DPA

The scope of advocates’ immunity: CC of Sussex Police and the CPS v XGY

5 November 2025 by

By Kian Leong Tan

INTRODUCTION

Do advocates retain an absolute immunity for things and said and done in court, or must the invocation of the immunity be scrutinised on a case-by-case basis? A heavyweight panel of the Court of Appeal – including the Lady Chief Justice and the President of the King’s Bench Division – in Chief Constable of Sussex Police and the Crown Prosecution Service v XGY (Bar Council intervening) [2025] EWCA Civ 1230 (“XGY”) has come down decisively in favour of the former proposition, offering some much-needed clarity on this area of law.


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A2P1 Aarhus Abortion Abu Qatada Abuse Access to justice administrative court adoption ALBA Allison Bailey Al Qaeda animal rights anonymity Appeals Arrest Article 1 Article 1 Protocol 1 Article 2 article 3 article 3 protocol 1 Article 4 article 5 Article 6 Article 7 Article 8 Article 9 article 10 Article 11 article 13 Article 14 Artificial Intelligence Asbestos Assisted Dying assisted suicide asylum Attorney General Australia autism benefits Best Interest Bill of Rights biotechnology blogging Bloody Sunday brexit Bribery Business care orders Caster Semenya Catholicism Chagos Islanders charities Children children's rights China christianity citizenship civil liberties campaigners climate change clinical negligence Closed Material Proceedings Closed proceedings Coercion common law confidentiality consent conservation constitution contempt contempt of court Control orders Copyright coronavirus Coroners costs court of appeal Court of Arbitration for Sport Court of Protection covid crime Criminal Law Cybersecurity Damages Dartmoor data protection death penalty defamation deportation deprivation of liberty Detention diplomatic immunity disability discipline disclosure Discrimination disease divorce DNA domestic violence DPA DSD Regulations duty of candour duty of care ECHR ECtHR Education election Employment Employment Law Employment Tribunal enforcement Environment environmental rights Equality Act Ethiopia EU EU Charter of Fundamental Rights EU costs EU law European Court of Justice euthanasia evidence extradition extraordinary rendition Extraterritoriality Fair Trials Family family law Fertility FGM Finance findings of fact football foreign criminals foreign office Foster France freedom of assembly Freedom of Expression freedom of information freedom of speech Free Speech Gambling Gay marriage Gaza gender Gender Recognition Act genetics Germany gmc Google government Grenfell Hate Speech Health healthcare high court HIV home office Housing HRLA human rights Human Rights Act human rights news Huntington's Disease immigration immunity India Indonesia information injunction injunctions inquest Inquests international law internet interview Inuit Iran Iraq Ireland Islam Israel Italy IVF Jalla v Shell Japan Japanese Knotweed Journalism Judaism judicial review jury jury trial JUSTICE Justice and Security Bill Land Reform Law Pod UK legal aid legal ethics legality Leveson Inquiry LGBTQ Rights liability Libel Liberty Libya Lithuania local authorities marriage Maya Forstater mental capacity Mental Health military Ministry of Justice Mirror Principle modern slavery monitoring murder music Muslim nationality national security NHS Northern Ireland NRPF nuclear challenges nuisance Obituary open justice ouster clauses PACE parental rights Parliament parliamentary expenses scandal Parole patents Pensions Personal Data Personal Injury Piracy Plagiarism planning Poland Police Politics pollution press Prisoners Prisons privacy Private Property Procedural Fairness procedural safeguards Professional Discipline Property proportionality Protection of Freedoms Bill Protest Protocols Public/Private public access public authorities public inquiries public law reasons regulatory Regulatory Proceedings rehabilitation Reith Lectures Religion Religious Freedom RightsInfo Right to assembly right to die Right to Education right to family life Right to life Right to Privacy Right to Roam right to swim riots Roma Romania Round Up Royals Russia sanctions Saudi Arabia school Schools Scotland secrecy secret justice Section 55 separation of powers Sex sexual offence sexual orientation Sikhism Smoking social media Social Work South Africa Spain special advocates Sports Sports Law Standing statelessness Statutory Interpretation stop and search Strasbourg Strategic litigation Supreme Court Supreme Court of Canada surrogacy surveillance Syria Tax technology Terrorism tort Torture Transgender travel travellers treaty TTIP Turkey UK UK Constitutional Law Blog Ukraine UK Supreme Court Ullah unduly harsh united nations unlawful detention USA US Supreme Court vicarious liability voting Wales war War Crimes Wars Welfare Western Sahara Whistleblowing Wikileaks Wild Camping wind farms WomenInLaw World Athletics YearInReview Zimbabwe