News & Advice

Circumstantial evidence is widely misunderstood, and many people cannot understand how a case can be advanced without primary evidence of wrongdoing. To illustrate this, we can use two examples relating to burglary. Burglary can be committed in quite a few different ways, but the most common allegation is that a person entered a building as… Continue reading Circumstantial Evidence

Many professionals are held by their regulators to a higher standard than other members of the public. Conduct which may fall well short of being criminal in nature may nonetheless excite the interest of a regulator, with the potential for censure. In the most recent case of Diggins v Bar Standards Board [2020] EWHC 467… Continue reading Social Media – A Dangerous Place for Professionals?

The Forensic Science Regulator regulates forensic scientists in England and Wales. The Regulator ensures that the provision of forensic science evidence across the criminal justice system is subject to appropriate standards. The Regulator has recently said that there are gaps in quality that need to be resolved. In its annual report, it was said that… Continue reading Forensic Evidence

If you ask most people how many people are selected to sit on a jury hearing a criminal case, the answer from most if not all will be 12. It can, therefore, come as something of a surprise to people facing trial at a crown court (and sometimes lawyers not well versed in crown court… Continue reading Jury Trial – Is 14 too many?

Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has written to NHS staff voicing his concern in relation to the use of violence against emergency workers. Hancock’s approach mirrors that taken last year by police chiefs worried about the rise in violence used towards police officers. Last year’s NHS Staff Survey revealed that… Continue reading Tougher Approach to Assaults on NHS Staff

We often get asked how prosecutions can proceed in the absence of cooperation from the victim or chief witness. The starting point is that no prosecution can go ahead unless there is a realistic prospect of conviction, but how the prosecution case is formulated remains a matter for the Crown Prosecution to decide. These are… Continue reading Prosecuting Without A ‘Victim’

A new series on Netflix, ‘The Stranger’, is receiving rave reviews, with viewers keen to discover the secret being kept from lawyer Adam Price, as the search continues for his missing wife. There are many sub-plots along the way, including the blackmail of several individuals keen to suppress unsavoury stories making their way into the… Continue reading “Blackmail” – “…attempted murder of the soul.”

Speeding is dangerous and in some cases, fatal, yet this type of offence is among the most common road traffic offences. Speed Limits Knowing the speed limits for the type of road you are on is vital. Whilst going too far can cause an accident, driving much too slowly for the road you are on… Continue reading Do You Need a Speeding Solicitor?

On Sunday 1st February 2020, Sudesh Amman wore a fake suicide vest and stabbed two people in Streatham. Amman had only recently been released from a prison sentence imposed for spreading extremist material; he had been released after serving half of his sentence. Usman Khan, one of the London Bridge attackers, had also been released… Continue reading End of Automatic Release for Some Persons Convicted of Terrorist Offences

Driving without due care and attention (careless driving) and dangerous driving are separate offences and are dealt with differently in a court of law. What Court Are These Offences Seen in? Careless driving offences are typically held in the magistrate’s court, but both offences may be held in either court, depending on how serious they… Continue reading The Difference Between Careless and Dangerous Driving