Category: Latest News

In February 2019 the Court of Appeal quashed Sally Challen’s conviction for the murder of her husband and ordered a retrial. Last week the prosecution accepted a plea to the lesser offence of manslaughter and Challen received a sentence that meant she would serve no further time in custody. Why Was The Appeal Allowed? Challen… Continue reading Sally Challen – An Issue of Coercive Control

Justice, the renowned human rights organisation, has published a significant report that examines the prosecution of sexual offences, and in some areas calls for a radical overhaul. Among the authors of the report is Judge Peter Rook QC, a senior Judge at the Central Criminal Court (‘Old Bailey’) and considered an expert authority on this… Continue reading Prosecuting Sexual Offences – Time for a rethink?

A question on many people’s lips since the former Justice Secretary admitted to using cocaine several times earlier in his career. So, Could he Face the Legal Consequences of This? Cocaine is a Class A drug, the most serious category. Drug offences are governed by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and whilst buying a… Continue reading Why Hasn’t Michael Gove Been Arrested?

Recently, three men from Halifax were convicted after one of them was found to have run a company whilst disqualified. The other two were convicted of assisting him. If you’re thinking of trying to evade a director’s ban, be aware that it can lead to a criminal conviction and even prison. Why Was he Disqualified?… Continue reading Disqualified Directors

The press has recently reported that children who were victims of serious sexual abuse have received paltry sums, £20 for example, as compensation from the courts. The court has a duty to consider making a compensation order in any case where personal injury, loss, or damage has resulted from the offence. If it does not… Continue reading What is a Criminal Compensation Order?

On Monday the government unveiled its new strategy to tackle domestic abuse. This follows a consultation exercise carried out last year, which drew over 3,000 responses. The new measures are: • Introducing the first ever statutory government definition of domestic abuse, which will include economic abuse • Establishing the office of the Domestic Abuse Commissioner… Continue reading Government Unveils New Domestic Abuse Legislation

Community Protection Notices (CPNs) are currently attracting a lot of attention from the legal community, and we have many concerns concerning the way in which they are presently being used. In a recent case (Stannard v The Crown Prosecution Service [2019] EWHC 84 (Admin)) a CPN in the following terms was challenged: “The notice now… Continue reading Community Protection Notices

It’s likely that you have previously heard about stop and search, but may not know why and when the police would carry out this act. Our latest post discusses the law surrounding the stop and search procedure and what you can expect to happen if you are stopped by the police to be searched. We’ve… Continue reading Can I be Stopped and Searched?

The government has published proposals to punish individuals who mishandle pension scheme management. Two new offences are proposed. The first will target individuals who wilfully or recklessly mishandle pension schemes, endangering workers’ pensions, by such things as chronic mismanagement of a business; or allowing huge unsustainable deficits to build up; or taking huge investment risks;… Continue reading Pensions – Time to Rethink Corporate Responsibility

Whilst in an ideal world, we would all have positive family relationships, family ties are often complicated and can sometimes break down. Family solicitors can help with a wide variety of legal matters and in our latest post, we discuss the areas that a family law solicitor can help with. Children If a relationship breaks… Continue reading The Role of a Family Solicitor