Category: Latest News

Transferring ownership of a property does not have to be a complicated process. We take a look at the various situations that can require the transfer of property ownership and the process involved. Reasons to Transfer Property Ownership Whilst you can remove names from the deeds of a property, you can also add them. Some… Continue reading Transferring Ownership of a Property

There are fundamental differences between the magistrates’ court and the Crown Court. We discuss these differences in further detail and explain what happens if you are charged with a crime. What Happens When you are Charged with a Crime? Upon being charged with a crime, you will be given a ‘charge sheet’. This document will… Continue reading Being Charged with a Crime: Magistrates and Crown Court

Every year, the police launch a drink driving campaign, aiming to reduce the number of people drink driving over Christmas and the New Year. How Many People are Caught Drink Driving at Christmas? In 2016, new legislation meant that the police could randomly stop vehicles at authorised vehicle checkpoints, and carry out a breathalyser test… Continue reading Drink Driving at Christmas 2019

By law, every parent must ensure that any child under 14 wears a seatbelt when being a passenger in their car. Those older than 14 are responsible for wearing a seatbelt themselves. Any passenger over 14 and not wearing a seatbelt in a moving vehicle could receive up to a £500 fine The Law and… Continue reading Child Car Seats and The Law

A strange case at the Old Bailey drew to a close this week, resulting in a Metropolitan Police Officer, Robyn Williams, being sentenced to a community order with 200 hours of unpaid work, concerning the possession of an indecent video of a child. On the face of it, the sentence is not at all surprising,… Continue reading Divided Loyalty Can Exact a High Price

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 need to… Continue reading Ten years for a double killing – look behind the headlines

In Chabloz v Crown Prosecution Service [2019] EWHC 3094 (Admin) the High Court dealt definitively with several highly technical legal challenges concerning Communications Act defences. On 25 May 2018 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Alison Chabloz, was convicted of three offences under section 127(1)(a) and (b) of the Communications Act 2003. She appealed her convictions to… Continue reading Online Abuse: Courts Keep Up with Modern Techniques

In criminal law, we use two different standards of proof, the most well known is ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ (although these days expressed as ‘so that you are sure’), and the balance of probabilities. The latter standard of proof gets less attention but is nonetheless of critical importance in criminal cases. Whilst we hear the term… Continue reading On the Balance of Probabilities – But What Does That Mean?

Few people would disagree with the suggestion that sentencing law in England and Wales is a complete mess. The provisions that govern how a defendant is to be sentenced are both complex and disparate and to be found across a significant number of statutes. Why Does This Matter? Research has shown that thousands of sentencing… Continue reading Sentencing – Breaking the Code

A District Judge sitting at Westminster Magistrates’ Court last week authorised that a summons be issued against the prominent conservative member of parliament, Boris Johnson. The allegations relate to alleged conduct during the Brexit referendum campaign and in particular the £350m per week for the NHS slogan that adorned the side of campaign buses. Unless… Continue reading Private Prosecutions – ‘Doing a Boris’