[Image credit: “Martin Luther King Jr. – I Have A Dream Speech” by e-strategyblog.com is licensed under CC BY 2.0] The closing speech is a significant opportunity for the defence to make a plea to the jury as to why a not guilty verdict ought to be returned. The speech, which will follow any prosecution closing, allows the defence…
[Image credit: “Tree” by -epsilon- is licensed under CC BY 2.0] It can be quite tempting to ignore planning laws in the hope that changes you make to buildings and environment will not be noticed. In our experience, it is quite surprising just how often these breaches come to the attention of the authorities, suggesting that many in society…
[Image credit: “communication” by urbanfeel is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0] ‘Encrochat’ provided an encrypted telephone network that was said to be popular with criminals for its encrypted messaging. Recent joint police operations in Europe allowed officers to hack into the software resulting in the arrest of 746 suspected criminals in the UK. Across Europe, there have been further…
[Image credit: “Secret Agent Man” by Grempz is licensed under CC BY 2.0] The Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons. The MP who is Minister for Security, James Brokenshire, set out the purposes of the Bill during the Second Reading debate. “…the Bill deals with participation in criminal conduct…
[Image credit: “Day 255 – West Midlands Police – Searching using torch (Part of an officers Personal Protective Equipment Kit.” by West Midlands Police is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0] The Law Commission has recommended reforms that it says will reduce the number of unlawful search warrants being issued, and to assist in the collection of evidence and investigation…
[Image credit: “confuse” by Tall Chris is licensed under CC BY 2.0] In the criminal courts, we are seeing an ever-increasing number of cases where the court hears evidence from witnesses recounting what apparently happened some years earlier. Of course, in many cases, some of that evidence would have been recorded at the time, by way of a witness…
[Image credit: “Love and Hate” by Skley is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0] The Law Commission is considering proposals to reform hate crime laws. Hate crime is where a victim is targeted, perhaps for an assault, criminal damage or harassment, based on a protected characteristic. What are protected characteristics? Currently, the protected characteristics are race, religion, sexual orientation, disability…
[Image credit: “Forgive.” by Tony Webster is licensed under CC BY 2.0] The government has recently approved a proposal to reform the disclosure of criminal records. A review of the sentencing system found that a critical element in reducing offending was having access to employment. Having unspent convictions can be a barrier to gaining employment, so the proposal is…
[Image credit: “Day 165 – West Midlands Police – Arresting suspected offenders” by West Midlands Police is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0] This is the name of the paper presented to Parliament that proposes changes to the sentencing and release frameworks in the criminal justice system. The paper sets out the “problems” they have identified in the system as…
[Image credit: “Coronavirus COVID 19” by https://www.vperemen.com is licensed under CC BY 2.0] In March, nearly 50% of courts were closed, and jury trials were halted to reduce interaction between court users dramatically. Although 90% of courts have re-opened there is a backlog of cases. The government has announced a series of new measures to address the current delays…
