News & Advice

What impact might the serious ill health of counsel have on the safety of a conviction? The Appellant asked the Court of Appeal to resolve this question, which had been formulated in these terms: “Where after a trial in which the defendant was convicted it becomes known that defence counsel was suffering from a serious… Continue reading Health of Counsel as A Ground of Appeal

The Ministry of Justice has announced emergency measures that will see some people who ought to be in prison instead placed in police cells. The capacity pressure is specific to the adult male estate, and there is ample capacity in the women’s and youth estates. There are currently about 83,000 people in prison At the… Continue reading Police Cells For Prisoners

It is now commonplace for us to be asked to deal with cases where a person is accused of a crime, most commonly of a sexual nature, which is said to have occurred many decades earlier. Not surprisingly, those accused will wonder how they can be expected to properly defend themselves after such a passage… Continue reading Delay & Alleged Historic Offending

It is an offence for a person, with the intention to (a) of cause public alarm or anxiety, or (b) cause injury to members of the public consuming or using the goods, or (c) cause economic loss to any person by reason of the goods being shunned by members of the public, or (d) cause… Continue reading Contamination of or Interference with Goods

Any avid fan of American courtroom drama will be familiar with the idea of lawyers using ingenious methods to try and select a favourable jury panel. In England and Wales, the scope for objection is minimal, and in most cases, the jurors chosen to sit will remain on the case. Many clients question the potential… Continue reading Juror Bias?

The Attorney General has the power to refer to the Court of Appeal sentences for certain offences which they believe to be unduly lenient. This is sometimes called the unduly lenient sentence scheme.  The scheme was established in the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and came into force in 1989. The purpose of the scheme is… Continue reading Review of Unduly Lenient Sentences – Latest Figures Published

The Law Commission has published new reforms to overhaul the system for recovering the proceeds of criminal activities. The reforms, which are the culmination of a Home Office-commissioned review, would enhance enforcement powers and could lead to the recovery of millions of pounds of additional funds from offenders each year. A “confiscation order” is a… Continue reading Proceeds of Crime – Confiscation Reform on the Cards

On 3 November 2022, Glencore Energy (UK) Limited was sentenced to financial penalties totalling some £280 million. Glencore was charged on indictment with seven counts under the Bribery Act 2010. Glencore pleaded guilty to all seven counts on 21 June 2022 before the Honorary Recorder of Westminster. Counts 1 to 5 are bribery offences, contrary… Continue reading Bribery – An Expensive Business…..

Police recorded crime figures in 2021/22 show that there were 155,841 offences where one or more of the centrally monitored hate crime strands were deemed to be a motivating factor. This represented a 26% increase in figures for 2020/21.  Since April 2015, there have been spikes for racial or religiously aggravated hate crimes at the… Continue reading Police Respond to Increased Reports of Hate Crime