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Criminal Law


23.08.23

The tragic case of Andrew Malkinson

It is beyond contention that in the early hours of the morning on 9 July 2003 a young woman ‘C’ was brutally attacked and raped during which she sustained serious injury including the severance of her nipple. She gave a description of her attacker whom she said she had scratched down the face with her…

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The difficulty with forcing defendants to attend their sentencing hearings

Last week, Lucy Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others. She refused to attend Court on Monday for her sentence hearing when she received a whole life order. This follows other high-profile cases where defendants have refused to attend their sentence hearings, including Thomas Cashman who shot and…

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20.07.23

What does the criminal law say about the receipt and solicitation of sexual images from young people?

In recent weeks, the media has been engulfed with stories about alleged sexual misconduct involving media personalities. Firstly, a BBC presenter, now revealed by his wife to be the news broadcaster Huw Edwards, was alleged by The Sun to have paid for images of sexual nature from a young person.  The Sun initially seemed to…

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11.07.23

The Public Order Act 2023: Clamping down on protests

The Public Order Act 2023 introduced several new offences relating to protests. These came into force on 3 May 2023 and 2 July 2023. The aim of the Act is to increase the police’s ability to restrict and criminalise protest activity when it causes serious disruption. The Public Order Act 2023 introduces the following new…

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26.06.23

Repaying a debt which may contravene the UK sanction regime against Russia

Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine has led to the UK and other countries imposing various sanctions on Russia including.  A list of sanctioned individuals and entities which can be accessed here.  However, the sanctions regime is much broader and covers dealing with “involved persons” connected to Russia under The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019…

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4.04.23

Georgia Harrison to sue Stephen Bear over revenge porn/image-based abuse that has already landed him in jail

  Who are Stephen Bear and Georgia Harrison? If you are not a fan of reality television, then it’s unlikely you would have heard of either of Stephen Bear or Georgia Harrison until recently. Stephen Bear, 33, appeared on Shipwrecked in 2011 and Ex on the Beach in 2015.  These accomplishments allowed Bear to qualify…

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28.03.23

Police Investigations and bail: what are the recent changes? (Updated 24.05.23)

Introduction In 2017 the law was changed such that there was a presumption against placing suspects on bail following arrest but prior to any charging decision. The consequence of this was that suspects were often ‘released under investigation’ without restriction on their liberty but with little idea when a decision would made to conclude the…

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12.12.22

A right to erasure of police records? High Court orders Police to delete records of historic complaints

This article considers the recent judgment of AB v Chief Constable of British Transport Police [2022] EWHC 2749 (KB) and the practical implications when an individual makes a data subject access (‘DSAR’) or right to erasure request to the Police. What are the facts of AB ? The appellant, AB was 31-year-old-male who has Autistic…

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9.12.22

CPS to update guidance on gender deception and vitiation of consent to sexual activity

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is holding a public consultation on a proposed revision to its legal guidance on Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO), focused on gender deception and the vitiation of consent.  The guidance for prosecutors is due to be expanded to better address the complex issues surrounding gender identity. The statutory definition…

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3.11.22

Brett Wilson LLP ranked in The Times list of the top 250 law firms in England and Wales

Brett Wilson LLP has been listed in the Times Best Law Firms directory.  The directory lists the top 250 law firms in England and Wales (out of some 10,000 firms).  The firm is commended in the technology, media and telecoms category for its defamation and reputation management work. The firm’s entry can be found here….

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Legal Disclaimer

Articles are intended as an introduction to the topic and do not constitute legal advice.