A cut-throat defence is where one defendant gives evidence that is damaging to a co-defendant’s case, sometimes going as far as directly accusing the other person of the crime, while typically seeking to exonerate themselves. Such evidence may be given directly by a defendant (or more than one in some cases) as a positive...
It has been reported in the press that 500 people have been arrested while drunk on a plane at British airports in the last three years. For many people a holiday begins once cases have been checked in, and what is the harm in that? It is clear that drunkenness has become...
With many offences, the punishment may vary according to the context of the criminality. By way of example, violence in a domestic context will generally be treated more harshly than the same level of harm against a stranger (absent other aggravating features). The same is true of drugs offending, and particularly when it involves...
Several newspapers recently pondered why ‘one woman is jailed after stealing just £3,000 but another who took £22,000 walks free.” The story was sparked by a tale of two defendants who appeared at the same court centre, on the same day, but faced different judges. The papers concluded that one was unlucky to...
We interchangeably use many terms to describe legal professionals: lawyers, solicitors, legal advisers, attorneys (an Americanism), a ‘brief’. There are countless others in common usage. Regrettably, this flexibility with language allows for confusion, and when viewing many legal websites, you would be forgiven for thinking that you are dealing with a qualified legal professional,...
There have been widespread reports in the press about spare courtroom capacity, with judicial sitting days at an all-time low. These reports correspond to our own experience. When court delay is combined with significant delays in investigating and charging defendants to court, this can mean a very long period between the commission of any...
In a truly tragic case, Samantha Ford drowned her 23-month-old twins in the bath. Appearing at the Old Bailey for sentence, the Judge, Mr Justice Edis, handed down a 10-year sentence, causing widespread outrage. Longer sentences are routinely handed down for drug dealing and other crimes. To understand more about this case, we...
As the government prepares to bring us out of the EU on 31st October 2019, details have begun to emerge as to the legal and regulatory position if we leave without a deal. Some of the first information released relates to firearms, although it regrettably raises more questions than it answers. Given the...
That was the key question in M (Children) [2019] EWCA Civ 1364, where the police asked the court to disclose statements made by two people under investigation for terrorism offences. The appeal concerned issues about the disclosure of that information, and the parent’s rights to silence and against self-incrimination. This is not a new...
As Airbnb listings in London soar to 80,000, up 400% from 2015 figures, Westminster Council is cracking down on those who use the site to unlawfully sublet social housing, with over 1,500 investigations underway. The council recovered £100,974 from a Toby Harman, a social housing tenant who had been unlawfully letting his flat on...
