Business students hold court in mock trial

A glimpse into the workings of Crown Court was offered to business students at Bradford College who put forward a compelling case as part of a mock trial.

Four Level 3 Business students took part in a mock trial competition hosted by the School of Law at the University of Bradford.

Stating their case

Afsa Gul, Diaz Harper, Wajid Hussain and Kirran Hussain formed the prosecution team in the online courtroom. They were given the scenario of a man accused of assaulting somebody on a dance floor while dancing a little too enthusiastically due to alcohol.

Tutor Catherine Vincent and intervention officer Saiqa Fazil supported them to prepare their case against a defence team from Leeds City College. They were among 14 teams in total taking part in the competition.

Successfully argued

During preliminary meetings learners were introduced to the important rules of etiquette and how to be a successful advocate in court. They then considered the relevant criminal law aspects of the case.

It was a very close competition as the team scored 62 points to Leeds City College’s 64.

Wajid said: “It was quite nerve-wracking as we’d never really done anything like this before. It was like a real trial where we had to speak in front of the judge. Afsa gave opening and closing statements while I asked questions, cross-examining witnesses on the defence side.”

Insight into a courtroom

Diaz and Kirran also worked hard behind the scenes to help prepare the case.

Catherine said: “I think it gave a good insight into what goes on in a courtroom. Everybody put a lot of effort into the case and I was really impressed with them. The trial took them out of their comfort zone and pushed them to do something they had never done before. It is also good for their CV.”

Afsa is hoping to study law at university after completing her course. She said: “This will help me with my future career and build my confidence as well.”