STUDENTS from the Sixth Form of Tavistock College have repeated their superb achievement of three years ago by winning the regional final of the National Bar Mock Trial Competition held last Saturday . The event was doubly a repeat of that year, as they once again beat Bournemouth Girls' School in the final. The competition took place in the crown courts in Plymouth, and was presided over by judges from the South West Circuit. Leading the team from Tavistock were the four advocates Tom Gilmore, Hannah Woodside, Francis Legg and Kate Evans, who had to prosecute and defend two fictional cases. The competition, which is organised by the Citizenship Foundation, is supported and partly funded by the judges themselves and the team was grateful to receive support and training from a real life barrister, Victoria Hoyle, from the Devon Chambers. The team of sixth formers also acted as court bailiff and usher, six jurors and witnesses. Their fictional cases included an art college student accused of vandalising a station with graffiti and a young person charged with possession of a Class A drug. Becky Rowe, who took the part of an art curator who witnessed the graffiti, said: 'I had to get right into role, and being cross-examined was genuinely intimidating. It was fun though and, in the end, all the witnesses enjoyed the challenge.' After the competition, Tom Gilmore said the whole experience was demanding but very worthwhile. 'We learned a lot about the law, the justice system and also about ourselves. It was interesting to see the judges at work, but also to meet them "off duty" and realise they are people too.' Kate Evans added: 'A lot of us are studying law at A-level. This experience makes the whole thing come alive, and I'm sure some of the team are now thinking about a career in law in the future.' The team, who triumphed over teams from Devonport High for Boys and Plymouth High for Girls on their way to the final, have been preparing with their teachers Liz Rowe and John Stuart, for several months. Mrs Rowe said: 'The team put in a tremendous effort and thoroughly deserved to win the final, showing the ability to think on their feet and adapt their approach to evidence coming from the other side.' The team will now be looking for sponsorship to help them compete in the national finals against teams from all over the UK, which takes place in March.
