Alex Benn
Stipendiary Lecturer in Law
Links
Contact information
Teaching
I teach criminal and discrimination law.
I teach criminal law to Univ鈥檚 first-year and Senior Status students. The course focusses on the general principles of criminal liability, as well as the major crimes and defences. I try, in particular, to put the law in its broader contexts. The law can often be a tool of powerful groups, which reminds us to consider it against the reality of widespread discrimination.
To this end, I also teach the module, 鈥楬ate Crime and Discrimination鈥, for the Final Honours School (as part of advanced criminal law). The module considers the concepts of 鈥榟ate鈥 and 鈥榙iscrimination鈥. It asks whether or not the criminal law can address these ideas or if, in truth, it does more harm than good.
Research
My research looks at topics across criminal and discrimination law. I focus on the issue of classism, which legal scholarship has traditionally ignored. I consider the issue in a variety of doctrinal settings, including criminal, tort, labour, constitutional and administrative law.
I research and write about a variety of other topics. I have considered more general principles of the law, such as abuse of process in criminal proceedings, free speech and the criminal law concerning protests, and gender in the Equality Act 2010. I also take interest in areas beyond traditional legal analysis. I have considered the issue of classism in the context of monarchies, for example, and universities鈥 reactions to student protests.
Selected Publications
Books
鈥 Classism: Discrimination the Law Ignores (forthcoming)
Book Chapters
鈥 With D. Young, 鈥楾he Loss or Destruction of Evidence鈥 in Young,聽Young, Corker and Summers on Abuse of Process in Criminal Proceedings聽(2022, 5th聽edn), pp 80-118
Journal Articles
鈥 鈥樷淏esting Monarchy鈥: The Anti-Classism Argument鈥 (2023) The Political Quarterly,
鈥 鈥楥lassism as Hate Crime: Proposing Class as a Protected Ground in Criminal Law鈥 (2021) 10 Criminal Law Review 809
鈥 鈥楾he Big Gap in Discrimination Law: Class and the Equality Act 2010鈥 (2020) 3(1) Oxford Human Rights Hub Journal 30,
Journal Case Notes and Comments
鈥 鈥楳odern Slavery: R v Webb; R v Somerset-How鈥 (2026) 4 Criminal Law Review 246
鈥 鈥楥onspiracy to Cause a Public Nuisance: R v Maxey鈥 (2025) 8聽Criminal Law Review聽482
鈥 鈥楶ublic Order: R v Sarti鈥 (2025) 6聽Criminal Law Review聽365
鈥 鈥楢buse of Process: R v Letby鈥 (2025) 4聽Criminal Law Review聽217
鈥 鈥楥ausing a Public Nuisance: R v Smith鈥 (2025) 1聽Criminal Law Review 45
鈥 鈥楨lectronic Messaging: Cobban v DPP鈥 (2024) 12聽Criminal Law Review聽858
鈥 鈥楬enry VIII Power: R (Liberty) v Home Secretary鈥 (2024) 9 Criminal Law Review 653
鈥 鈥楳anslaughter (Diminished Responsibility): R v Calocane鈥 (2024) 9 Criminal Law Review 667
鈥 鈥楲oss of Control: R v Drake鈥 (2024) 4 Criminal Law Review 265
鈥 鈥楳isconduct in Public Office: R v Ali鈥 (2024) 4 Criminal Law Review 269
鈥 鈥楳alicious Communications: Freedom of Email? Elected Officials, Disability and Expression鈥 (2024) Journal of Criminal Law,
鈥 鈥楢ttorney General鈥檚 Reference on a Point of Law (No. 1 of 2022)鈥 (2023) 1聽Criminal Law Review 58
鈥 鈥楾he 鈥淐olston Four鈥, Proportionality and the Concerns that Linger鈥 (2023) Journal of Criminal Law,
鈥 鈥楻 (Ngole) v Sheffield University鈥 (2018) 7(2) Oxford Journal of Law and Religion 351
鈥 鈥楻 (A and B) v Secretary of State for Health鈥 (2017) 6(3) OJLR 631
鈥 鈥楻e JS (A Child)鈥 (2017) 6(2) OJLR 413
Academic and Legal Websites
鈥 With A. Fendrich, 鈥楾he Sentencing Bill 2025: Three Topics for Analysis鈥 (2025) JUSTICE,
鈥 鈥業n Crisis: the 鈥淐onstitutional鈥 Right to Jury Trial鈥 (2025) UK Constitutional Law Association,
鈥 鈥楤iological Sex in the UK Supreme Court: Four Problems with For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers鈥 (2025) OHRH Blog,
鈥 With D. Lock, 鈥楿niversities Should Stop Calling the Police on Peaceful Student Protestors鈥 (2024) Political Quarterly Blog,
鈥 鈥楾he International Court of Justice鈥檚 Order in South Africa v Israel鈥 (2024) OHRH Blog,
鈥 鈥楥riminalising Constitutional Debate? Anti-Monarchy Protests, Treason and Public Order鈥 (2023) UK Constitutional Law Association,
鈥 鈥楾he 鈥淐olston Four鈥 and the Walls of Criminal Trials鈥 (2022) OHRH Blog,
鈥 鈥楧iscrimination in Criminal Justice: Four Analytical Steps for Lawyers鈥 (2021) Legal 182t福利lines,
鈥 鈥楥lassism, Hate Crime and the Law Commission鈥檚 Consultation Paper 250: Lessons from Discrimination Law鈥 (2021) OHRH Blog,
鈥 With C. Devlin, 鈥楾he Maya Forstater Case and So-Called 鈥淕ender Critical鈥 Feminism: What Was Actually Decided and What Does It Reveal about UK Discrimination Law?鈥 (2020) OHRH Blog,
鈥 鈥楾he UK Supreme Court and the Gay Marriage Cake: Is 鈥淚ndissociability鈥 Half-Baked?鈥 (2019) OHRH Blog,
Other Media
鈥 鈥楢nalysing Class at the Bar鈥 (2024) Counsel 34,
鈥 鈥業s It Time for a Law to Ban Classism?鈥 (also published as 鈥榃e Prosecute Racists and Sexists. So What about Classists?鈥) (2023) The Independent,
鈥 鈥楪ender Non-Conformity at the Bar鈥 (2022) Counsel 15,
鈥 With R. Karmy-Jones Q.C., 鈥樷淰irginity Testing鈥, Hymen Surgery and Misogyny: What Should the Law Do?鈥 (2021) Counsel 38,
鈥 With D. Taylor, 鈥榃e Don鈥檛 Think John Finnis Should Teach at Oxford University. Here鈥檚 Why鈥 (2019) The Guardian,