FOUR girls from West Devon will be part of a team representing the South West at the national finals of the Bar National Mock Trial Competition next weekend.

Students from Plymouth High School for Girls will be heading to Edinburgh to participate in the competition which has been run by the Citizenship Foundation in conjunction with the Bar Council for the last two decades. The school has to prepare both defence and prosecution for two cases.

The first case involves a youngster accused of possessing a block of cannabis. Hannah Greep of Tavistock will be defending this case. On the prosecution side Amelia Burnard of Yelverton plays the role of a police officer who finds the cannabis in the bedroom of the accused.

The second case involves theft at a music festival in Scotland. Jess Kent-Woolsey of Tavistock will be playing the role of the defendant. She was found in possession of a number of items which did not belong to her.

Her task is made all the harder because she admits to being the worse for drink at the time. Jess will be defended by Anna Gee from Yelverton.

Hannah said: 'We are really looking forward to Edinburgh.

'The regional final in Truro was very close. We have worked hard preparing the cases.'