News
Digital Evidence Breaking Justice
Public faith in the fairness of trials is being eroded and the justice system is approaching “breaking point” due to failures to disclose key digital evidence, the head of the criminal bar has said.
The comments from Angela Rafferty QC come as a leading forensic scientist, Dr Jan Collie, exposes the difficulties defence experts have in obtaining downloaded material from police and prosecutors, including dealing with “games” officers play in pursuit of convictions.
Home Office Mobile Fingerprint App
New mobile fingerprinting technology will allow frontline officers across the country to use their smartphones to identify people in less than a minute – saving police time and reducing costs.
An app on an officer’s phone, combined with a handheld scanner, will mean police will be able to check fingerprints against both criminal and immigration records by connecting to the two live databases (IDENT1 and IABS) via the new Biometric Services Gateway.
Assange Second Ruling
The Chief Magistrate decided that initiating proceedings against Assange for failing to surrender is proportionate.
'Paedophile football coach Barry Bennell convicted of a total of 43 counts of child sex abuse'
Paedophile football coach Barry Bennell raped and assaulted at least 115 young boys in his care it emerged yesterday, as he faced spending the rest of his life behind bars.
Bennell was convicted of a total of 43 counts of child sex abuse against 11 victims after a jury at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday found him guilty of seven more counts.
Other
Pupillage Gateway Statistics
2,089 wannabe barristers submit 14,516 applications for just 224 pupillage spots
'First online courtroom hearings to pave way for digital justice'
The first online courtroom hearings for claimants, in which they and their lawyers will participate via video link, are to begin this spring.
The pilot is being run for tax appeals. The government announcement is here.
Obscurity
HMP Wandsworth and the death penalty
The gallows was finally dismantled on 24 May 1993, over 25 years after the death penalty in the UK was abolished for murder by the Murder Abolition of Death Penalty Act 1965. A death sentence could still be imposed for various offences such as treason, piracy with violence and espionage. The Human Rights Act 1998, section 21(5), effective from 9 November 1998, removed the last remaining routes to a death penalty, which were under the Army Act 1955, the Air Force Act 1955 and the Naval Discipline Act 1957.