Airports, Planes and Alcohol It has been reported in the press that 500 people have been arrested while drunk on a plane at British airports in the last three years. For many people a holiday begins once cases have been checked in, and what is the harm...
The Cut-Throat Defence A cut-throat defence is where one defendant gives evidence that is damaging to a co-defendant's case, sometimes going as far as directly accusing the other person of the crime, while typically seeking to exonerate themselves. Such evidence may be given directly by a defendant...
Dirty money The Government has published the new Economic Crime Plan for the next three years. In it, they unveil their strategy for dealing with all types of economic crime, such as money laundering, fraud, market abuse, and bribery. What is economic crime, and why is it important? Economic...
Data Protection - A Shifting Focus Over the last few years, we have seen many matters that would previously have been prosecuted before the criminal courts, move into the jurisdiction of other bodies. What we see as a result is a range of specialist regulators best...
Why hasn’t Michael Gove been arrested? A question on many people’s lips since the former Justice Secretary admitted to using cocaine several times earlier in his career. So, could he face the legal consequences of this? Cocaine is a Class A drug, the most serious category. Drug offences...
Prosecuting Sexual Offences - Time for a rethink? Justice, the renowned human rights organisation, has published a significant report that examines the prosecution of sexual offences, and in some areas calls for a radical overhaul. Among the authors of the report is Judge Peter Rook QC, a...
Private Prosecutions - 'Doing a Boris' A District Judge sitting at Westminster Magistrates' Court last week authorised that a summons be issued against the prominent conservative member of parliament, Boris Johnson. The allegations relate to alleged conduct during the Brexit referendum campaign and in particular the £350m...
Release on Temporary Licence The government has conducted a review of the process for prisoners to be released on temporary licence (ROTL); the drive behind the changes being the rehabilitation of offenders. Research has shown that working in the community prior to release significantly reduces the likelihood...
Tough New Weapons Laws Hit the Statute Book On 16th May 2019 the controversial Offensive Weapons bill received Royal Assent, bringing into law the Offensive Weapons Act 2019. Why was this law passed? This legislation has been passed in order to assist in stemming the current problems in...
Who Guards the Guards? This perennial question was back in the news following a Ministry of Justice announcement that further steps would be taken to root out dishonest prison officers and others working in custodial institutions. A new counter-corruption unit will be tasked with 'proactively [pursuing] those...