A Matter of Character In criminal law, we talk a lot about character, but mainly in the context of 'bad character', or previous convictions that the prosecution will try to put before a jury to persuade them of the defendant's guilt. After all, if he's done...
The Prosecutor in Your Pocket - phones! We are all aware that we live in a surveillance society. CCTV cameras can record our movements around large towns and cities, and many homes now have them installed for protection. Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras take a snapshot of...
Is it Lawful to Hit a Child? Laws that criminalise unlawful violence date back to 1861 and are used every day in criminal courts to support prosecutions. Despite what might appear to be an obvious legal position, the question is often asked as to whether, despite those...
When People Talk Bitcoin, It's Time to Ask Questions Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are never far from the news, mainly when the value is rising considerably. This week the price of a single bitcoin rose to a little over £10,000. It is an odd 'currency', as it...
Disclosure - The Hidden Truth When the Director of Public Prosecutions writes to a national newspaper and apologises for a prosecution failure in an individual case, you know that something significant went wrong. Before exploring that however, it might be thought a great pity that she...
Terrorism - A Case of Smoke Without Fire? Newspapers this week reported the following story: 'The number of people arrested over terrorism-related offences in Britain has risen by 54% to 400 in one of the most intense periods for attacks in recent history. The Home Office said...
Recreational Drug Use - The Hidden Costs As Christmas approaches and we begin to let our hair down a little and enjoy the festivities, some people are enticed into the world of so-called 'recreational drugs'. There are a great many substances that might properly be categorised as...
Extradition - An Introduction Extradition is the formal process where one country asks another to return a person to stand trial or to serve a sentence. Under multilateral conventions and bilateral extradition treaties, the UK has extradition relations with over 100 territories around the world. What Is...
Follow The Money 'Follow the money' is a rather clichéd line from the film 'All The President's Men' which charted the scandal that engulfed President Nixon in the 1970s. But even today, the money trail is very much the first line of investigation in serious fraud cases,...