19 March 2004

McCluskey presides over human rights case

Photo opportunity 5.20pm, Monday 22 March, Moot Court Room, Scrymgeour Building, Park Place, Dundee.

Lord McCluskey, one of the most senior judges in the country will visit the University of Dundee on Monday 22 March to preside over the final of the University of Dundee's mooting competition which involves the consideration of a human rights issue never heard before in the courts of Scotland.

The finalists in the University of Dundee mooting competition will pit their wits against each other, arguing the merits of human rights legislation in front of one of Scotland's most well known life peers.

LLB students, Jilly Melrose and Lorraine Chung will moot against fellow LLB students, Nicola McLaren and Judith Pillans on the right of a patient in a coma to have her life support treatment continued. This case is the opposite of the Dianne Pretty case in England; such a case has never been heard before in the Scottish courts.

David Cabrelli, lecturer in the Law Department and organiser of the mooting competition said: "We are delighted to welcome Lord McCluskey to the Department of Law. A competition like this is essential for our future lawyers to get their teeth into a controversial case which involves difficult questions of morality and public policy and I'm sure that Lord McCluskey will have some extremely interesting points of reference and guidance for our students on this topic."

Lord McCluskey will also give students the opportunity to interview him on any points of law after the competition.

Contact David Cabrelli on 01382 344601

By Jenny Marra, Head of Press 01382 344910, out of hours: 07968298585, j.m.marra@dundee.ac.uk