News
Offensive Weapons Bill
The Home Secretary has today (Wednesday 20 June) introduced new legislation to ban the delivery of knives and corrosives bought online to residential addresses.
The Offensive Weapons Bill will make it harder for young people to buy knives and acid online with sellers requiring rigorous age verification to prove those purchasing knives or corrosives are over 18. Failure to do so will leave them liable for prosecution.
The Bill will also ban possession of weapons such as zombie knives, knuckle dusters and death stars both in public and private. Those who do will be forced to hand them in.
Upskirting Bill Returns
Following the rejection of the Private Members' Bill to create a new 'upskirting' offence, the Government has now introduced its own Bill.
The Bill will insert 2 new offences into the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for instances where, without consent, a person operates equipment or records an image under another person’s clothing with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks, with or without underwear. The offences will apply where the offender has a motive of either obtaining sexual gratification, or causing humiliation, distress or alarm to the victim. Measures are also included to ensure that the most serious sexual offenders are made subject to notification requirements, commonly known as the sex offenders register.
'Other Offence' Sentencing Guideline Consultation
The Sentencing Council is consulting on a draft sentencing guideline for use where there is no offence-specific guideline.
The draft guidance is available here.
Transforming Rehabilitation and Young Adults in the CJS - Justice Committee
The House of Commons Justice Committee has published two interesting reports.
The first evaluates the treatment of young adults in the criminal justice system, and is available here.
The second evaluates the probation system, and comments on the use of short custodial sentences and post-sentence supervision. It is available here.
Other
'Disclosure - Again' Speech
Lord Justice Gross gave a speech regarding disclosure in the criminal justice system.
'Why was a homeless man jailed for pretending to run the London Marathon?'
The Secret Barrister considers the sentencing guidelines in the case of a homeless man jailed for 16 weeks for pretending to finish the London Marathon after he found a lost race number (and also three unrelated theft offences at Heathrow Airport).