At Point Fullerton, one thousand miles straight north of civilization, Sergeant William MacVeigh was writing his semi-annual report to the Commissioner of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police at Regina. His cold-stiffened fingers wrote with the stub end of a pencil the last words of his report.
Simon Simple is going on holiday and the police are looking for a spy. On the train, Simon meets a beautiful girl. He likes her and she likes him. But the spy is there too. Simon and the police can’t see the spy. Can you?
Linguists and lawyers from a range of countries and legal systems explore the language of the law and its participants, beginning with the role of the forensic linguist in legal proceedings, either as expert witness or in legal language reform. Subsequent chapters analyze different aspects of language and interaction in the chain of events from a police emergency call through the police interview context and into the courtroom, as well as appeal court and alternative routes to justice.