[Image credit: “The Royal Courts of Justice” by R/DV/RS is licensed under CC BY 2.0] Jury Trials and Covid 19 In a startling announcement, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland admitted that the right to a jury trial is in his sights and might be curtailed in a few weeks time. Before the Coronavirus pandemic, the Crown Court case backlog was…
(Image: “protest” by jpbourque is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0) As we slowly exit the Covid19 ‘lockdown’ we have seen several protests in major cities. As life moves toward a more ‘normal’ footing, whatever that may be, and as we enter the Summer months, protest action may likely increase. In this article, we explore some of the legal powers…
(Image: “Bench” by Loozrboy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0) In cases where there is more than one defendant, it is a common scenario that one of more pleads guilty, perhaps at an early stage, but others continue their case to trial. A question then arises as to whether those who have pleaded guilty earlier should be sentenced immediately,…
On Sunday 7 June protesters in Bristol tore down the statue of Edward Colston and swiftly deposited it in the local harbour. The statute had been in situ for 125 years and had previously attracted a petition of over 10,000 names calling for its removal, due to Colston’s close connection to the slave trade. The…
Although there is a general principle of open justice, that those who appear in court can be reported on, there are some exceptions. It is a contempt of court to publish anything to the public which creates a substantial risk that the course of justice in the proceedings will be seriously impeded or prejudiced, even…
As the Coronavirus crisis has forced almost everyone to spend more time at home, home deliveries have rocketed as people have been forced to shop online. While this means that many people will be at home to receive deliveries, there have been reports of organised criminal activity to steal parcels and other items of value.…
Following on from the terror attacks at Fishmongers Hall on 29 November 2019 and in Streatham on 2 February 2020 the government has announced the next phase of its tougher approach to terrorism offences. What are the aims of this proposed legislation? The Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill, is designed to further strengthen the approach taken…
It is quite common to read in a newspaper that someone has been arrested. Local papers will cover almost any story of interest, and national media if the case involves a high-profile person. For the person being investigated, such publicity can be devastating, as many people will conclude that there is ‘no smoke without fire’.…
In a recent case, the Court of Appeal dealt with an appeal by the Attorney General against a sentence of 30 months imprisonment imposed following a guilty plea to various firearms offences. The basis of plea, accepted in full by the prosecution read: “[that] he converted weapons as a hobby, the weapons were not distributed,…
For some new drivers, six penalty points mean resitting a driving test, for other drivers twelve points may mean disqualification. It is therefore vital to ensure that a single piece of driving is not unduly punished when it comes to the imposition of penalty points. To explain the issues that can arise, we will use…
