Laura Young

Urgent action is needed to tackle an “unprecedented backlog” of court cases built up in England and Wales during the pandemic that has “severe implications” for victims, the four justice chief inspectors have warned. The plight of prisoners locked up for most of the day because of Covid-19 and disruption to services for young offenders were also highlighted in a report […]

he Home Office will reverse bail reforms after an overhaul intended to speed up the system instead made police investigations longer and left victims at increased risk. Theresa May put forward plans to overhaul the system five years ago when she was home secretary, She tried to reduce the amount of time spent on investigations

Nearly 350 people have been wrongly charged under laws covering Coronavirus restrictions and some have been wrongly convicted. In May, the Crown Prosecution Service announced a review of all charges brought under the new laws. Its latest figures show that all 218 people charged under the Coronavirus Act and 111 people prosecuted under the Health

Vulnerable individuals now have the option to pre-record evidence in all Crown courts across England and Wales in the latest government move to relieve pressure on victims of crime. From today, vulnerable alleged victims and witnesses such as children or people with disabilities will be able to pre-record cross-examination evidence to avoid the stress of addressing

Crown court cases are being delayed until 2023, the innocent penalised more than the guilty, and the under-funded, criminal justice system brought “on its knees”, according to the chair of the Criminal Bar Association in England and Wales. James Mulholland QC told the Guardian that while Covid had intensified the crisis, deep cuts to the

There are 426,086 cases outstanding at the Magistrates Court, prior to the outbreak of Covid-19 this figure was 338,425. This is a fall from the previous high of 444,960 in July 2020, this suggests there is some movement as far as the backlog is concerned. There are 49,760 cases outstanding in the Crown Court, prior

A Government watchdog has raised concerns that councils and police are acting like uncontrolled spies, with monitoring by surveillance cameras so widespread it is equivalent to being tracked by MI5. Tony Porter, the surveillance camera commissioner, said the ‘overt’ technology used by police and councils to track people via car number plates, facial recognition and

The new measures target antique firearms used in violent crime and mean that up to 26,000 guns will now require firearms licences. Loopholes exploited by criminals to use antique firearms in violent crime will be closed by new laws introduced today (Monday 9 November). The antique firearms exemption allows collectors and dealers to possess and

Concerns have been raised after it was revealed that undercover police used the identities of at least 19 dead children and had long-term deceitful relationships with their activist targets. A judge-led inquiry will examine miscarriages of justice and whether the widespread infiltration of social and environmental groups over the last forty years meant that undercover