20 March 2025 Sean Mosby 1178 Case Updates Mark Dobson v The Chief Constable of Leicestershire Police [2025] EWHC 272 (KB) bySean Mosby Summary The judge determined that the evidence of the defendant’s expert on the mental health of a man detained by the police was to be preferred in every respect over the claimant’s expert because he had relevant experience of the matters in respect of which he was giving evidence and adopted the right approach. Learning points Learning points for experts: Consider carefully whether you have the expertise and experience to give the expert evidence which has been permitted by the court. If you don’t, you should decline the instructions. The court will often prefer an expert who has relevant experience in the matters they are giving evidence on, to an expert who has relied on literature or other source material. If you cite a website (or any other source material) in your report or a joint statement, make sure that it sets out information that is relevant to the matters on which you are giving evidence. Learning points for instructing parties: It is important to appreciate the sub-disciplines within a profession so that you can find and instruct the expert with the most suitable expertise for the case. To continue reading you must be an EWI member, become a member and access exclusive content. Already a member? Login More links Link to the Judgment Share Print Tags Forensic psychiatryMental Health Act Switch article Family Procedure Rules Consultation concerning the instruction of unregulated experts in family law children proceedings Previous Article Postponement of the Extended Fixed Recoverable Costs Stocktake and Uprating of Fixed Cost Medical Reports Next Article Comments are only visible to subscribers.