英国刑事相似事实证据规则的新发展--以《2003年刑事审判法》为基点

The New Development of English Criminal Similar Fact Evidence Rule:On the Basis of Criminal Justice Act 2003

自《2003年刑事审判法》颁布以来,英国刑事相似事实证据规则发生巨大变革。新法将相似事实证据归于不良品格证据项下,并废除了普通法上的相似事实证据规则,改而以类型化的一般相关性为可采性标准,并辅以详尽的采纳程序。这虽然改变了普通法严格的可采性标准,限制了法官的自由裁量权,却大大简化和统一了相似事实证据规则的适用,也促进司法公正的实现。

A great revolution has happened on the English criminal similar fact evidence rule since the publication of Criminal Justice Act 2003.The new act absorbed the similar fact evidence into the bad character evidence,repealed the similar fact evidence rule in the common law,and provided the categorical general correlation as the standard of admissibility with the detailed adoption procedure.These changed the strict standard of admissibility in the common law,and restricted the discretion of judges,but they simplified and unified the application of similar fact evidence rule,and promoted the realization of judicial justice.