Curtis Scott and Police misconduct

The principle that a defendant in a criminal trial is innocent until proven guilty is a fundamental common law right. It is also known as the ‘golden rule’ in Woolmington v DPP [1935] AC 462. In theory, this principal should protect alleged criminals from being judged without a formal hearing and from being subject to punishment, including via police conduct. Unfortunately for sporting stars whose reputation off-field is intrinsically linked with how the public perceive the sport, players accused of criminal offences are often pre-judged by the public and by their sport authority.