An interesting sentencing exercise – St Pauls Chambers
‘On 4.2.24 CLOWES was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment suspended for 2 years for gross negligence manslaughter.’
St Pauls Chambers, 28th February 2024
Source: www.stpaulschambers.com
Category: criminal justice
Years of delays to rape trials a ‘significant injustice’, says judge – The Guardian
‘More than 180 alleged rape victims in England and Wales have faced more than two years of delays since their case first went to court, with a senior judge announcing plans to clear the “serious stain” on the justice system by the end of July.’
The Guardian, 6th March 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
Launch of the Disclosure of Information between Family and Criminal Agencies and Jurisdictions: 2024 Protocol – Courts & Tribunals Judiciary
‘The Disclosure of Information between Family and Criminal Agencies and Jurisdictions: 2024 Protocol comes into effect on 1 March 2024. It replaces the 2013 Protocol and Good Practice Model: disclosure of information in cases of alleged child abuse and care directions hearings.’
Courts & Tribunals Judiciary, 1st March 2024
Source: www.judiciary.uk
Attorney General’s Guidelines on Disclosure updated – Attorney General’s Office
‘The Attorney General’s Guidelines on Disclosure have been updated with guidance on digital materials, the Solicitor General has confirmed.’
Attorney General's Office, 29th February 2024
Source: www.gov.uk
New law to make justice more accessible for innocent people wronged by powerful companies – Ministry of Justice
‘The Lord Chancellor, Alex Chalk, will introduce a new law to make it easier for members of the public to secure the financial backing of third parties when launching complex claims against moneyed corporations with sizeable legal teams which they could otherwise ill-afford.’
Ministry of Justice, 4th March 2024
Source: www.gov.uk
The TV licence fee scandal: why are 1,000 people a week being casually criminalised? – The Guardian
‘Each year, tens of thousands of UK citizens are charged with non-payment of their TV licence fee – from the man who missed payments while in hospital, to a woman with a brain injury who forgot to pay.’
The Guardian, 29th February 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
Insider trading conviction highlights FCA market abuse crackdown – OUT-LAW.com
‘A recent criminal conviction secured by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in a case of insider trading highlights the UK regulator’s intention to proactively crackdown on cases of market abuse – not just with criminal prosecutions but through the enforcement of regulation too, a former senior market regulator has said.’
OUT-LAW.com, 23rd February 2024
Source: www.pinsentmasons.com
New law to stop thousands of offenders from changing their name in secret – Ministry of Justice
‘Thousands of offenders on community and suspended sentences will no longer be able to secretly change their name as part of tough new rules to protect the public.’
Ministry of Justice, 23rd February 2024
Source: www.gov.uk
Calls to end the ‘living nightmare’ of indefinite jail terms ahead of crunch Lords debate – The Independent
‘Mental health, human rights and criminal justice experts have made a joint plea for parliament to end the “living nightmare” of indefinite jail terms, following a series of revelations by The Independent. Thousands of prisoners have been left languishing in jail for years longer than their minimum tariff, and with no hope of release, under imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences – which were scrapped more than a decade ago amid human rights concerns.’
The Independent, 26th February 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Ministers to press ahead with legislation to exonerate Post Office Horizon victims – The Guardian
‘Ministers have vowed to press ahead with legislation to automatically overturn convictions related to the Post Office Horizon scandal by the end of July.’
The Guardian, 22nd February 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
£1.2bn Is Spent Convicting People By Association, Including Innocent Bystanders – Each Other
‘A recent report by Manchester Metropolitan University, ‘The Mounting Cost of Injustice: Calculating the Economic Cost of Joint Enterprise’, reveals that £1.2bn of taxpayer money is spent annually to convict an average of 1,088 individuals under joint enterprise.’
Each Other, 19th February 2024
Source: eachother.org.uk
Tougher sentences for ‘rough sex’ killers – Ministry of Justice
‘Cowards who kill their partners with sexual violence will face longer behind bars as the government continues to clamp down on domestic abuse against women.’
Ministry of Justice, 14th February 2024
Source: www.gov.uk
Home Office plans new protest offences and anti-Zionism is a protected belief – UK Human Rights Blog
‘The Home Office has announced its intention to create new offences relating to actions taken by attendees at protests. The plans include making it an offence to possess flares or pyrotechnics at a protest, to wear a face covering at a protest, and to climb on war memorials. The changes will be added as amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill. The Home Office has emphasised that the new rules are not a blanket ban on face coverings, and only apply where the protester’s intention is to conceal their identity.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 12th February 2024
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
New protest laws on face coverings and pyrotechnics – Home Office
‘Police will be given powers to arrest protesters who wear face coverings to threaten others and avoid prosecution, and pyrotechnics will be banned at protests.’
Home Office, 8th February 2024
Source: www.gov.uk
Detention at Her Majesty’s Pleasure incompatible with young murderers’ human rights – Law Society’s Gazette
‘High Court judges have ruled that to keep a young offender convicted of murder detained indefinitely is incompatible with certain rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.’
Law Society's Gazette, 12th February 2024
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Criminals gaming the justice system as cases jammed for years in court backlog – The Independent
‘Criminals are gaming the system by pleading not guilty and relying on crippling trial delays to evade justice, The Independent has been told. Laying bare the extent of the crisis in the courts, figures obtained by this publication suggest the number of cases waiting more than three years for a verdict has skyrocketed at least sevenfold since 2019 to exceed 1,280 last June.’
The Independent, 11th February 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Joint enterprise law: MP’s bill seeks to stop innocent bystanders being jailed – The Guardian
‘A proposed amendment to English law could stop innocent people being imprisoned under the controversial joint enterprise doctrine.’
The Guardian, 1st February 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
Criminal legal aid “coming apart at the seams”, High Court says – Legal Futures
‘Two High Court judges have described the system of criminal legal aid as “slowly coming apart at the seams” and reliant on solicitors’ goodwill and sense of public duty.’
Legal Futures, 1st February 2024
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Valdo Calocane: CPS to be investigated over handling of Nottingham killer case – The Guardian
‘Prosecutors are to be investigated for their handling of the Valdo Calocane case, including their decision to accept his manslaughter pleas, the attorney general has announced.’
The Guardian, 30th January 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
