News
The Operation of YJCEA 1999 Section 41 in the Courts of England & Wales
This study constitutes the largest empirical study of the use of previous sexual behaviour evidence in sexual offence trials in the courts of England and Wales ever conducted. It is impossible to understand how such evidence is handled in trials merely from reading reported judgments, because these reflect only cases which the defence has appealed to the Court of Appeal on the basis that such evidence was wrongly excluded by the trial judge, since the prosecution does not have an equivalent right to seek leave to appeal.
The data collected from criminal barristers examines, in depth, 377 cases involving 565 complainants, which proceeded to trial in 105 Crown Courts centres in the 24 months immediately prior to November 2017.
A summary of the findings can be found here.
David Gauke Speech at Annual Bar and Young Bar Conference 2018
Criminal defence advocates carrying out publicly-funded work in the Crown Court play an enormously important role in our justice system. I want to say to you that I do understand and recognise your concerns about the sustainability of criminal advocacy. I also recognise the work which goes into conducting complex cases.
I know there are strong concerns and that feelings and passions have run high this year as we have sought to improve the current legal aid scheme. I have always believed that, given the importance of this criminal advocacy to our justice system, it is important to get any reform right.
Met Considering Armed Patrols
Armed police may be deployed to patrol areas of London where “gang activity is likely” following a rise in violent crime in the capital.
Scotland Yard stressed that it was not considering routine patrols by officers carrying guns and said discussions were at an early stage. A memo from the force said the it would be a “temporary measure for short periods of time”, and used “based on an informed and reliable intelligence picture of where gang activity is likely”.
Commissioner Cressida Dick said she was aware of the controversy the proposals could cause. But appearing before the London Assembly police and crime committee, she argued they were only a “half a step on” from what officers carrying guns already do.
Other
'Gun No. 6: The untold story of Britain's deadliest illegal firearm'
This is the untold story of Britain’s deadliest illegal gun. This single handgun came to be used in 11 shootings in the space of six years.
After shootings, guns in the UK are often passed on, traded, rented or hidden away. That is how this gun travelled across a major city without being seized, and was used in multiple, unrelated shootings. The only thing that connects all of these crimes is the firearm itself.
'A few thoughts on the “£23m extra” for legal aid'
But in any case, what do these abstract figures mean? Not much. For a start, it’s based on modelling. So the increase only amounts to this figure if the workload in the courts remains broadly the same. It won’t, because fewer cases are being charged and brought to court, to save money. Without seeing the figures in the boxes (the details have not yet been published), it is impossible to properly assess how far this extra money will go, but to give context, the total spend on AGFS in 2016/17 was around £227m. So an added £15m is very small beer. It will probably help smooth some of the roughest edges in the scheme, but doesn’t touch the sides of the cuts over the past decade. Legal aid rates remain artificially low.
'What happens to your life after you accidentally kill someone?'
I’m an accidental killer – and thousands of Americans share this secret shame. How can you recover from the trauma of accidentally killing someone?
Obscurity
Facebook Documents Seized by MPs
A cache of Facebook documents has been seized by MPs investigating the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
In a highly unusual move the House of Commons serjeant-at-arms was sent to the businessman's hotel and he was given a final warning and a two-hour deadline to comply with the order.
When the executive failed to do so he was escorted to Parliament and warned he risked fines and imprisonment if the documents were not surrendered, the paper said.
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.