#ExeterEmployability
Exeter Law School's Digital Employability Hub
#ExeterEmployability
Exeter Law School's Digital Employability Hub
Posted by #ExeterEmployability
8 September 2026Join Keir Monteith KC for a keynote and Q&A exploring the controversial use of music as evidence in criminal prosecutions. Drawing on real-life case studies, he will examine how lyrics, music videos and other forms of creative expression enter criminal proceedings; what is presented as “gang evidence”; and how such material is framed by the prosecution. The session will also consider recent legal developments and emerging case law, before providing an update on the Art Not Evidence campaign and its continuing work to prevent the prejudicial use of creative expression in court.
For further information, please contact Dr Louise Loder, Director of Employability at the University of Exeter Law School.
This event is open to all students of the University of Exeter.
Date: Tuesday 24 November, 17:30 – 19:30
Venue: Parker Moot Room, Amory Building
Keir Monteith KC is a highly sought-after leading silk who represents clients facing heavyweight criminal allegations. He has defended in numerous murders, industrial-scale Class A drug importations, high profile National Crime Agency cases, £100M frauds, multi-million-pound confiscations, escape from custody cases and heavily armed Organised Crime Group conspiracies. Keir is ranked for criminal law in Chambers UK and the Legal 500. He is also ranked in Tier 1 for Fraud in the Legal 500. Keir is an Honorary Professor of Law and Simon Fellow at the University of Manchester.
Keir is a co-founding member of Art Not Evidence campaign, launched to advocate for a limitation on the use of creative expression as evidence in criminal trials. To this end he and others drafted legislation which was proposed as an amendment in the Lords by Baroness Chakrabarti. There was a very positive response by Peers across the political spectrum. The Government acknowledged that there was a serious problem and encouraged the CPS to help resolve it through their consultation on music and gangs and by convening a national scrutiny panel that will ‘examine the use of drill and rap music in prosecutions.’[1]
Keir and Professor Eithne Quinn jointly authored the ground breaking report Racial Bias and the Bench which found evidence of institutional racism in justice system. The report has been downloaded over 40,000 times and the Lady Chief Justice stated ‘That is a high-profile report; a lot has been written about it. My response would be equally positive in the sense that I welcome it.’ Keir and his co-author are currently drafting RBB II.
In early 2025, they both made a submission to the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts on the issue of racial bias and made further representations to the Justice Select committee on the issue of juries. Indeed, Keir gave evidence before the committee in March 2026. Keir also assisted in advising on aspects of the University of Manchester report ‘Compound Injustice’ authored by Professor Eithne Quinn, Erica Cane, and Will Pritchard.
[1] Baroness Levitt – Hansard volume 854, 10-3-2026
For more information about the Art Not Evidence campaign, please visit their website here.
