Issue 449  9th May 2026

Prosecutors in England and Wales have been told to “fast-track” hate crime prosecutions after a spate of antisemitic attacks that the prime minister on Tuesday called a “crisis for all of us”. Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions, issued guidance to his staff on Tuesday telling them to bring forward prosecutions against any sort of hate crime as quickly as they could, rather than waiting until they had gathered all possible evidence...

Parkinson said in a statement on Tuesday: “The acts of extreme violence and criminal damage that we have seen against the Jewish community in recent months have been deplorable. People have been arrested and charged and those cases will be dealt with as quickly as possible. “But it is also clear that there are daily threats or abuse which are designed to harass and distress Jewish people. These, too, are criminal offences and they are contributing to a climate of fear felt by the Jewish community.” Under the changes he announced, prosecutors will be encouraged to bring hate crime prosecutions as quickly as possible “even if some supporting evidence can be obtained later”. This contrasts with other offences, where prosecutors are urged to compile a full file of evidence before making a charging decision. They will also be told that in some cases, such as public order offences, they will be able to recommend charges based on a reliable victim’s account, without any supporting evidence. If dealing with an assault case, they will be asked to take into account photographs of injuries or medical notes as well...

The bar regulator has set up a cross-sector taskforce to develop new advocacy standards for barristers involved in rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) cases amid concern about courtroom conduct and wellbeing. Announcing an ‘expert reference group’ today, the Bar Standards Board said RASSO cases often involve complex evidence, challenging legal and ethical judgements, and issues that require careful, trauma-informed advocacy. ‘Where advocacy standards are inconsistent or fall short, the consequences can be serious. These can include re-traumatisation, loss of confidence in the justice process, and unsafe outcomes,’ the regulator said...

Professor Katrin Hohl, an independent adviser to the government and co-chair of the group, said: ‘Rape and serious sexual offences cases demand specialist knowledge, skills, and attitudes from the legal profession. This is especially so because counsel conduct towards RASSO complainants in the courtroom can have profound impacts on their experience of procedural fairness and mental health. There is also growing evidence that a lack of trauma-informed RASSO practice puts barristers’ own mental well-being at risk. I welcome the Bar Standards Board's decision to develop a specialist RASSO competencies framework that sets RASSO-specific competencies and standards. I am delighted to be co-chairing the advisory board and hope this work will improve courtroom experiences for complainants and counsel alike.’

A criminal silk has been elected as the next vice chair of the bar. Claire Davies KC, called in 1999, will join an all-woman leadership team in 2027. Davies, a member of Farringdon Chambers, in London, practises in serious and complex criminal law, specialising in allegations of homicide, organised crime, fraud and sexual offences. A Crown court recorder (part-time judge) since 2016, Davies took silk in 2022. The Bar Council said Davies had a ‘particular interest in equality, diversity and inclusion’ and has been ‘heavily involved’ in the bar’s justice needs juries campaign where she has given oral evidence to the Public Bill Committee for the Courts and Tribunals Bill.

Davies said: ‘It is a critical time for the publicly funded bar and, now more than ever, the whole bar must remain united in influencing the decisions that shape our future to continue our international reputation. I am committed to continuing the vital work already being undertaken to oppose the curtailment of jury trials. We must ensure we have a justice system representative of the society it serves and one which increases access to justice for all. I welcome the planned initiatives to improve efficiency within our criminal justice system. By embracing the increased use of technology to modernise the way we work we can deliver better outcomes for justice while improving practitioner wellbeing.’ Her priorities, she said, would include ‘retention of practitioners, encouragement of the talent already at the bar and recruitment into our profession’. Davies will join the Bar Council from 1 January 2027 alongside current vice chair Heidi Stonecliffe KC, who succeeds Kirsty Brimelow KC as chair...

Weak and crumbling walls in Victorian prisons are hampering attempts to halt drones from delivering drugs and weapons to inmates. Plans to install tougher netting and window grilles to stop drones from entering have been hampered because the walls have been unable to take the extra weight, prison governors said. Recent attempts to fix anti-drone netting at HMP Pentonville, the Victorian prison in north London, were stalled after they found that the bricks were too soft, sources have said.

Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons for England and Wales, said last month that the Prison Service had “ceded the airspace above many of our prisons to serious organised crime”, resulting in a “national security threat”. The number of incidents at prisons involving drones has risen by more than 1,000% over four years, with gang members able to fly packages carried by drones direct to cell windows. The packages are then retrieved by inmates with a hook. Their use has become so ubiquitous that inspectors have found packages weighing more than 15kg, delivering goods such as weight loss and hair loss drugs, anabolic steroids and fast food. Nets can be fixed to walls to catch the drones by snagging their propellers, while fixed window grilles can be used to stop prisoners from pulling packages into their cells. But Tom Wheatley, the president of the Prison Governors Association, said measures to stop drones were not being introduced quickly enough and faced structural problems...

Lord Justice Snowden has been appointed to the Supreme Court. Snowden was called to the bar in 1986 and appointed silk in 2003. His judicial career began in 2006 with his appointment as a Recorder of the Crown court. He became a deputy High Court judge in 2008 and a High Court judge of the Chancery Division in 2015. He served as vice-chancellor of the County Palatine of Lancaster and Supervising Judge of the Business and Property Courts for the Northern and North-Eastern Circuits from 2019. Two years later, in 2021, Snowden was promoted to the Court of Appeal. The judge said he was ‘deeply honoured’ to have been appointed adding: ‘I look forward to serving in that role and to working together with the other justices of the Supreme Court and members of the judicial committee of the Privy Council.’