Digital Evidence: Disclosure and Admissibility in the United Kingdom Jurisdiction

Abstract

Digital forensics, originally known as computer forensics, first presented itself in the 1970s. During the first investigations, financial fraud proved to be the most common cause on suspects’ computers. Since then, digital forensics has grown in importance in situations where digital devices are used in the commission of a crime. The original focus of digital forensic investigations was on crimes committed through computers. However, over the past few years, the field has extended to include various other digital devices in which digitally stored information can be processed and used for different types of crimes. This paper explores how the admissibility of digital evidence is governed within the United Kingdom jurisdictions.