News & Advice

Updated sentencing guidelines for animal cruelty offences that reflect changes introduced by the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021, were published on the 10th of May by the Sentencing Council following consultation.  For the first time, a new ‘Animal cruelty’ guideline gives judges and magistrates in England and Wales guidance for sentencing the most serious animal… Continue reading Animal Cruelty – New Sentencing Guidelines

The government has set out proposals to reduce women’s offending over the period of the 2022–25. This Delivery Plan sets out how the Government will deliver four key priorities to reduce women’s offending over the next three years.        These are:  Fewer women entering the justice system and reoffending  Fewer women serving short… Continue reading Female Offender Strategy

It has been reported that Police in England and Wales are to be given new powers to tackle “disruptive” slow walking used by protesters to block roads. The new legislation would give officers more leeway to intervene when protesters attempt to block roads with slow marching. Just Stop Oil, Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion are… Continue reading An Offence of “Slow Walking”?

An offence of non-fatal strangulation or suffocation was created by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and came in to force on 7 June 2022. CPS guidance on this offence states: “Some dictionary definitions of the word “strangle” link the word to an intention to kill or the causing of death. The statute however does not… Continue reading Non-fatal Strangulation – Sentencing Guidance

The government is consulting on legislative measures to provide the police with more tools to disrupt knife possession and tackle knife crime.  It has identified certain types of machetes and large outdoor knives that do not seem to have a practical use and appear to be designed to look menacing and be favoured by those… Continue reading Government Consults on New Knife Crime Laws

When a court bails a person, they will often be given a precise future date on which they should attend again. In the Crown Court, this is only sometimes the case, and a client will rely upon their solicitor to inform them of any future dates on which the case is listed, and attendance is… Continue reading Failing to Surrender – It’s My Solicitor’s Fault!

During the life of a criminal case, it is common for a defendant to face a different judge each hearing. In more complex cases, hearings are reserved wherever possible to the same judge to save duplication of judicial resources and more effectively manage the case, but there is no rule that the same judge must… Continue reading The Importance of Judicial Continuity

Most motorists are alert to law enforcement when driving, taking notice of speed limits, speed camera warnings, and generally being alert to the fact that a police car may be waiting just around the corner.  But how often do you look up? Sure, if you are being pursued at high speed by a police car,… Continue reading Eye In The Sky

The government says that: “The bill will introduce measures to better serve victims and the public through improving victims’ experiences of the Criminal Justice System, establishing an Independent Advocate to support victims of major incidents, strengthening the parole system and restricting marriage in prisons for those under whole life orders to ensure that the public… Continue reading The Government Has Introduced the Victims and Prisoners Bill into Parliament