Woman’s rape was not investigated ‘because she took her clothes off’ – Daily Telegraph
‘Police watchdog reveals how police wrongly presumed a rape victim must have “consented” to sex.’
Daily Telegraph, 18th November 2014
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Category: crime
Police failing to record quarter of all sexual offences, says watchdog – The Independent
‘Police officers fail to record a quarter of sexual offences – including rapes – and one-third of violent attacks, a damning report by the police watchdog has concluded.’
The Independent, 18th November 2014
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Domestic violence should be specific criminal offence, says Law Commission – The Guardian
‘A specific criminal offence should be created to deal with cases of domestic violence, the Law Commission has suggested in a consultation launched on Wednesday.’
The Guardian, 12th November 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Foetal alcohol syndrome compensation case goes before Court of Appeal – The Independent
‘A six-year-old girl born with disabilities caused by her mother drinking while she was in the womb could be awarded criminal injuries compensation at a case being heard by the Court of Appeal tomorrow.’
The Independent, 4th November 2014
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Six types of killer use Facebook to commit crimes, says study – The Guardian
‘Researchers at Birmingham City University have identified six types of killer who use Facebook to commit crimes, in the first-ever study on how the social networking site can affect criminal behaviour.’
The Guardian, 3rd November 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Punitive drug law enforcement failing, says Home Office study – The Guardian
‘There is no evidence that tough enforcement of the drug laws on personal possession leads to lower levels of drug use, according to the government’s first evidence-based study.’
The Guardian, 30th October 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Disability hate crime convictions drop, says CPS – BBC News
‘Prosecutors have pledged to do more to tackle disability hate crime after a drop in the number of convictions.’
BBC News, 23rd October 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
White collar crime reform considered – Law Society’s Gazette
‘The attorney general has revealed that the government is considering changing the evidential basis for prosecuting white collar crime.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 20th October 2014
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Rapes increase by 29% as overall crime falls in England and Wales – BBC News
‘The number of rapes reported to and recorded by police in England and Wales are at their highest ever level, police figures have shown.’
BBC News, 16th October 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Ian Cram: Penalising the googling juror? – Reflections on the futility of Part 3 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill (2013-14) – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘The hotchpotch of measures that comprises the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill is about to reach Report Stage in the House of Lords. The Bill sets out a panoply of new and controversial measures to deal with dangerous offenders, young offenders, drugs-testing in prisons, wilful neglect or ill-treatment by care workers, reforms to criminal proceedings (including the use of cautions), the possession of extreme pornographic images, civil proceedings involving judicial review (B. Jaffey & T. Hickman), personal injury cases and challenges to planning decisions. The adequacy of this miscellaneous approach to law reform will doubtless come under the fuller scrutiny that it deserves elsewhere. This blog takes as its focus provisions in Part 3 of the Bill which seeks to put on a statutory footing offences connected with private research by jurors. I suggest that resort to the criminal law constitutes a clumsy, impractical and unnecessarily punitive attempt to regulate the extra-curial activities of the modern, online juror. It is incumbent on our lawmakers to explore more imaginative responses to the undoubted problem of jurors’ access to untested, internet materials – responses that might be more obviously premised upon an appreciation of jurors’ dutiful efforts to arrive at just verdicts.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 2nd October 2014
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org/blog
A day in court for non-payment of the TV licence: ‘What do they want us to do, kill ourselves?’ – The Guardian
‘Almost 200,000 people were prosecuted last year for failing to buy a television licence. Should those who can’t afford to pay their bills be criminalised in this way?’
The Guardian, 24th September 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Criminals could appeal after Home Office admits potentially misleading DNA evidence presented to juries – Daily Telegraph
‘Forensic expert Peter Gill, who raised the issue with the Home Office in April said the recognition that subjective interpretations of DNA evidence were potentially biased and unscientific and could lead to a number of appeals.’
Daily Telegraph, 23rd September 2014
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Ministers to review enforcement of TV licence payment – BBC News
‘Ministers are to review how payment of the TV licence fee is enforced amid concerns about the number of people appearing in court for evasion.’
BBC News, 9th September 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Juvenile Offenders: A Different Approach Needed? – Part II – No. 5 Chambers
‘In this series written for Criminal Law & Justice Weekly, Navpreet Virk and No5 member Richard Gibbs present the opposing arguments surrounding the manner in which the youth courts treat juveniles convicted of criminal offences and examine the countervailing arguments and policies. In the first of this four part series, Nav Virk sets out the general philosophical underpinnings of the current policy approach.’
No. 5 Chambers, 27th August 2014
Source: www.no5.com
Juvenile Offenders: A Different Approach Needed? – Part I – No. 5 Chambers
‘In this series written for Criminal Law & Justice Weekly, Navpreet Virk and No5 member Richard Gibbs present the opposing arguments surrounding the manner in which the youth courts treat juveniles convicted of criminal offences and examine the countervailing arguments and policies. In the first of this four part series, Nav Virk sets out the general philosophical underpinnings of the current policy approach.’
No. 5 Chambers, 21st August 2014
Source: www.no5.com
Tackling alcohol-rated offending – are “Sobriety tags” the answer? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange
‘The first “sobriety tag” has been fitted to a man who had been found guilty of drunken affray. The introduction of the tags, which monitor consumption of alcohol by the wearer, is part of a year-long pilot scheme to tackle alcohol-related reoffending.’
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 14th August 2014
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
‘Hardcore’ criminals with 100 convictions avoid prison – Daily Telegraph
‘A “hardcore” of repeat offenders, some with more than 100 convictions, are avoiding prison in record numbers, ministers have admitted.’
Daily Telegraph, 6th August 2014
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Regina v Martin (Dwain) and Another – WLR Daily
Regina v Martin (Dwain) and Another [2014] WLR (D) 341
‘To establish an offence of being concerned in supplying controlled drugs, it was necessary to prove that the defendant had participated in the enterprise of supplying controlled drugs to another and that he had knowledge of that enterprise. An arrangement to collect and transport drugs plainly came within the meaning of the word “supply” which was a broad term.’
WLR Daily, 25th July 2014
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
House of Lords inquiry into social media offences – what the report really says – Halsbury’s Law Exchange
‘The report is born out of a widely held belief that the law on policing what should be permitted on social media, and determining between the morally unacceptable and the criminal, is woefully inadequate in the current age
[Warning: contains strong language]
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 29th July 2014
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
