L awyers \;will often claim that the law strives for objectivity and impartiality. They are in the business of making rational and reasoned argument s and have no time for the mysterious or macabre. However\, in reality\, the supernatural has been a regular topic in legal cases since Henry VIII mad e witchcraft a criminal offence in 1541. Our court s have seen all manner of monster\, from psychics and witches to ghosts and aliens. \;They’ve e ven been called upon to consider the existence of foul-mouthed furry demons. \;
\n \nJero me K. Jerome once observed that \;there is not hing more enjoyable on Christmas Eve than gatherin g by a fire to regale your friends and family with “authentic anecdotes of spectres”. For lawyers\, those anecdotes are even more fun if they involve a sprinkling of legal history and a lively debate over the existence of the supernatural.
\n \n < p>Therefore in the spirit of Christmas\, please jo in Naomi Ryan and Middle Temple Library for an eve ning of mince pies and mulled wine\, examining som e of the strangest cases in legal history\, in whi ch the Fortean meets the forensic\, the bizarre is examined by barristers and the strange is investi gated by the state. Learn about the Old Bailey’s c onnection to vampires\, decide whether murderous a liens are hovering over Todmorden and most importa ntly\, discover the connection between the Attorne y General and foul mouthed demons. \;\n \nNaomi Ryan is a criminal and public law barrister. After completing the BCL at St Catherine’s College\, Oxford\, she taught crimi nal law to undergraduates at St Hilda’s College Ox ford and University College London before embarkin g on her career as a criminal barrister. She both prosecuted and defended before moving to the Civil Service\, where she worked for an array of presti gious departments\, including the Attorney General ’s Office\, the Director of Public Prosecutions an d the Court of Appeal. She has since returned to h er favourite place\, the courtroom\, and is a memb er of Deka Chambers. When she isn’t advising legal luminaries\, she delivers spirited (!) talks on m acabre events in legal history. She is a regular a t her beloved London’s Month of the Dead festival and can often be found addressing museums and othe r legal and supernatural organisations on the spoo ky and scintillating topic of ghost law. Her favou rite subjects include ghosts as witnesses\, the pr osecution of fraudulent mediums and the High Court ’s treatment of demon mongooses called Gef.
\n \nTickets include a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine or soft drink.
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