News
Cricketer Ben Stokes Not Guilty of Affray
England cricketer Ben Stokes has been found not guilty of affray after a fight near a Bristol nightclub.
The Durham all-rounder, 27, denied the charge following the fracas between a group of men last September. The fight happened several hours after England had played a one-day international against the West Indies at the County Ground in the city.
Causing Death Or Serious Injury When Cycling - Consultation
Following on from the cycle safety review in March, this consultation proposes new offences of causing death or serious injury when cycling.
The consultation is open until 11:45pm on 5 November 2018.
10 Prisons Project Announced
Prisons Minister Rory Stewart has today (17 August 2018) announced a new project to tackle the most persistent and urgent problems facing 10 of the most challenging prisons.
The project will focus on challenging violent and disruptive behaviour and includes £10 million funding to fight drugs, improve security and, crucially, boost leadership capabilities through new training. Specifically, these 10 prisons have struggled with acute problems, including high drug use, violence and building issues.
While the governors and staff at the prisons - Hull, Humber, Leeds, Lindholme, Moorland, Wealstun, Nottingham, Ranby, Isis and Wormwood Scrubs - have dealt with these challenges, this project will provide them with the resources and support to make decisive, lasting progress.
The Prisons Minister pledged to resign if the campaign to tackle drugs and violence in struggling jails is a failure. He stated to BBC News: "I will quit if I haven't succeeded in 12 months in reducing the level of drugs and violence in those prisons".
LGFS Update After JR
Following a judgment handed down in the Divisional Court on 3 August 2018, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) advises providers to note the below steps when claiming under the LGFS for cases with more than 6,000 pages of prosecution evidence (PPE).
As a result of the judgment, the LGFS has now reverted to previous regulations in force before 1 December 2017. However, providers should be aware that the question whether to appeal the order of the Divisional Court is still under consideration by the Lord Chancellor.
Other
'The Ben Stokes trial: what went wrong?'
An analysis of the Ben Stokes affray trial by The Secret Barrister.
Obscurity
Plagium - Scottish Criminal Law
Plagium is the common law crime of child stealing which may be committed against children below the age of puberty. Whereas the crime of abduction is treated as one of assault on or injury to the person abducted, the carrying off of a pupil child has been treated as falling within the ambit of theft. This is because a child under the age of puberty has been regarded as the property of his parents for the purposes of theft and therefore as something which can be stolen. Consequently, plagium is not a separate offence in its own right but is merely an aggravated form of theft.