‘Downing Street has rejected calls for sentencing changes, saying it does not have the power to extend whole-life sentences to killers aged under 18 because of international law.’
The Guardian, 24th February 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A 78-year-old climate protester has had her prison sentence extended by 20 days for being “unlawfully at large”, after the authorities failed to find a tracking bracelet that fitted her.’
BBC News, 26th January 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Axel Rudakubana, 18, on Monday pleaded guilty to the murders of three young girls – Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine – and the attempted murder of eight other children and two adults at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last summer. He also admitted producing the biological toxin ricin, and possessing a terrorist handbook about al-Qaida. The guilty pleas have triggered a deluge of new information about the teenage attacker and how he had been known to the authorities before the atrocity on 29 July last year. It has also prompted searching questions about how the state failed to stop the attack – and whether there has been a cover-up. Here we answer some of the key questions about the Southport attack.’
The Guardian, 21st January 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivered a statement on the Southport public inquiry today.’
Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street, 21st January 2025
Source: www.gov.uk
‘The not guilty verdict in the trial of a man accused of driving a young mother to suicide will not deter future manslaughter charges, with more such prosecutions already in the pipeline, a senior prosecutor has said.’
The Guardian, 19th January 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘This comment considers the decision of the Divisional Court in DPP v Cobban, looking at the application of s 127 of the Communications Act 2003 and the compatibility with Articles 8 and 10 of the ECHR. The comment argues that the decision is significant in imposing a criminal restriction to uphold standards of propriety in relation to a closed conversation between consenting adults. The comment also questions whether the reach of the decision can be limited to a context that involves police officers. The decision points to the limited protection of expression rights and highlights the ongoing problems of s 127 in applying a standard of gross offence in a speech crime.’
Journal of Media Law, 10th January 2025
Source: www.tandfonline.com
‘Andrew Malkinson has called the former head of the miscarriage of justice watchdog “shameless” as she resigned from the job saying she had been “scapegoated for entirely legitimate decisions” taken over his case.’
The Guardian, 14th January 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Victims are being “let down time and time again” by police, a minister has said, as almost every violent or sexual offence went unsolved in hundreds of crime hotspots last year.’
The Guardian, 13th January 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Not that anyone should need reminding, but the King’s Bench Division of the High Court in the case of DPP v Bijou [2024] EWHC 2997 has recently made clear that there is life yet in the age-old idiom of ‘crime doesn’t pay’.’
St Ives Chambers, 17th December 2025
Source: stiveschambers.co.uk
‘Vulnerable children are being jailed many miles from their families at record levels, a Guardian investigation has found, prompting warnings that the government is breaking the law.’
The Guardian, 6th January 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A father who has developed paranoid schizophrenia and psychosis in prison after serving almost 13 years for stealing a phone will not be transferred to a secure hospital, his devastated family has learnt.’
The Independent, 3rd January 2025
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Fatima Jama examines the report by Revolving Doors which reviews good and promising local practices that aims to tackle ethnic disparity and minority over-representation in youth justice across England and Wales.’
Mountford Chambers, 5th November 2024
Source: www.mountfordchambers.com
‘Young terrorism suspects could avoid prosecution if they agree to a diversion scheme, in a new government plan to cope with the post-lockdown surge in youngsters drawn to violent extremism.’
The Guardian, 17th December 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Victims of crimes will see the perpetrators face justice more quickly under a once-in-a-generation review of criminal courts, the Lord Chancellor announced today (12 December).’
Ministry of Justice, 12th December 2024
Source: www.gov.uk
‘UK and Germany agree landmark plan to break the business model of people smuggling gangs, with Germany confirming intention for law change.’
Home Office, 10th December 2024
Source: www.gov.uk
‘People scheduled to stand trial could be “diverted” from the criminal justice system in efforts to tackle the “unsustainable” backlog of court cases, the head of a major justice review has said.’
The Guardian, 14th December 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Lawyers are refusing to represent people charged with certain crimes amid a crisis over solicitors’ pay, with one burglary suspect turned away by 12 legal firms, the Law Society president has said.’
The Guardian, 16th December 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Jury trials could be abandoned for some criminal cases in England and Wales under a radical overhaul proposed by ministers as the crown courts backlog hit a record high.’
The Guardian, 12th December 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
© Inner Temple Library 2025