Chimpanzee Jack to stand trial on human crimes at Edinburgh Fringe

A show at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe created and performed by a St Andrews academic will ask the question: Could a chimp ever be found guilty of a human crime?

Dr Lewis Dean, a researcher in the school of psychology and neuroscience, created the show alongside other psychologists from the university and the Scottish Primate Research Group.

The Trial of Chimpanzee Jack will explore the intelligence of chimps and ask if they could be held accountable and prosecuted for committing human crimes.

The show will take the form of a criminal trial, with participants laying out the arguments for and against Jack’s culpability and audience members taking the role of the jury.

The audience will be able to quiz the expert witnesses and help the court come to a conclusion.

Dr Dean said: “We have learned so much about these wonderful animals over the past 50 years but there is still so much to discover about them.

“This show is designed to highlight what we have discovered, what we don’t yet know and what researchers like me spend their days arguing about.”

Part of Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas, the show will take place at 3.40pm on Sunday in St Andrews Square, Edinburgh.