Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what recent steps the Crown Prosecution Service has taken to ensure prosecutors check draft jury directions against existing case law on unlawful manslaughter; and if she will ask His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate to review the handling of the Aria Thorpe case.

The process for jury directions and consultation with advocates is clearly set out in the Crown Court Compendium. It stipulates that ‘All written directions for the jury must be discussed, and preferably agreed, with the advocates well before they are provided to the jury’. This requirement is reiterated in the CPS policy Instructions for Prosecution Advocates which is incorporated into every prosecution brief and states ‘Advocates must also ensure that appropriate judicial directions are given in accordance with the Crown Court Compendium.