Criminal defence and Crown Court

In the courtroom

A defendant following cross-examination through whispered interpretation from the dock is not having the same trial as everyone else in the room. Chuchotage is physically limited: one interpreter, no equipment, a glass dock, counsel at natural pace.

What helps is telling the court in advance that the defendant requires simultaneous interpretation and asking for it to be minuted; agreeing breaks at fixed intervals rather than when the interpreter flags fatigue; and providing the indictment, the agreed facts and key exhibit translations beforehand. None of that is a courtesy to the interpreter — it is a record that the defendant was able to follow proceedings.

Arabic transcript and recording review

Where the Crown's case rests on interpreted or transcribed Arabic material, that material is evidence and can be examined. Covert recordings routinely involve poor audio, overlapping speakers and regional dialect, with a transcript produced by someone who may not share the speaker's variety.

I have reviewed Arabic transcripts in which a hedged conditional had been rendered as a flat assertion, and in which a regional idiom was translated at face value into something considerably more incriminating. Review is offered at a fixed fee of £475 per hour of recording.

Clearances

CTC (Counter Terrorist Check) clearance valid to September 2030 and a current Enhanced DBS certificate, suitable for custody, prison and court work.

Dialect coverage

• Yemeni Arabic — specialist
• Gulf Arabic
• Sudanese Arabic — rare
• All seven varieties in active practice