£1.2bn Is Spent Convicting People By Association, Including Innocent Bystanders – Each Other

Posted February 21st, 2024 in bills, budgets, criminal justice, homicide, joint enterprise, news, prosecutions, statistics by sally

‘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.’

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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.’

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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.’

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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.’

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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.’

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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

Posted February 12th, 2024 in courts, criminal justice, delay, Ministry of Justice, news, statistics by tracey

‘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.’

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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

Posted February 2nd, 2024 in bills, criminal justice, gangs, homicide, joint enterprise, murder, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘A proposed amendment to English law could stop innocent people being imprisoned under the controversial joint enterprise doctrine.’

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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.’

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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.’

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The Guardian, 30th January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Majority verdicts in England and Wales brought in ‘partly for racial and class reasons’ – The Guardian

Posted January 24th, 2024 in bias, charities, criminal justice, equality, juries, miscarriage of justice, news by sally

‘The introduction of majority verdicts in criminal trials in England and Wales was partly motivated by a desire to dilute the influence of minority ethnic people and the labouring classes serving on juries, according to research.’

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The Guardian, 24th January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Two men jailed on racist police officer’s evidence have convictions overturned – The Guardian

‘Two men who were framed by a racist and corrupt detective for the same offence he was later jailed for have had their convictions posthumously quashed by the court of appeal 46 years later.’

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The Guardian, 18th January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

MoJ changes to indefinite jail sentences do not go far enough, says UN expert – The Guardian

‘A UN torture expert has said changes to the imprisonment for public protection (IPP) scheme in England and Wales do not go far enough and repeated her call for prisoners jailed under the indefinite sentencing regime to be granted release dates.’

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The Guardian, 19th January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Cat and dog theft set to be made criminal offence – BBC News

Posted January 19th, 2024 in animals, bills, criminal justice, government departments, news, theft by sally

‘The government is expected to back making stealing cats and dogs a specific criminal offence in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.’

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BBC News, 19th January 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The inside story of two rape trials: ‘It’s as bad as I’ve ever known it’ – The Guardian

Posted January 17th, 2024 in barristers, criminal justice, news, rape, sexual offences, trials by sally

‘In sexual assault cases, the work of prosecution barristers is complex, poorly paid – and essential. With conviction rates extraordinarily low and barristers quitting criminal practice in droves, the Guardian shadowed one prosecutor for two years.’

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The Guardian, 17th January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Update law on computer evidence to avoid Horizon repeat, ministers urged – The Guardian

‘Ministers need to “immediately” update the law to acknowledge that computers are fallible or risk a repeat of the Horizon scandal, legal experts say.’

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The Guardian, 12th January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Somerset women in custody offered alternative to court – BBC News

Posted January 8th, 2024 in courts, criminal justice, news, rehabilitation, women by tracey

‘Women in Somerset who’ve been arrested for the first time for low-level crime are being offered an alternative to going to court.’

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BBC News, 8th January 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Brand new guide to help public easily access court hearings – Ministry of Justice

Posted January 2nd, 2024 in civil justice, courts, criminal justice, Ministry of Justice, news, tribunals by tracey

‘People are being encouraged to see how justice is done in courtrooms with the publication of a new and simple “how to” guide for attending court hearings today.’

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Ministry of Justice, 30th December 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Troubles legacy act: Ireland takes human rights case against UK – BBC News

‘The Irish government is to begin a legal challenge against the UK government over its decision to offer immunity for Troubles-era crimes.’

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BBC News, 20th December 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

New strategy to tackle organised crime – Home Office

‘A new strategy aimed at tackling the growing threat of serious and organised crime has been announced by the Home Secretary as the government steps up action to clamp down on criminal gangs operating in and against the UK.’

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Home Office, 13th December 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

MoJ says it is working on making court records more accessible following MP’s outrage at £7,500 bill – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 27th, 2023 in bills, criminal justice, judgments, Ministry of Justice, news, victims by tracey

‘Ministry of Justice officials are working on ways to make transcripts of court proceedings available to victims of crime, a minister has revealed. But, speaking in parliament last week, Mike Freer MP did not respond to calls for immediate legislation to make this possible.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 26th November 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk