News & Advice

In February 2019 the Court of Appeal quashed Sally Challen’s conviction for the murder of her husband and ordered a retrial. Last week the prosecution accepted a plea to the lesser offence of manslaughter and Challen received a sentence that meant she would serve no further time in custody. Why Was The Appeal Allowed? Challen… Continue reading Sally Challen – An Issue of Coercive Control

Totting up refers to an accumulation of penalty points on your driving licence, which leads to a driving disqualification. Disqualification will occur if an individual accumulates 12 penalty points within a three year period. How Long Do Points Stay on my Licence? The time in which penalty points will stay on your record will be… Continue reading Totting up Driving Ban

Most people know that a driving ban may follow for serious road traffic offences or a series of lower-level traffic crimes as a result of ‘totting up’. Few of our client’s know that disqualifications can follow in other cases if a vehicle is used to facilitate the commission of an offence. What is The Relevant… Continue reading Driving Bans – Not Just for Traffic Offences

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’

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

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?

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

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?

The idea of speed limits causes immense confusion, with many people believing that the speed limit is at least the minimum speed you should ordinarily drive at. Most of us have experienced the rage of a motorist behind us if we adhere to the limit, and a step below it to any degree can cause… Continue reading Speeding – How Fast is Too Fast?

If a relationship breaks down, it can often be the case that the grandparents also suffer, with little or no contact with their grandchildren. Whilst there is no automatic right for grandparents to have access to their grandchildren, the court does recognise the often poignant role grandparents play. In the latest post from Broadbents Solicitors,… Continue reading Grandparents’ Rights