If you are over 17 years of age, the easiest answer is that it could. These days, press reporting via social media can happen very quickly and it is often one of the things not thought about by those facing criminal proceedings. Youth Court Anyone aged 17 or under will generally first appear in the…
In the crown court, while a fine is not the most common punishment meted out, when they are imposed they tend to be very large. Do I have to pay the fine all at once? Sometimes a court will order full payment (and may give a period of time for this to be completed), but…
When clients turn their mind to what punishment they might receive if they plead guilty to, or are convicted of, a criminal offence, in most cases the thought is whether it might be a prison sentence, a community penalty, or a hefty fine. While the substantive penalty is, of course, important, on occasion there are…
Knife crime is very much on the political agenda, with a number of stabbings having taken place over the last few weeks, resulting in deaths and injury, and no doubt the loss of liberty in due course for those responsible. Attention is now focussed on using deterrent sentences to discourage knife possession. The Sentencing Council,…
The government this week announced that West Yorkshire Police has signed up to a new identity checking service. The new service, already being used in a select number of force areas, with a further 20 going live before the end of this year, will remove the need for suspects to be taken to a police…
The High Court has given judgment in the first of what are referred to as ‘right to be forgotten’ cases. Two applicants referred to in the judgment as NT1 and NT2 had been convicted in the past of a criminal offence. In both cases, the convictions were rehabilitated so far as the Rehabilitation of Offenders…
You may have read in the press that barristers are on strike, it is inevitable therefore that you may be concerned as to how this will affect your case. Why are barristers on strike? It is more or less agreed across the board now that the criminal justice system is on the brink of a…
There is a specific offence of dangerous driving, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 2 years. If that driving is a cause of someone’s death, the maximum sentence rises to one of 14 years. In each case there are minimum disqualification periods, very lengthy actual disqualifications and insurance premiums which will be significant for…
