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Some of Britain’s most notorious cold cases could be solved with the help of artificial intelligence after a trial found it can review evidence which would take 81 years of man-hours in less than...
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a significant policy shift aimed at addressing the overcrowding crisis in the UK’s prison system, particularly focusing on reducing the number of women in...
Magistrates Court Sentencing Powers The government is considering giving magistrates in England and Wales the power to issue longer custodial sentences, potentially doubling the maximum term from six to 12...
Legislation has been laid in Parliament to ban xylazine and 21 other dangerous drugs as part of the government’s action to prevent drug deaths and crack down on drug dealing...
On 18th July 2024, Judge Christopher Hehir sentenced five defendants convicted of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance for coordinating direct action protests on the M25 over four days in...
Following widespread public disturbances over the last few days, the police will likely seek to arrest many hundreds of suspects in the coming weeks. Some people may be expecting that...
On Thursday 25th July 2024 parliament debated and then approved a draft statutory instrument titled The Criminal Justice Act 2003 (Requisite and Minimum Custodial Periods) Order 2024. When implemented on...
In 2015, then-Home Secretary Theresa May established an inquiry into undercover policing and the operation of the Metropolitan Police’s Special Demonstration Squad (SDS). The inquiry will consider the deployment of...
The Law Commission has published a consultation paper reviewing the law on contempt of court. The Law Commission proposes to do away with centuries-old distinctions between “criminal contempt” and “civil...
Between 24 and 28 June 2024, Europol hosted an investigation targeting buyers of live distant child abuse material. The initiative brought together representatives from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands,...
Section 199 of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 creates a new offence of failing to prevent fraud. The offence is expected to come into force in early...
When advising on the consequences of a criminal conviction, the focus is primarily on the immediate sentence, which can range from a discharge to life imprisonment with no prospect of...
A man walks into a betting shop or uses a gambling website and places a £100 bet on the date of the general election. Three days later, the Prime Minister...
Most people will have encountered people who sell streaming devices that allow them to access paywalled content, often for a one-off fee as low as £100. Given that many people...
The Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Act 2024 received Royal Assent on 25 April 2024. The government has described the Act as: ‘New laws to protect our citizens from threats such as...
The recent case of HM Solicitor General v Trudi Warner has shone a light on a little-known but now increasingly prominent issue of “jury equity”. The issue is neatly summarised in...
It’s crucial for clients to understand that the information shared with their lawyer is privileged, meaning it will remain confidential in almost all circumstances. This rule, known as legal privilege,...
It is widespread for drugs to contain an adulterant or cutting agent, and the presence of cutting agents often leads to arguments when it comes to sentencing. There are typically...
A package of six new sentencing guidelines for offenders convicted of immigration offences in England and Wales have been published by the independent Sentencing Council following changes in legislation. Under...
In the case of Attorney General’s Reference on a Point of Law No 1 of 2023 [2024] EWCA Crim 243, the Court of Appeal considered the defence of “lawful excuse”...
The government has introduced the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill before Parliament; if passed, the resultant Act will automatically overturn convictions for certain offences linked to the Post Office...
The EU retail drug market is estimated to be worth more than EUR 30 billion annually, making it a major source of income for organised crime. Europe occupies a central...
The latest government statistics give an interesting insight into the continuing prevalence of knife crime in England & Wales. The year-end figure for all knife offences shows a 2% decrease...
Under current legislation, it is illegal for anyone under 18 to purchase or possess a crossbow, and anyone who carries a crossbow in public without reasonable excuse faces up to...
This week Nicholas Hawkes become the first person to be convicted for the new offence of “Cyber Flashing”. Hawkes sent unsolicited photos of his erect penis to a 15-year-old girl...
Since 29th November 2022 a court can impose a positive requirement on a defendant under an SHPO (section 175 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022). This, says...
The Online Safety Act 2023 creates a new offence of encouraging or assisting serious self-harm. The offence applies from 31 January 2024. What is the new offence? A person commits...
Newly published research suggests that pre-recorded evidence in chief and cross-examation, often referred to as “section 28 evidence”, may be more advantageous to the accused that live evidence given in...
The Post Office Horizon affair has been described as one of the UK’s most widespread miscarriages of justice. It has been a long, complicated and contested saga, involving a campaign...
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...
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