Category: criminal justice

Chaos as more than a dozen people taken off deportation flight from UK to Jamaica – The Guardian

Posted August 11th, 2021 in coronavirus, criminal justice, deportation, government departments, immigration, Jamaica, news by tracey

‘The hours before a controversial Home Office charter flight to Jamaica was due to take off were mired in chaos and confusion as more than a dozen people were removed from the flight after legal challenges. The original Home Office “long list” for the flight is believed to have had 90 names on it. But the fate of the deportation flight hung in the balance on Tuesday evening as only about one tenth remained on the schedule. Tweets from a campaign group in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and flight tracker data, suggested the plane did eventually depart.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 11th August 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Outcry over plan to deport Jamaican nationals who came to UK as children – The Guardian

Posted August 6th, 2021 in children, criminal justice, deportation, government departments, immigration, Jamaica, limitations, news by tracey

‘Preparations are being made for the deportation of a number of Jamaican nationals who came to the UK as children, in an apparent reversal of an earlier agreement not to deport people who arrived in this country as minors. A charter flight to Jamaica is scheduled for 11 August, returning several dozen people whose criminal convictions have triggered deportation orders. However, campaigners have protested that it is unreasonable to remove people who have spent a lifetime in the UK to a country where they have no ties.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 5th August 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Lawyers pledge to boycott extended court hours – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted August 5th, 2021 in barristers, coronavirus, courts, criminal justice, delay, HM Courts Service, Ministry of Justice, news, solicitors, working time by sally

‘Almost 400 solicitors and barristers have signed an open letter to HM Courts & Tribunals Service, refusing to attend a ‘single court listing outside of regular court hours’. The Ministry of Justice responded today by denying the existence of any plan for weekend sittings.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 5th August 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Why Is Disability Hate Crime So Hard To Prove? – Each Other

Posted August 4th, 2021 in burden of proof, criminal justice, disability discrimination, disabled persons, equality, hate crime, human rights, news, taxis, theft by sally

‘Under UK law, something is deemed a hate incident if the victim or anyone else thinks it was motivated by hostility or prejudice based on disability, race, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation. It then becomes a hate crime if it crosses the boundary of criminality.’

Full Story

Each Other, 3rd August 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

Black barrister to lead independent police oversight board – The Guardian

Posted August 3rd, 2021 in criminal justice, minorities, news, police, race discrimination by sally

‘Police chiefs hoping to pull themselves out of a race crisis have appointed a new tsar who has previously said black people fear calling on officers for help.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 3rd August 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘The Mark Duggan case was a catalyst’: the 2011 UK riots 10 years on – The Guardian

Posted August 2nd, 2021 in criminal justice, news, police, public order, race discrimination, racism by sally

‘In 4 August 2011, Mark Duggan was shot and killed by police in Tottenham, north London, sparking the largest civil unrest the UK has seen for a generation. The disturbance quickly spread and for five nights, London, Birmingham, and other major cities in England were engulfed by fire and violence.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 30th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Courts failed people ‘caught up’ in UK riots in 2011, says ex-chief prosecutor – The Guardian

Posted August 2nd, 2021 in criminal justice, news, police, public order, race discrimination, racism, recidivists, sentencing by sally

‘Pressures in the criminal justice system meant it failed to distinguish between repeat offenders and people “caught up” in the 2011 English riots, a former chief prosecutor has said.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 1st August 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Disproportionate targeting of Jamaicans for deportation from UK, data suggests – The Guardian

Posted July 26th, 2021 in criminal justice, deportation, freedom of information, government departments, immigration, news, statistics by sally

‘People from Caribbean countries such as Jamaica appear to be disproportionately targeted for deportation from the UK if they commit crimes, according to Home Office data obtained by the Guardian following a yearlong freedom of information battle.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 25th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Justice system failing victims, says commissioner for England and Wales – The Guardian

Posted July 22nd, 2021 in budgets, criminal justice, delay, news, rape, victims by sally

‘Chronic underfunding of the criminal justice system has left victims facing a “bleak” picture, the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales has warned.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 21st July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Tory MPs suspended for trying to influence judge in Elphicke case – The Guardian

Posted July 21st, 2021 in criminal justice, disciplinary procedures, judges, judiciary, news, parliament, political parties, rule of law, sexual offences by sally

‘Several Conservative MPs will be suspended from the Commons for a day and told to apologise for trying to influence a judge presiding over the trial of a colleague for sexual assault, the standards committee has ordered.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 21st July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Zimbabwean nationals with British children rounded up for deportation – The Independent

Posted July 16th, 2021 in asylum, children, criminal justice, deportation, detention, families, government departments, immigration, news, Zimbabwe by tracey

‘Zimbabwean nationals who have been in the UK for decades and have British children are being rounded up for removal on a charter flight to Harare next week, The Independent can reveal.’

Full Story

The Independent, 15th July 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Police and CPS in rape case blame game – report – BBC News

Posted July 16th, 2021 in criminal justice, Crown Prosecution Service, news, ombudsmen, police, prosecutions, rape, sexual offences, statistics, victims by tracey

‘Police and the Crown Prosecution Service are involved in a blame game over a drop in rape prosecutions, a watchdogs’ report has said.’

Full report

Full Story

BBC News, 16th July 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Crime victims ‘hesitant’ to report them over court delays – BBC News

Posted July 13th, 2021 in crime, criminal justice, delay, news, victims by tracey

‘A victim of crime says some people are put off reporting incidents because of delays in getting justice. More than 57,000 trials are yet to be heard in crown courts across England and Wales due to a backlog made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.’

Full Story

BBC News, 13th July 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Police bill risks criminalising homeless people, warn UK charities – The Guardian

Posted July 8th, 2021 in bills, charities, criminal justice, government departments, homelessness, news, travellers, trespass by sally

‘Leading homelessness charities have made an unprecedented joint plea to UK ministers to reconsider the police and crime bill, warning it could in effect criminalise large numbers of people simply for being homeless.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 8th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Epidemic of violence against women under way in England and Wales – report – The Guardian

Posted July 8th, 2021 in criminal justice, domestic violence, local government, news, police, sexual offences, statistics, victims, women by sally

‘Women and girls are being subjected to an epidemic of violence that requires a “radical and bold” shift in how authorities in England and Wales tackle crimes that disproportionately affect female victims, a police watchdog has warned.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 7th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Probation officers are the forgotten part of the criminal justice system’ – BBC News

Posted July 7th, 2021 in criminal justice, news, probation by sally

It’s a job that you don’t often see in police dramas and documentaries. Sam Gildersleeve wants to show you what it’s like being a probation officer in Chelmsford, Essex.

Full Story

BBC News, 6th July 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

36 Crime Criminal Updates – The 36 Group

Posted July 2nd, 2021 in animal cruelty, animals, appeals, chambers articles, criminal justice, evidence, expert witnesses, news by sally

‘We are grateful to the contributors to this Newsletter. Sam Skinner’s case note on the recent decision in R -v- Brecani addresses the consequence of this important shift away from accepting as expert evidence the conclusive decisions made by civil servants within the Home Office on referrals for human trafficking and modern slavery. Kate Kelleher provides a timely reminder that the provisions of the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 is in force from 29th June 2021 and provides a commentary on the most notable recent developments in the prosecutions of animal welfare offences. In April and May Catherine Rose and Tom Parker ran a 2-part webinar session on Open-Source Evidence with contributions from a panel of leading experts from the US and UK. Their article is just a taster of the material covered in greater depth in the sessions. A timely warning to apply the basic critical analysis we use in relation to evidence from many scientific fields to all such evidence before relying on it at face value. Mary Prior Q.C. has provided a comprehensive round up in the Crime Bulletin of all the recent decisions of importance in a broad spectrum of procedural and offence-based areas.’

Full Story

The 36 Group, 28th June 2021

Source: 36group.co.uk

Crown court backlog hits record high of 60,000 cases as victims wait years for justice – The Independent

Posted June 25th, 2021 in budgets, coronavirus, criminal justice, Crown Court, delay, Ministry of Justice, news, prosecutions, rape, sexual offences, statistics, victims by tracey

‘The backlog of crown court cases in England and Wales has hit a record number of almost 60,000 as waiting times rocket for victims and defendants.’

Full Story

The Independent, 24th June 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Legal experts worldwide draw up ‘historic’ definition of ecocide – The Guardian

Posted June 23rd, 2021 in climate change, criminal justice, environmental protection, international courts, international law, news by sally

‘Legal experts from across the globe have drawn up a “historic” definition of ecocide, intended to be adopted by the international criminal court to prosecute the most egregious offences against the environment.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 22nd June 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Drill music as bad character evidence – 6KBW College Hill

Posted June 18th, 2021 in artistic works, bad character, chambers articles, criminal justice, gangs, news, prosecutions, violence by sally

‘The past decade has seen the emergence of ‘drill music’ content increasingly used by the prosecution in criminal trials involving young, black, male defendants accused of gang-related offences.’

Full Story

6KBW College Hill, 13th June 2021

Source: blog.6kbw.com