About
A free weekly collection of criminal law links - for practitioners, law students, and anyone with an interest in the criminal justice system of England and Wales.
Curated by Sam Willis, a barrister at 5 King's Bench Walk.
News
'Thousands of children protected from abuse under victim reforms'
Thousands more children will be protected from vile sex offenders under amendments to the Victims and Courts Bill tabled in Parliament today (Monday 20 October). The new measures will see parental responsibility automatically restricted in cases of children born of rape, and when a parent is convicted of serious sex offences against any child. This means a parent can no longer take active steps in their child’s life, including making decisions over their schooling, medical care or trips abroad...
... This amendment will require the Crown Court to make a prohibited steps order, at the point of sentencing for rape where the court is satisfied that a child for whom the offender holds parental responsibility was conceived as a result of that rape, unless it appears to the court that it would not be in the ‘interests of justice’ to do so...
... If the Crown Court is satisfied that the child may have been conceived from rape then they must refer the case to the local authority within 30 days. In these circumstances the local authority will have 6 months in which to obtain the consent of the mother for them to initiate family court proceedings. The local authority will have 30 days from receipt of consent to apply to the family court who will then consider whether any orders (including prohibited steps orders) should be made in the best interests of the child...
'Met Police says it will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents'
The Metropolitan Police says it will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents to allow officers to "focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations". The announcement came as the Met confirmed it was dropping a probe into Father Ted creator Graham Linehan after he was arrested at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of inciting violence in posts on X. Mr Linehan was arrested by five officers on 1 September after arriving on a flight from the US, sparking a backlash from some public figures and politicians. The Crown Prosecution Service said it had decided no further action should be taken in the writer's case following a "careful review" of the evidence supplied by police.
In a statement on Monday addressing non-crime hate incidents, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said it "understands the concern" around the case. "The commissioner has been clear he doesn't believe officers should be policing toxic culture war debates, with current laws and rules on inciting violence online leaving them in an impossible position," the spokesperson said. The policy change would "provide clearer direction for officers, reduce ambiguity and enable them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations," the spokesperson added...
Crown Court Compendium Updated
The Judicial College is pleased to announce the October 2025 revision of the Crown Court Compendium Parts I and II. It was first published in 2016. This revision is up to date as of October 2025. The Judicial College is grateful to His Honour Judge Martin Picton and the rest of the editorial team for their work on this important publication. A further update is not anticipated until 2026...
'Police hunt Epping migrant sex offender released in error'
A sex offending migrant who was mistakenly released from prison on Friday was "last seen in London", police have said, with officers scouring CCTV in an effort to locate him. Hadush Kebatu was set free in error weeks after being jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping, Essex, while staying in an asylum hotel. The Ethiopian, who travelled to the UK on a small boat, was due to be moved to an immigration detention centre ahead of his planned deportation when he was released...
The force said its "enquiries are continuing at pace to locate and arrest" Kebatu, and described the investigation as "fast-moving and complex", with officers working through the night to review footage. The force earlier confirmed Kebatu boarded a London-bound train at Chelmsford station at 12:41 on Friday. Officers were informed by the Prison Service that there been "an error" at 12:57 and the search began...
'Government to seize millions from fake immigration lawyers'
Sham immigration lawyers who look to cheat the system will have their cash confiscated under new powers. Under proposals set out by the Home Office today, new powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act will be extended to the Immigration Advice Authority, enabling them to seize the criminal profits of unscrupulous advisers...
The changes will be made following a consultation, which will run till the end of the year. This comes on top of new powers given to the Immigration Advice Authority under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which will see people posing as immigration lawyers facing fines of up to £15,000...
Other
'Deputy Prime Minister speech at the OpenAI Frontiers Conference'
... The Probation Service is currently trialling something called Justice Transcribe, one of the AI Exemplars sponsored by the Prime Minister, built by the Government’s very own leading AI engineers. It records and transcribes probation officers’ conversations with offenders automatically, cutting hours of work to transfer handwritten meeting notes into digital systems. That means probation staff can spend more of their time doing the things only humans can do: Working with offenders to protect the British public, person-to-person, face-to-face, eye-to-eye. In fact, eighty percent of officers surveyed said it improved engagement with offenders, making it easier for them to read important changes in body language and tailor their approach. This kind of technology frees probation officers to do the things they signed up for: Changing lives, cutting crime, protecting the public.,,
Obscurity
'Ministry of Justice convicted of a crime in controversial fast-track courts'
The Ministry of Justice has received a criminal conviction with a £1,000 fine over a speeding ticket, after officials did not respond to a prosecution brought through its own secretive courts. The government department – which has oversight of the entire criminal justice system – was prosecuted after a van was caught speeding on the M62 in Greater Manchester. Court papers obtained by the Standard reveal the MoJ did not respond to two requests from police to identify the guilty driver. The department was then named as the defendant in a criminal prosecution brought by Greater Manchester Police. Official records show the MoJ did not respond again after it had been formally charged with a crime, and it failed to enter a plea to the charge. Last week, a magistrate sitting at Manchester City Magistrates’ Court, Mary Brough, convicted the MoJ in a hearing conducted entirely behind closed doors...