Category: Latest News

This perennial question was back in the news following a ministry of justice announcement that further steps would be taken to root out dishonest prison officers and others working in custodial institutions. A new counter-corruption unit will be tasked with ‘proactively [purusing] those suspected of corrupt activity in prison and probation services across England and… Continue reading Who Guards the Guards?

Tough New Weapons Laws Hit the Statute Book On 16th May 2019 the controversial Offensive Weapons bill received Royal Assent, bringing into law the Offensive Weapons Act 2019. Why Was this Law Passed? This legislation has been passed in order to assist in stemming the current problems in relation to knife crime and other serious… Continue reading Tough New Weapons Laws Hit the Statute Book

In criminal law, we use two different standards of proof, the most well known is ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ (although these days expressed as ‘so that you are sure’), and the balance of probabilities. The latter standard of proof gets less attention but is nonetheless of critical importance in criminal cases. Whilst we hear the term… Continue reading On the Balance of Probabilities – But What Does That Mean?

Few people would disagree with the suggestion that sentencing law in England and Wales is a complete mess. The provisions that govern how a defendant is to be sentenced are both complex and disparate and to be found across a significant number of statutes. Why Does This Matter? Research has shown that thousands of sentencing… Continue reading Sentencing – Breaking the Code

A District Judge sitting at Westminster Magistrates’ Court last week authorised that a summons be issued against the prominent conservative member of parliament, Boris Johnson. The allegations relate to alleged conduct during the Brexit referendum campaign and in particular the £350m per week for the NHS slogan that adorned the side of campaign buses. Unless… Continue reading Private Prosecutions – ‘Doing a Boris’

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 confers a power to make regulations if an ‘emergency’ has occurred or is about to occur. In other words, a power to declare a state of emergency and make regulations to deal with it. The reason that this is currently interesting is that the definition of emergency within the Act… Continue reading Civil Contingencies Act, Martial Law and a State of Emergency

The murder of James Bulger in 1993 shocked everyone. That the killers who committed such a violent crime were only ten years of age was astounding. Many people, rightly, felt they should be punished to the full extent of the law. But some people think that the punishment should go further. As a result, Jon… Continue reading Tina Malone – When Sharing a Picture Can Send You to Prison

Driving above the drink drive limit can have serious consequences and impact not only the drink diver but other motorists and pedestrians. At Broadbents Solicitors, we have a wealth of experience in handling drink drive cases and discuss this topic further in our latest post. What is The Drink Drive Limit? Whilst some people believe… Continue reading Key Facts on the Drink Drive Limit

Many people have an image of a typical drink driver: overweight man, staggering from the pub after an all-day session and getting into his car. A few minutes later that car being pulled over by police officers due to erratic driving. That is sometimes the story, but not the most common one that we see.… Continue reading Drink Driving – The Reality

The Court of Appeal has handed down judgment in the case of R v Max Clifford, the disgraced celebrity PR guru who was convicted in 2014 of a number of sexual offences and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment. Clifford Died in 2017, So Why Did the Appeal Proceed? Section 44A of The Criminal Appeal Act… Continue reading Appeals from Beyond the Grave