News
County Lines Guidance
This guidance is primarily aimed at frontline staff who work with children, young people and potentially vulnerable adults.
County lines is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into one or more importing areas within the UK, using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of “deal line”. They are likely to exploit children and vulnerable adults to move and store the drugs and money and they will often use coercion, intimidation, violence (including sexual violence) and weapons.
Cyber Force
A £250m cyber-force unit that will combat terrorist groups and domestic gangs is reportedly to be set up.
Experts will be recruited from the military, security services and industry for the project which will be set up by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and GCHQ, according to The Times which originally reported the story.
Victim Personal Statement Guidance Updated
Revised joint guidance to ensure victims of crime have the chance to speak in court about the impact offending has had on their lives has been published.
The guidance can be found here.
Proposal to Abolish Jury Trials in Rape Cases (£££)
A criminal law academic argues for the abolition of juries in rape cases.
AGFS Consultation Deadline Extended
The consultation is seeking views on proposals for allocating an additional £15 million of spending to the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme and proposals for distributing this additional expenditure.
The deadline has been extended to 12 October 2018.
Other
Defending the Guilty on BBC Two
Sitcom. Will Packham is an idealistic pupil barrister - or idealistic for now. Can Will hold onto his principles and prove he has what it takes?
Obscurity
Card Games on Sunday in Alabama
Until 13 April 2015, it was an offence in Alabama USA to play card games on a Sunday. Any card playing could have resulted in the offender being "fined not less than $10.00 nor more than $100.00, and may also be imprisoned in the county jail, or sentenced to hard labor for the county, for not more than three months".
Sponsored
Crime Fees - Free AGFS Calculator
Crime Fees enables criminal barristers in England and Wales to easily calculate defence advocate fees under the new April 2018 AGFS (Scheme 10), and also under the proposed new Scheme 11 (currently under consultation).
No need to compare complex fee tables. Simply select the type of hearing and offence, set the number of trial days, and the app will tell you the fee.
Add each fee in the case to the basket and save for convenient reference until you have been paid.
Every permutation of case under the AGFS is catered for - the 3 advocate types, the 19 types of hearing, the 17 offence bands, and the 915 offences.