Category: Latest News

The government has announced its intention to use new roadside breathalysers, in a move that could see a further 6,000 convictions per year for drink driving. At the moment, the breath test procedure is in 2 stages, a person who tests positive at the roadside will be arrested and taken to a police station for… Continue reading Targeting Drink Drivers

In a major announcement, the government has signalled a busy year ahead with legislative changes affecting the criminal law. Following on from the recent announcement about the sentencing of domestic abuse offences, the government has announced further reforms. There will be a new definition of domestic abuse making clear that it applies to all relationships… Continue reading New Domestic Abuse Protections Announced

In Entick v Carrington (1765), a case concerning the entry to and searching of premises, the court ruled: “…if this is law it would be found in our books, but no such law ever existed in this country; our law holds the property of every man so sacred, that no man can set his foot… Continue reading Searching For Answers

It can be a temptation to family members, and to others perhaps for financial gain, to seek to convey articles into prisons. The chance of being detected is high and possibly for that reason many who might otherwise be tempted to do so, resist. Section 40CB of the Prison Act 1952 makes it an offence… Continue reading Throwing Articles into Prisons

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are never far from the news, mainly when the value is rising considerably. This week the price of a single bitcoin rose to a little over £10,000. It is an odd ‘currency’, as it is not backed by any government, and certainly not by an underlying gold stock. It is, in… Continue reading When People Talk Bitcoin, It’s Time to Ask Questions

In criminal law, we talk a lot about character, but mainly in the context of ‘bad character’, or previous convictions that the prosecution will try to put before a jury to persuade them of the defendant’s guilt. After all, if he’s done it before, he is more likely to have committed this crime too, is… Continue reading A Matter of Character

Redemption has always been an important part of our justice system; you do the crime, you do time. Once your debt is paid, you should then be free to start again, without forever being haunted by ghosts of the past. We all recognise that there must be limits to this principle, so if convicted of… Continue reading The “Right to be Forgotten”