News & Advice

In a recent case, the Court of Appeal dealt with an appeal by the Attorney General against a sentence of 30 months imprisonment imposed following a guilty plea to various firearms offences.   The basis of plea, accepted in full by the prosecution read: “[that] he converted weapons as a hobby, the weapons were not… Continue reading Firearms: Court of Appeal Maintains Tough Sentencing Approach

For some new drivers, six penalty points mean resitting a driving test, for other drivers twelve points may mean disqualification. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that a single piece of driving is not unduly punished when it comes to the imposition of penalty points. To explain the issues that can arise, we will use… Continue reading Penalty Points – Avoiding Double Counting

When people hear reference to the far-right many would think of racism rather than terrorism. Alice Cutter and Mark Jones were members of the banned far-right group National Action along with Garry Jack, Daniel Ward and Connor Scothern. The members were the subject of a counter-terrorism investigation, and when Ward was told he was being… Continue reading The Far Right & Terrorism

When a judge makes a ruling at a crown court trial relating to one or more of the offences faced, the prosecution may have a right to appeal against that ruling. The right to appeal against a terminating ruling is strictly conditional upon certain procedures being followed.  The right to appeal requires the prosecution to… Continue reading Terminating Rulings

There are several types of criminal appeals.   Appeals against conviction or sentence Cases start in the Magistrates Court. If you want to appeal against a conviction or sentence in that Court, you can appeal to the Crown Court. If you are dealt with in the Crown Court and want to appeal against a conviction or… Continue reading Appeals

Speeding is one of the most common road traffic offences committed on UK roads, and it can have fatal consequences. Nobody is ever in that much of a rush to justify breaking the set national speed limits and put their, and other lives, in danger; it’s really not worth the consequences.   Driving at speed… Continue reading Road Traffic Offences During Lockdown

The world feels like a very difficult and surreal place to be in right now. With all the changes that are happening across the world, and indeed within this country in the last two weeks, there is some guidance available on how to keep things normal and regular from your family.    The UK government… Continue reading Coronavirus and Child Arrangements

On Wednesday 25th March 2020, the Coronavirus Bill completed all its parliamentary stages, and Royal Assent was signified, bringing in to force an unprecedented piece of emergency legislation. The purpose of the Coronavirus Act is to enable the Government to respond to an emergency situation and manage the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.    A severe… Continue reading Emergency Laws Now in Force

A defendant has the right to a fair trial within a reasonable time. In exceptional cases, a delay will lead to a stay of proceedings as an abuse of process. A stay of proceedings is an extremely rare outcome, with the Court of Appeal making the following observation in R v PS [2013] EWCA Crim… Continue reading Trial Delays

As the UK prepares to move into the ‘delay phase’, changes are expected to criminal justice procedure. So, what might be expected to change?   Criminal Investigations   In the event of any public disorder, work on low priority criminal investigations may slow or stall entirely as police resources are diverted elsewhere. Most police custody… Continue reading Criminal Justice and Coronavirus