Managing digital material in grooming gang investigations, 28 September 2026

 

The agenda is now live for our workshop explores contemporary issues, challenges and best practice around the management of digital material in grooming gang investigations.

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Complex grooming gang prosecutions are digitally intensive, multi-defendant and highly scrutinised. It is vital that the digital material is properly managed from outside and through to the trial to prevent defence challenges.

 

The workshop will consider the following issues and challenges:

• Managing relevance and disclosure on a defendant-by-defendant basis

• Creating and maintaining bespoke schedules in multi-defendant cases

• Considering whether material may be evidence against one defendant but meet the disclosure test in relation to another

• Using multiple defence statements to inform the continuing disclosure review

• Responding to changing or developing defence cases

• Recognising the effect that one defendant’s case may have on the disclosure position of others

 

It will focus on the following key themes:

• Setting the strategy: managing digital material from the outset

• Relevance, review and scheduling in multi-defendant cases

• Defence case statements, changing defences and trial strategy

 

Held online via Teams

Certificates of CPD available

 

Our speaker

The workshop will be led by Jocelyn Lodge, an experienced barrister who has worked for a law enforcement organisation advising on disclosure strategies on a number of complex investigations where disclosure obligations have been challenging.

 

AGENDA - BST

9.40am–9.50am: Welcome and introduction
Carol Jenkins, The Investigator

9.50am–10.40am: Session One: Setting the strategy: managing digital material from the outset

• The challenges of digitally intensive, multi-defendant grooming investigations

• Distinguishing evidence, unused material and wider investigative material

• Setting clear investigative parameters and recording the rationale for them

• Managing current and historic investigations, including legacy material

• Developing an effective Investigation Management Document

• Identifying foreseeable evidential and disclosure risks at an early stage

• Establishing effective working practices between investigators, disclosure officers, digital specialists and prosecutors

 

10.40am–10.50am: Questions

10.50am–11.10am: Break

 

11.10am–12.10pm: Session Two: Relevance, review and scheduling in multi-defendant cases

• Applying the CPIA disclosure test to large volumes of digital material

• Defining reasonable lines of enquiry and proportionate search parameters

• Managing mobile-phone downloads, communications, social media and third-party material

• Assessing relevance and disclosure on a defendant-by-defendant basis

• Can the same material be evidence in the case against one defendant but disclosable in relation to another?

• Creating bespoke disclosure schedules for individual defendants

• Recording the reasoning behind scheduling and disclosure decisions

• Maintaining clear audit trails where material, issues and defendants overlap

• Avoiding blanket approaches to relevance and disclosure in multi-handed cases

 

12.10pm–12.20pm: Questions

12.20pm–12.50pm: Break

 

12.50pm–1.40pm: Session Three: Defence case statements, changing defences and trial strategy

• Using defence statements to identify the issues in dispute and inform the continuing disclosure review

• The practical difficulties of managing multiple defence statements in a multi-handed prosecution

• Mapping different, and sometimes conflicting, defence cases against the prosecution evidence and unused material

• Responding where a defendant’s position changes, develops or departs from the original defence statement

• Recognising when a change in one defendant’s case requires a review of material relating to other defendants

• Keeping bespoke schedules, disclosure decisions and the Investigation Management Document under review

• Managing continuing disclosure through charging, trial preparation and trial

• Presenting complex digital evidence clearly and accessibly at trial

• Anticipating defence challenges to the scope of digital enquiries and the prosecution’s disclosure strategy

 

1.40pm–2.00pm: Recap, final questions and discussion

• Key practical takeaways

• Delegate questions and shared experiences

• Applying the principles to delegates’ own investigations

 

2.00pm: Workshop finishes

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HOW TO BOOK

Cost: £205 + VAT (GBP) per delegate per workshop (LEA and Government Agency rate).  £275 + VAT (Industry rate), per delegate 

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Group bookings: We offer various discounts for group bookings depending on numbers, please contact us for details.

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Booking: Please send the delegates name(s), email address(es) and purchase order (made out to The Investigator) to booking@the-investigator.co.uk or telephone +44(0)844 660 8707 for further information. 

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Payment can be made by PayPal/debit/credit card. ​The meeting link will be sent out 7 days before the event.

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