Laura Young

Magistrates are demanding a major overhaul to a controversial fast-track justice system, revealing they feel rushed when convicting defendants and want changes to protect the elderly, the sick, and the vulnerable. An Evening Standard investigation has uncovered a litany of shocking criminal cases in the Single Justice Procedure (SJP), including elderly pensioners, cancer patients, and people with […]

The issue of when a prosecution could lawfully commence for a person issued with a fixed penalty notice (FPN) was considered recently in the case of R (Michli) v Westminster Magistrates Court [2024] EWHC 559 (Admin) The Court was asked to consider when the Crown Prosecution Service were time barred from beginning a prosecution after

There has been for some time now, a lack of  clarity in the criminal justice system to the statutory definition of what is a Zombie Knife for the purposes of illegal possession? (paragraph 1(s) of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) Order 1988 (“the 1988 Order”)The Courts  have now ruled in Thompson v Crime Prosecution

The prison population is projected to increase, with a central estimate of 94,400 by March 2025 and a range of 93,100 to 106,300 by March 2027. This projected long-term increase is predicated on several factors, including increasing police officer numbers (which could increase charge volumes and in turn prison demand), and changes in sentencing policy

A major investigation has been launched by the Home Office after faulty mobile phone data is believed to have been used as evidence in criminal cases for over a year. O2 informed police chiefs about concerns regarding the accuracy of information it was providing to forces, potentially leading to challenged convictions and delayed trials. The

Experts in mental health, human rights, and criminal justice have called on parliament to put an end to indefinite jail terms, which have left thousands of prisoners languishing in jail beyond their minimum tariff. The imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences, abolished over a decade ago, have been described as a “living nightmare” by campaigners.

The Law Society, the agency that governs solicitors in England and Wales, has issued a report on the demise of criminal defence solicitors, specifically duty solicitor across the country. Analysis of the number of criminal defence solicitors in England and Wales has shown an alarming 37% fall in duty solicitors. In the past ten years,

Prisoners are being held on remand for years, while victims of crime are waiting up similar periods for their cases to be heard in court, the Telegraph reports. A record 16,200 people are presently imprisoned on remand without being tried or convicted. This is 16% of the total prison population – a 50-year high. The backlog of pending