The Criminal Procedure Rules Committee have issued a new consolidated set of the Criminal Procedure Rules which came into force on 6^th October 2025.

The Criminal Procedure Rules 2025 replaces the Criminal Procedure Rules 2020 and incorporates the 9 sets of amendments made since the 2020 rules were published. The Committee has also published a guide to the new Rules. criminal-procedure-rules-2025.pdf

In addition, the Criminal Procedure Rules Committee have just published the. Fourth Amendment to the Criminal Practice Directions 2023 – November 2025 – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. The changes, some of which will impact on experts in Chapter 7, come into force on 18^th November 2025.

The amendments:

1. require the disclosure in an expert report of any authoritative advice or warning relevant to the content of the report;
2. require the disclosure in an expert report of any past adverse finding or disciplinary proceeding, even if since resolved; and
3. ensure the compatibility of the declarations of compliance required by (i) the Criminal Practice Directions, and (ii) the Forensic Science Regulator’s statutory code of practice.

Updated Expert Declaration
In addition to the changes outlined above there are also changes that need to be made to the Expert’s Declaration, full details are on the Academy website.

 

Don’t forget to update any templates you have that are effected by the changes and to satisfy yourself that any report issued after 18^th November 2025 complies with the new requirements.