Police apologise for ‘fake’ claim over Channnel 4 mosque documentary – The Times

Posted May 15th, 2008 in Crown Prosecution Service, defamation, Islam, media, news, police by sally

“The Crown Prosecution Service and West Midlands Police will apologise in the High Court today for wrongly accusing a Channel 4 film of faking an exposé of Islamic extremism.”

Full story

The Times, 15th May 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

A mistake that took 30 months in Preston prison to correct – The Times

Posted April 22nd, 2008 in barristers, Crown Prosecution Service, prosecutions, special report by sally

“For many of us who work in the criminal courts, Sir Ken Macdonald’s words that we ‘intend to do more for ourselves’ gave greater cause for anxiety about the independence of the prosecution than for applause. Such anxiety was fuelled when on the same day the article was published the case against two men in Lancashire Constabulary’s biggest murder investigation collapsed.”

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The Times, 22nd April 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

The CPS is putting prosecution standards at risk – The Times

“Justice and the public interest seem to come a poor second to targets that the Director of Public Prosecutions is insisting on.”

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The Times, 22nd April 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Sir Ken Macdonald: ‘We are determined to do more ourselves’ – The Times

Posted April 8th, 2008 in advocacy, Crown Prosecution Service, special report by sally

“It is a classic case of poacher- turned-gamekeeper — or in the case of Sir Ken Macdonald, perhaps the other way round. The Director of Public Prosecutions has embarked on a programme of taking on Crown Court trials — the stomping ground of his profession, the Bar. Instead of paying millions a year to private practice barristers, he wants more CPS advocates to take their own cases to court.”

Full story

The Times,

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Prosecuting lawyers could sit in judgment if CPS ban is lifted – The Times

Posted April 7th, 2008 in Crown Prosecution Service, judiciary, news by sally

“Hundreds of state prosecutors could be free to become judges under top-level moves to end a ban on Crown Prosecution Service employees entering the judiciary, The Times has learnt. Baroness Scotland, QC, the Attorney-General, and Sir Ken Mac-donald, QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions, are both strongly in favour of the changes, saying that it would make the judiciary more diverse by widening the pool of women and ethnic minority lawyers who could be judges.”

Full story

The Times, 7th April 2008

Source: www.timeonline.co.uk

CPS announces the roll out of two key justice initiatives – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted April 2nd, 2008 in cautions, Crown Prosecution Service, press releases, witnesses by sally

“The national roll-out of two new initiatives – pre-trial interviews with witnesses and conditional cautions – has now been completed across England and Wales.”

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Crown Prosecution Service, 1st April 2008

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Solicitor General speech: CPS – racist and religious crimes – Attorney General’s Office

Posted March 25th, 2008 in Crown Prosecution Service, racism, speeches by sally

“Speech by Vera Baird, Solicitor General, for the CPS Racist and Religious Crimes Policy Refresh, at the Mermaid Conference and Event Centre, London 19 March 2008.”

Full speech

Attorney General’s Office, 19th March 2008

Source: www.attorneygeneral.gov.uk

More than 2,000 serious criminal cases thrown out after prosecutors were not ready – The Times

Posted March 11th, 2008 in Crown Prosecution Service, delay, news by sally

“More than 2,000 cases that should have gone to trial in the Crown Court were thrown out last year because they were not ready, a watchdog says today.”

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The Times, 11th March 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

CPS admits disc of suspects’ DNA was ‘mislaid’ for a year – The Guardian

Posted February 20th, 2008 in Crown Prosecution Service, data protection, DNA, news by sally

“The government last night faced fresh embarrassment over lost personal data, after admitting that a disc containing the DNA details of thousands of suspected foreign criminals was mislaid for a year.”

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The Guardian, 20th February 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Barely trained’ paralegals will be forced to take CPS cases to trial – The Times

“Plans are due to go ahead for thousands of trials a year to be prosecuted by non-lawyers, even though the paralegals themselves say that they are insufficiently trained, The Times has learnt.”

Full story

The Times, 19th February 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Cutting costs will hit the quality of our legal system – The Times

“This week plans come before the House of Lords to expand the powers of Crown Prosecution Service caseworkers to handle a wide range of magistrates’ courts cases. It may be logical to argue that deploying these so-called designated case workers or DCWs for minor cases will free more experienced and qualified lawyers for more serious work. Yet inherently it means that the quality of representation for the prosecution will decline – because we are prepared to pay only junior staff to handle cases in the lower courts.”

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The Times, 19th February 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

CPS out of hours service to review hate crimes – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted January 24th, 2008 in Crown Prosecution Service, hate crime, news by sally

“CPS Direct, the Crown Prosecution Service department responsible for charging suspects out of hours, has initiated a Hate Crime Scrutiny Panel to improve the way in which it deals with hate crime.”

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Crown Prosecution Service, 23rd January 2008

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Crown lawyer accuses UK’s top prosecutor – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 15th, 2007 in bullying, Crown Prosecution Service, news by sally

“The country’s top prosecutor ‘publicly humiliated’ a Crown Prosecution Service lawyer by removing her from her job over unfounded bullying claims, a tribunal has heard.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 15th November 2007

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Attorney general’s prosecution role may be curtailed – The Guardian

Posted October 29th, 2007 in attorney general, Crown Prosecution Service, news by sally

“The attorney general is likely to lose the right to play a part in prosecution decisions but keep the job of government legal adviser in a shakeup of the role to restore public confidence, the Guardian has learned. The change will form part of Gordon Brown’s new constitutional settlement, along with other measures to increase public accountability which opened for consultation last week, including a bigger role for MPs in deciding whether to wage war.”

Full story

The Guardian, 29th October 2007

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Victim letter delays criticised – BBC News

Posted September 27th, 2007 in Crown Prosecution Service, news, victims by sally

“Prosecution lawyers have been criticised for failing to inform crime victims when charges against a suspect are dropped or changed.”

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BBC News, 26th September 2007

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Protest over prosecutions without lawyers – The Times

Posted July 16th, 2007 in criminal justice, Crown Prosecution Service, news, prosecutions by sally

“Thousands of trials a year could be prosecuted by non-lawyers under plans for an extension of the powers of the Crown Prosecution Service’s lay staff.”

Full story

The Times, 16th July 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk