Category: criminal justice

The “unduly harsh” test considered further by Court of Appeal – EIN Blog

Posted April 27th, 2022 in appeals, criminal justice, deportation, families, human rights, immigration, news, proportionality by sally

‘The question of how to determine whether or not the deportation of a foreign national convicted of criminal offending is a disproportionate interference in the family life that they may share with their partner or child has been explored in a series of cases, including the leading decisions of KO (Nigeria) (Appellant) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] UKSC 53 and HA (Iraq) [2020] EWCA Civ 1176 and has been discussed in detail on the UK Human Rights blog here, here and here.’

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EIN Blog, 26th April 2022

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Sexual offence victims face longest-ever court waits – BBC News

Posted April 25th, 2022 in budgets, coronavirus, criminal justice, Crown Court, delay, news, rape, sexual offences, statistics, victims by sally

‘Recent cases involving serious sexual offences have taken the longest time on record to go through Crown Courts in England and Wales, the BBC has found.’

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BBC News, 25th April 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

NEWS ‘Defendants in the bath’: magistrates reveal remote-hearing concerns – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 13th, 2022 in coronavirus, criminal justice, HM Courts Service, magistrates, news, remote hearings, statistics by tracey

‘Three-quarters of magistrates do not want remote links to be used as extensively as they were during the pandemic, according to landmark research on their experiences in the criminal courts. After canvassing the views of 865 magistrates, a report published by the Magistrates Association, assisted by legal charity Transform Justice, concludes that audio and video links negatively impact communication and effective participation, particularly for vulnerable court users.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 12th April 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Dorset, West Mercia and Bedfordshire police told to improve – BBC News

Posted April 13th, 2022 in criminal justice, news, ombudsmen, police, victims by tracey

‘A watchdog has ordered three police forces to improve how they investigate crime and respond to the public.’

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BBC News, 13th April 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Edward Colston statue case sent to Court of Appeal – BBC News

Posted April 13th, 2022 in appeals, attorney general, criminal damage, criminal justice, demonstrations, hate crime, human rights, monuments, news, racism, trafficking in human beings by tracey

‘The acquittal of four people on trial for toppling Bristol’s Edward Colston statue has prompted the attorney general to contact the Court of Appeal.’

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BBC News, 13th April 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Supporting male victims of crimes considered violence against women and girls – Family Law

Posted April 12th, 2022 in criminal justice, domestic violence, government departments, news, rape, sexual offences, victims, women by tracey

‘The Home Office has published a document setting out the government’s position on and work to support male victims of crimes considered violence against women and girls. The document says: “The term ‘violence against women and girls’ refers to acts of violence or abuse that we know disproportionately affect women and girls. These crimes include – and are not limited to – rape, sexual violence, domestic abuse, stalking, ‘honour’-based abuse including forced marriage, ‘revenge porn’, and the harms associated with sex work and prostitution. These crimes have profound and long-lasting physical and mental health impacts and have absolutely no place in our society. The use of this term cannot and should not negate the experiences of, or provisions for, male victims of these crimes.” ‘

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Family Law, 11th April 2022

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Rape prosecution plan lacks ambition, say MPs – BBC News

Posted April 12th, 2022 in criminal justice, news, police, rape, select committees, sexual offences, victims by tracey

‘Stronger reforms to England and Wales’ criminal justice system are needed to tackle the “shocking” collapse in rape prosecutions, a report by MPs says.’

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BBC News, 12th April 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Publicly-funded criminal barrister numbers drop by 11% – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 11th, 2022 in barristers, budgets, coronavirus, criminal justice, legal aid, news, statistics by tracey

‘The number of barristers practising full-time in publicly-funded criminal law dropped by 11% last year, according to analysis by the Bar Council. In 2021, only 2,400 barristers reported that their practice was entirely publicly-funded criminal work, down from from 2,670 the previous year.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 8th April 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘Cruel’ move to deport charity worker from UK overruled – The Guardian

Posted April 11th, 2022 in criminal justice, deportation, drug offences, government departments, grievous bodily harm, human rights, immigration, Jamaica, news by tracey

‘An immigration tribunal has overturned a “cruel and morally wrong” decision by the Home Office to deport a well-respected black charity volunteer who grew up in the UK.’

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The Guardian, 9th April 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Thousands of barristers take action over legal aid – BBC News

Posted April 11th, 2022 in barristers, criminal justice, industrial action, legal aid, news, remuneration by tracey

‘Nearly 2,500 barristers who are essential to the criminal justice system in England and Wales are starting industrial action over concerns about legal aid funding.’

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BBC news, 11th April 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Liberty threatens to sue government over ‘racist’ joint enterprise law – The Guardian

Posted April 7th, 2022 in criminal justice, Crown Prosecution Service, gangs, human rights, joint enterprise, Ministry of Justice, murder, news, race discrimination, racism by sally

‘The human rights group Liberty is threatening to sue the government and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over the bitterly contested law of joint enterprise, arguing that it is discredited and racist in the way the authorities pursue it.’

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The Guardian, 7th April 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Legal aid work “close to being unsustainable”, new campaign warns – Legal Futures

Posted April 1st, 2022 in barristers, civil justice, criminal justice, fees, Law Society, legal aid, legal profession, lord chancellor, Ministry of Justice, news, statistics by sally

‘A new campaign for increased legal aid funding has been launched after the findings of a unique census showed the market will not be sustainable without more government action.’

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Legal Futures, 31st March 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Peers call for national body to regulate use of AI in justice system – Legal Futures

Posted March 30th, 2022 in artificial intelligence, civil justice, criminal justice, news, parliament, regulations by sally

‘Peers have called for the creation of a new national body to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the justice system and elsewhere in the public sector.’

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Legal Futures, 30th March 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Police will not investigate Noel Clarke sex offence allegations – The Independent

Posted March 28th, 2022 in criminal justice, news, performing arts, police, sexual offences by tracey

‘Police have confirmed that no criminal investigation will be launched after sexual offence allegations were made against actor Noel Clarke.’

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The Independent, 27th March 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Barristers to press ahead with legal aid action – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 22nd, 2022 in barristers, criminal justice, fees, industrial action, legal aid, news, remuneration by tracey

‘Barristers will not be balloted on whether they are happy to accept the proposed £135m package of criminal legal aid reforms announced last week, the Criminal Bar Association has revealed.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 22nd March 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Legal aid sector put on sustainable footing for years to come – Ministry of Justice

Posted March 15th, 2022 in criminal justice, legal aid, legal profession, Ministry of Justice, news, remuneration by tracey

‘Criminal legal aid lawyers are set for the biggest pay boost in a decade under wide-ranging reforms proposed by the government today.’

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Ministry of Justice, 15th March 2022

Source: www.gov.uk

Victims of crime wrongly arrested due to ‘huge gaps’ in language support with women hard hit – The Independent

Posted March 15th, 2022 in crime, criminal justice, interpreters, news, reports, victims by tracey

‘Victims of crime who speak English as their second language have been unfairly arrested when seeking support from the police due to the criminal justice system’s “huge gaps” in language support, new research suggests.’

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The Independent, 15th March 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Criminal barristers vote for industrial action over legal aid funding – The Guardian

Posted March 15th, 2022 in barristers, criminal justice, industrial action, legal aid, news by tracey

‘Criminal barristers in England and Wales have voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action beginning next month in protest over levels of legal aid funding.’

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The Guardian, 15th March 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

New law banning cyberflashing to be included in online safety bill – The Guardian

Posted March 14th, 2022 in bills, criminal justice, internet, news, sexual offences, voyeurism by tracey

‘Cyberflashing is to become a criminal offence, with perpetrators facing up to two years in jail under government plans to strengthen the upcoming online safety bill.’

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The Guardian, 13th March 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Watchdog tells police bosses to stop declaring thoughts are crimes – The Independent

Posted March 11th, 2022 in criminal justice, hate crime, news, ombudsmen, police by tracey

‘There is “no such thing as a thought crime”, the outgoing chief inspector of constabulary said as he told police bosses they “enforce the law, they do not make it”.’

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The Independent, 10th March 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk