finals.
1983 - 1984 PG Dip. Law, Polytechnic of Central London.
1978 - 1982 MA History, St Andrews University.

Career Highlights

Year Position held
2008 - Reader in Law, Kingston University Law School.
1994 - 1996, 2000-2002 Niigata University Law Faculty, Japan (un-paid sabbatical from Kingston University).
1989 - 2008 Senior Law Lecturer, Kingston University Law School.
1987 - 1993 Pupillage/Door Tenant, Coomon Law/Crime.
1986 - 1989, 1990 - 1994 Inns of Court School of Law, Lecturer.

Research

Publications:

Forthcoming

Book on eighteenth century crime/magistrates in the London area.

Published Books

Evidence: Text and Materials OUP, 2008.

Victims and Viragos: Women, Crime and the Eighteenth-Century Justice System, Abramis, 2007.

Crime & Justice in Early Modern England: 1500-1750, Barry Rose Law Publishing Ltd, 2004.

Witchcraft and Witch Trials: A History of English Witchcraft 1542-1736. Barry Rose Law Publishing Ltd, 2000.

Moll Flanders: An Analysis of Eighteenth Century Criminal Biography,  Barry Rose Law Publishing Ltd,  1997

Chapters in Books

'Policing A Democracy: The British Experience' in Challenges of Policing Democracies: A World Perspective (2000) Gordon and Breach Publishing, Amsterdam, Dilip K. Das and Otwin Marenin (eds.)

Published Articles

'The admissibility of novel 'fields' of expert evidence', Justice of the Peace, vol. 169, 2006, at pp.968-971.

'Absent Witnesses and Human Rights' Justice of the Peace, vol. 169, 2006, at pp.424-428.

'Rape in the Eighteenth Century Metropolis: Part 2' British Journal of Eighteenth Century Studies Spring 2006, at pp.15-31.

'Magwitch's Forbears: Returning from Transportation in Eighteenth-Century London' Australian Journal of Legal History, 2006, at pp.137-158.

Review of 'Crime and Justice: 1750-1950' (2005) B. Godfrey and P. Lawrence, The Law Teacher, 2006, vol. 40(3), pp.356-358.

'The Evidence of Absent Witnesses under the Criminal Justice Act 2003' Journal of Criminal Law 2005 69(3), pp.256-263

'Rape in the Eighteenth Century Metropolis: Part 1' British Journal of Eighteenth-Century Studies Autumn 2005 issue 28.2, pp.167-179

'Confession Evidence and the Meaning of 'Adverse'' New Law Journal 2005, 155 (7190), pp.1292-1294

'Similar Fact Evidence in Civil Cases' The Commercial Litigation Journal, Issue 2, September 2005, pp.

 

 'Further guidance on defendant bad character evidence'. Justice of the Peace 2005, 169(30), pp.571-573

'Recent developments in bad character evidence'. Justice of the Peace 2005, 169(20), pp.378-380

'Eighteenth Century Infanticide: A Metropolitan Perspective' Griffith Law Review (2004) vol. 13, no.2, pp.160-183

 Review of 'A Practical Approach to Criminal Procedure'. New Law Journal 2005, 155(7160), pp.94-95

'Bad character evidence and non-party witnesses under the Criminal Justice Act 2003'. International Journal of Evidence & Proof, 2004, 8(4), pp.233-239

'The impact of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 on similar fact evidence' Journal of Criminal Law 2004, 68(4), pp.307-313

'Co-defendants' bad character evidence under the Criminal Justice Act 2003'. Justice of the Peace 2004, 168(50), pp.979-980

'Hearsay evidence and the new inclusionary discretion'. Justice of the Peace 2004, 168(41), pp.788-789

'The impact of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 on prosecution evidence of defendant bad character adduced to "undermine credit". Justice of the Peace 2004, 168(32), pp.610-613

'The admissibility of co-defendants' confessions under the Criminal Justice Act 2003'. Justice of the Peace 2004, 168(26), pp.488-489

'The usual suspects?' New Law Journal 2004, 154(7152), pp.1692

'Frightened witnesses and the Criminal Justice Act 2003'. New Law Journal, 2004, 154 (7150), pp.1626-1627

'Implied assertions and hearsay'. New Law Journal, 2004, 154(7123), p.528

(Case Comment) Trinidad and Tobago: provocation and good character. Journal of Criminal Law 2003, 67(6), pp.473-476

'The cross-examination of rape complainants: ongoing tensions between conflicting priorities in the criminal justice system'. Journal of Criminal Law 1998, 62(1), 91-104

'"Not all in the same boat": law as a "liberal education" and the new universities'. S.P.T.L. Reporter 1997, 15, 5-9

'Fraud trials: is there a via media?' Criminal Lawyer 1996, 67, 7

'Reconsidering the standard of proof in criminal cases'. Justice of the Peace 1996, 160(49), 1096-1098

'Method in the madness: benefit of clergy in English penal history'. Justice of the Peace 1996, 160(41), 888-889

'Expert opinion evidence in criminal trials: a review of the current position'. Justice of the Peace 1996, 160(40), 837-841

'Road traffic law in Japan: an overview'. Justice of the Peace 1996, 160(34), 667-669

'Recent complaints in sexual cases: an anomaly in need of reform?' Criminal Lawyer 1996, 68, 4-6

'Is it hearsay?' Justice of the Peace 1996, 160(30), 535-536

'Character evidence going to credit: recent developments with reference to section 1(f)ii (the second limb) of the Criminal Evidence Act 1898'. Justice of the Peace 1996, 160(27), 439-442

'The Inquisitorial Ancestry of the Common Law Criminal Trial and the Consequences of its Transformation In The 18th Century' Griffith Law Review, 1996, vol.5. pp.

'The thief-takers: London's eighteenth century "bounty hunters". Justice of the Peace, 1996, 160(25), 418-419

'Similar fact evidence: a guide for the perplexed in the light of recent cases'. Justice of the Peace 1996, 160(22), 359-362

'The special evidential problems posed by shoplifting cases'. Justice of the Peace 1996, 160(10), 162-164

'Moll Flanders' experience of the London justices'. Justice of the Peace 1995, 159(34), 578-580

'Newgate prison in the eighteenth century'. Justice of the Peace 1996, 160(7), 122-123

'A brief recap on the implications of the abolition of the right to silence in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994'. Justice of the Peace 1996, 160(4), 62-63

'Contractual disputes and litigation in Japan, a difference of legal culture rather than substantive law?' Trading Law 1996, 15(2), 114-120

'The need for caution in reforming the law relating to murder'. Police Journal. 1996, 69(4), 339-346

'Academic" barristers: a retrograde step?' S.P.T.L. Reporter 1996, 12, 11-13

'The Emergence, and Occasional Disappearance, of England's Legal Professions: 1200-1900' Hosei Riron (The Journal of Law and Politics, Japan) vol. 28, 1995

'Two Topical Issues in the English Law of Evidence' Hosei Riron (The Journal of Law and Politics, Japan) vol. 28, 1995

'The evolving criminal trial jury, in myth and reality'. Criminal Lawyer, 1995, 57, 2-3

Conference Highlights

Gregory has presented a number of papers at conferences in the UK, Japan and Australia.  

Professional Body Membership

Association of Law Teachers

Society of Legal Scholars

Academic Accolades

Middle Temple Blackstone Entrance Exhibition 1984

Middle Temple Jamieson Award 1985

Middle Temple Blackstone Pupillage Award 1986

PCL Mooting Prize (shared) 1984.

 

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