“Wrong place at the wrong time” – but when is “mere presence “ enough? – Mountford Chambers

Posted October 19th, 2023 in assisting offenders, chambers articles, criminal responsibility, news by sally

‘The net for potential accessories present at the scene of a crime is cast far wider than is often first appreciated. That is particularly so where a permissible inference of encouragement applies.’

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Mountford Chambers, 21st September 2023

Source: www.mountfordchambers.com

Joint Enterprise and the Real Impact of Jogee – Carmelite Chambers

Posted August 26th, 2021 in criminal responsibility, homicide, joint enterprise, news by sally

‘Tom Edwards looks at the impact of the shift from Joint Enterprise to Common Purpose in the five years since Jogee, and considers its impact in both the Crown Court and Court of Appeal.’

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Carmelite Chambers, 19th August 2021

Source: www.carmelitechambers.co.uk

‘Revenge porn’ is a misnomer – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Why we should replace ‘revenge porn’ with ‘image based sexual abuse’ and reform the mens rea of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 10th March 2021

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

MPs call for review of age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales – The Guardian

Posted November 12th, 2020 in children, criminal responsibility, minorities, news, young persons, youth courts by tracey

‘Conservative and Labour MPs have asked the government to consider raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 in England and Wales and to explain why a disproportionate number of children in custody are from a minority ethnic (BAME) background.’

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The Guardian, 12th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

The Criminal Justice System: Not fit for Purpose? – 5 SAH

‘Superficially, legally enforceable rights and/or minimum standards for ‘victims’ being served by the Criminal Justice System seem laudable. However, it is worth remembering that a major part of the function of the Criminal Justice System is to determine whether there is a ‘victim’ at all and, if so, who it is.’

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5 SAH, 2nd March 2020

Source: www.5sah.co.uk

The Age of Criminal Responsibility in England and Wales – 25 Bedford Row

Posted December 4th, 2019 in children, criminal responsibility, news by sally

‘At the age of 10, England and Wales have the lowest minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) in the EU. It means that from the penultimate year of primary school, children can stand trial in an adult criminal court.’

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25 Bedford Row, 4th December 2019

Source: www.25bedfordrow.com

Age of criminal responsibility must be raised, say experts – The Guardian

Posted November 5th, 2019 in children, criminal responsibility, news, young offenders by sally

‘In England and Wales, children as young as 10 can be convicted of a crime – the lowest minimum age of any EU state.’

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The Guardian, 4th November 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Welsh justice review calls for Scottish-style devolution of powers – The Guardian

Posted October 24th, 2019 in children, criminal responsibility, devolution, news, Wales by sally

‘Powers to control justice, policing and prisons should be devolved to the Welsh assembly as they are in Scotland and Northern Ireland, a commission led by the former lord chief justice of England and Wales has recommended.’

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The Guardian, 24th October 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales ‘too low’ says watchdog – The Independent

‘The low age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is putting children at risk during crucial years of their development, the human rights watchdog has warned. In an unprecedented move, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has called on lawmakers to raise the age at which a child can be deemed responsible for committing a crime – currently at 10.’

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The Independent, 6th May 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The open justice principle: a child’s crimes and a parent’s misdemeanour – Transparency Project

‘What legal principles connect publicity for the 17 year-old Charlie Pearce (born 3 July 2000), a double rapist and attempt murderer (R v Pearce (Press Restrictions) Haddon-Cave J (7 December 2017)) and privacy for a stalking mother who, with her cohabitant (‘Mr JM’) tried to disrupt her 10 year-old daughter T’s foster placement (Re T (A Child) [2017] EWCA Civ 1889 (23 November 2017)).’

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Transparency Project, 31st January 2018

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Age limits on drinking, having sex, getting married and being arrested – BBC News

‘Young people get a number of personal freedoms when they turn 16 in some parts of the UK, but they may have to wait another 24 months to gain other rights.’

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BBC News, 4th July 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Broad consensus’ that corporate crime laws need changing, says expert, as consultation begins – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 20th, 2017 in bills, company law, consultations, criminal responsibility, news, tax evasion by sally

‘A consultation on the need for changes to corporate crime laws should be welcomed, although there is already “broad consensus” that the current rules do not work, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 19th January 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Slow-motion replays can distort criminal responsibility – BBC News

Posted August 3rd, 2016 in criminal responsibility, evidence, news, video recordings by tracey

‘Slow-motion video replays of crimes shown in courtrooms may be distorting the outcomes of trials, according to a US study.’

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BBC News, 2nd August 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Five-year-old boy investigated for rape in Manchester is one of 70 children under 10 to be accused of sex attacks – The Independent

‘Police have investigated a claim a five-year-old boy raped a 14-year-old girl in Manchester, it has been revealed.’

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The Independent, 14th February 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

It’s time to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted June 2nd, 2015 in bills, children, criminal responsibility, news, treaties by sally

‘Today, 2nd June, Lord Dholakia is presenting a Bill to Parliament with a view to raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility. Details of the proposal have not yet been released, but raising the age from 10 to 14 or 15 would be in line with recommendations from the United Nations. England and Wales (and Northern Ireland) currently have one of the lowest ages of criminal responsibility (ACR) in the world at just 10 years old. Scotland’s ACR used to be even lower at 8, until they increased the age to 12 in 2011.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 1st June 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Are murderers born or made? – BBC News

Posted March 9th, 2015 in child abuse, crime prevention, criminal responsibility, DNA, murder, news by tracey

‘Murders are tragic but rare. But what drives some people to kill? Michael Mosley has been looking into research exploring the minds of murderers.’

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BBC News, 9th March 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Jail reckless bankers, standards commission urges – BBC News

“Senior bankers guilty of reckless misconduct should be jailed, a long-awaited report on banking commissioned by the government has recommended.”

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BBC News, 19th June 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Manipulation of NHS figures to become criminal offence – The Guardian

Posted March 18th, 2013 in criminal responsibility, fraud, hospitals, news, statistics by sally

“Fiddling figures from NHS hospitals will become a criminal offence, Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, is to announce.”

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the Guardian, 16th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Young offenders: raising the age of criminal responsibility – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted February 20th, 2013 in bills, children, criminal responsibility, news, young persons by sally

“There is a private members Bill making its way slowly through Parliament seeking a simple change in the law by replacing the word ‘ten’ with the word ‘twelve’ in s 50 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933.”

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 19th February 2013

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

James Bulger killing: 20 years on – The Guardian

Posted February 12th, 2013 in children, criminal responsibility, murder, news, parole, sentencing by tracey

“Society’s view of young people still as venomous as 1993 says the lawyer who represented one of the two-year-old’s killers.”

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The Guardian, 1th February 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk