balaalJul 27, 20207 minThe Hong Kong British National (Overseas) VisaDetails about the visa scheme for British National (Overseas) citizens in Hong Kong have finally been published today in a policy stateme...
balaalJun 17, 20202 minCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing BillFollowing on from the terror attacks at Fishmongers Hall on 29 November 2019 and in Streatham on 2 February 2020 the government has annou...
balaalJun 16, 20203 minFirearms - Doing Nothing is Not an OptionOn 20 October 2018 police on uniformed patrol identified a vehicle of interest to them. They followed it for a short distance before caus...
balaalJun 14, 20202 minIncrease in sentences!Increase in sentences for aggravation related to disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity Section 146 of the Criminal Justi...
balaalMay 20, 20203 minPenalty Points - Avoiding Double CountingFor some new drivers, six penalty points mean resitting a driving test, for other drivers twelve points may mean disqualification. It is ...
balaalMay 20, 20205 minFirearms - Court of Appeal Maintains Tough Sentencing ApproachIn a recent case, the Court of Appeal dealt with an appeal by the Attorney General against a sentence of 30 months imprisonment imposed f...
balaalMay 20, 20202 minYoung Offenders - A Change to Prison Discipline RulesChanges to the prison adjudication rules came in to force on 15 May 2020 and will remain in place until 25 March 2022, unless revoked ear...
balaalMay 20, 20202 minPolice Investigations - Are They Now Secret?It is quite common to read in a newspaper that someone has been arrested. Local papers will cover almost any story of interest, and natio...
balaalMay 4, 20203 minIs Trial by Jury Going to be Abolished?For the last few weeks, since the Coronavirus 'lockdown', all jury trials in England and Wales have been stopped. This is not at all surp...
balaalMay 1, 20202 min The Far Right & TerrorismWhen people hear reference to the far-right many would think of racism rather than terrorism. Alice Cutter and Mark Jones were members of...
balaalApr 29, 20203 minEmergency Laws Now in ForceOn Wednesday 25th March 2020 the Coronavirus Bill completed all its parliamentary stages, and Royal Assent was signified, bringing in to ...
balaalApr 29, 20202 minLocal Authority ProsecutionsThe local authority has the power to prosecute in respect of a number of types of crime. This could be certain types of benefit fraud, fl...
balaalApr 26, 20202 minTerminating RulingsWhen a judge makes a ruling at a crown court trial relating to one or more of the offences faced, the prosecution may have a right to app...
balaalApr 21, 20203 minAppealsThere are several types of criminal appeals. Appeals against conviction or sentence Cases start in the Magistrates Court. If you want to ...
balaalApr 15, 20207 minWill Coronavirus Be a ‘Get out of Jail’ Card?Before a prosecution is commenced, the Crown Prosecution Service must apply two distinct tests. The first is whether there is sufficient ...
balaalApr 7, 20202 minSentencing outside of the guidelinesThe courts are provided with guidelines to assist in determining the appropriate sentence for a wide, and ever-expanding, range of offenc...
balaalApr 1, 20202 minExpert evidenceExpert evidence is used to provide information to the court, which is likely to be outside of the knowledge of the magistrates, judge or ...
balaalMar 31, 20203 minCovid 19 Lockdown - the lawThe Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 imposes several restrictions. Over the last week, the police...
balaalMar 23, 20202 minCovid 19 and Business Closure - Legal ObligationsAt 2 pm on Saturday 21 March 2020, a law came into force which forced the closure of some businesses. This law was enacted by virtue of T...