The scales of justice and the establishment – OUP Blog

‘Reports that luminaries of the ‘establishment,’ including Archbishop Carey, were queuing up to write letters directly to the Director of Public Prosecutions in support of Bishop Peter Ball, who was eventually convicted of numerous sex offences, is hardly a revelation. Bishops of the Church of England move in the rarefied circles of the establishment, such as the London clubs. Bishop Ball’s influential friends promoted the interests of their friend. What else are friends for? No doubt, those who wrote in Bishop Ball’s defence did so in good faith and were, hopefully, as astounded by his eventual confession as the rest of us were outraged.’

Full story

OUP Blog, 18th January 2016

Source: www.blog.oup.com

Lord Janner sex abuse ‘trial of the facts’ formally dropped one month after the Labour peer’s death – The Independent

‘A ‘trial of the facts’ into allegations of sexual abuse by Lord Janner has been formally dropped following the Labour peer’s death in December.’

Full story

The Independent, 15th January 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

CPS lacks empathy with crime victims and witnesses, report finds – The Guardian

Posted January 13th, 2016 in Crown Prosecution Service, news, reports, victims, witnesses by sally

‘Letters the Crown Prosecution Service sends to victims of crime often lack empathy and contain template paragraphs that sometimes fail to convey basic information, according to an official inspectorate report.’

Full story

The Guardian, 13th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

DPP: Controlling and coercive behaviour can “limit victims’ basic human rights” as new domestic abuse law introduced – Crown Prosecution Service

‘Domestic abusers who subject victims to controlling or coercive behaviour could face up to five years in jail under a new law which comes into force today (29 December 2015). The new legislation will mean the CPS can for the first time prosecute specific offences of domestic abuse if there is evidence of repeated, or continuous, controlling or coercive behaviour.’

Full press release

Crown Prosecution Service, 29th December 2015

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

DPP faces criticism from MPs for failing to see the “shambles” at magistrates courts – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 16th, 2015 in courts, Crown Prosecution Service, magistrates, news by sally

‘Alison Saunders told she is “living in a bubble” after saying she went to see cases in action only every few months.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 15th December 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

RSPCA ‘reserves right’ to prosecute hunt cases despite controversy – Daily Telegraph

‘Changes to the animal protection charity’s prosecution policy will not mean a final end to cases brought against members of fox hunts.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 13th December 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Phone hacking: 10 years of resignations, cover-ups and convictions – The Guardian

‘It began in December 2005 when the Metropolitan police started an investigation into the hacking of Prince William’s phone and has ended exactly 10 years later. In the intervening period, hundreds lost their jobs and many more reputations were both shredded and made, mainly on the legal benches.’

Full story

The Guardian, 11th December 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

CPS ends phone hacking investigations – BBC News

‘No more prosecutions will be brought over alleged phone hacking at newspapers owned by the Mirror Group or News Group Newspapers, prosecutors say.’

Full story

Full CPS press release

BBC News, 11th December 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Former DPP ‘encouraged abortion on demand’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 30th, 2015 in abortion, Crown Prosecution Service, gender, news, prosecutions by sally

‘High Court case disputes decision by Sir Keir Starmer, the former DPP turned Labour MP, not to bring charges after Telegraph exposé.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 28th November 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

National Crime Agency reviews warrants after major trials collapse – The Guardian

‘The National Crime Agency (NCA) has launched an internal inquiry into its use of warrants and production orders following the collapse of major trials, amid warnings that other cases could be in jeopardy.’

Full story

The Guardian, 27th November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Speech by HHJ Edmund QC on Better Case Management and the Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

‘Speech by HHJ Edmund QC at the Criminal Bar Association Ann Goddard Memorial Lecture on 3 November 2015 entitled ”All Change: What you need to know about Better Case Management and the Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing”.

Full speech

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 17th November 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Tick-box police never go to court, says official report – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 12th, 2015 in case management, courts, Crown Prosecution Service, news, police, reports, victims by sally

‘Official inspection is critical of the way police and prosecutors treat vulnerable victims and witnesses.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 12th November 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Domestic violence victims ‘put at risk’ by erratic handling of cases – The Guardian

‘Victims of domestic violence and other vulnerable witnesses are being put at risk by the erratic handling of sensitive cases by police and prosecutors, inspectors have said.’

Full story

The Guardian, 12th November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Roy Harper criticises CPS for taking ‘so long’ to acquit him over sex abuse allegations – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 10th, 2015 in complaints, Crown Prosecution Service, evidence, news, retrials by sally

‘The 74-year-old songwriter hits out at the length of time the Crown Prosecution Service took to prove his innocence.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 9th November 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

CPS fine sparks call for data protection rethink – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Data protection arrangements should be reviewed in the modern world of social media and cybercrime, a specialist solicitor has said, after it emerged the Crown Prosecution Service delivered unencrypted DVDs to a film studio for 12 years.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 9th November 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

CPS fined £200,000 over theft of interview film laptops – BBC News

Posted November 5th, 2015 in Crown Prosecution Service, data protection, fines, news, video recordings by sally

‘The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has been fined £200,000 by the information watchdog after the theft of laptops containing videos of police interviews.’

Full story

BBC News, 4th November 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

#killallwhitemen row: charges dropped against student diversity officer – The Guardian

‘Bahar Mustafa, the Goldsmiths student diversity officer who was due to appear in court after allegedly tweeting the hashtag #killallwhitemen, has had charges against her dropped.’

Full story

The Guardian, 3rd November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Tom Watson letter did not lead to Leon Brittan being interviewed, says CPS – The Guardian

‘Tom Watson’s controversial letter to Britain’s top prosecutor did not lead to Leon Brittan being interviewed by police over sex abuse allegations, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.’

Full story

The Guardian, 13th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Lord chief justice: security services cannot be above the law – The Guardian

‘The accountability of MI5 and MI6 and the question of whether they are fully subject to the rule of law lie at the heart of attempts by the media to sweep away the secrecy surrounding a major terrorism trial, the lord chief justice said on Monday. In a series of remarks that disclosed publicly for the first time the role that the UK’s security and intelligence agencies played in imposing secrecy on the trial of Erol Incedal, a London law student, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd told the court of appeal that public confidence in the way they do their work was a key issue in the case.’

Full story

The Guardian, 12th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

2,331 criminal cases dropped over ill-health or age in 2014 – BBC News

‘More than 2,000 suspected criminals avoided prosecution in England and Wales last year because of their ill-health or age, figures have shown.’

Full story

BBC News, 9th October 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk