The Secret Barrister – Channel 4 News, 4 x 10min 2020

Producer/Director

It’s rare to get a peek behind the scenes of courtrooms and the people working in them. In a tell-all book, the anonymous author known as the Secret Barrister has painted a picture of a criminal justice system in England and Wales on its knees, while keeping their identity totally secret, even their gender.

In this exclusive 4 x 10min series of short documentaries for Channel 4 this series attempts to bring the insights in the book to life by examining real cases that reveal the problems at the heart of the justice system. Delays, cuts, and creaking infrastructure, all made worse by the crippling pandemic. Nominated for the Outstanding Journalism Award by the Criminal Justice Alliance Media Awards.

Ep 1: Disordered Law:
The Secret Barrister examines the story of a victim of assault, who has been left with life-long injuries. Yet the accused were never tried.

Camera Op: Jay Dacey and Scottie McKinnon
Editor: Gary Beelders
Online Editor: Mat Welham
Producer/Director: Sara Moralioglu
Executive Producer: Louise Turner, Ben de Pear

Ep 2 – The Innocence Tax:
The Secret Barrister tells us the price of justice and asks whether only the rich can afford a defence. Using real life cases and testimony from victims and their legal teams in this film we look at the case of a man falsely accused of a serious crime he did not commit and the financial burden to prove his innocence.

Camera Op: Jay Dacey
Editor: Gary Beelders
Online: Matt Welham
Producer/Director: Sara Moralioglu
Executive Producer: Louise Turner, Ben de Pear

EP 3 Rape and your smartphone:
The Secret Barrister tells us about mobile phone discolosure in rape cases. We hear of two cases one a victim of rape and the other someone falsely accused. In each case we look at how mobile phone disclosure impacted their cases. Only one in 70 rape cases result in a prosecution. And recently rules were changed so that women who report rape do not have to automatically hand over their mobile phones. But will that change much, as data continues to pile up with not enough police to go through it?

Jay Dacie – Camera Op
Gary Beelders – Editor
Matt Welham – Online Editor
Producer / Director – Sara Moralioglu
Executive Producer: Louise Turner, Ben de Pear

EP 4: Justice in a Pandemic:
In the final instalment of the series, we hear what Covid-19 has done to an already struggling system. As barristers face bankruptcy, the mountain of cases to be heard grows bigger and the scrapping of juries is mooted – will the impact disproportionately affect minorities?

Camera Op: Devron Callender, Boya Dee
Editor: Matt Welham
Producer/Director: Sara Moralioglu
Executive Producer: Louise Turner, Ben de Pear