It can now be reported that Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the English Defence League, convicted fraudster, sometime-football hooligan and self-reinvented free speech advocate, was on Friday 25 May 2018 imprisoned for 13 months for contempt of court after livestreaming a broadcast, including footage of participants in a criminal trial, outside Leeds Crown Court. Some…
Read moreDid this kitten really conduct a criminal trial by itself… and WIN?
I am informed that one of the liberties you can take as a writer with a (undeserved and long-suffering) loyal following is to indulge in a little creative sleight of hand. One might, for example, in an effort to gain wider attention for a mundane-sounding issue, attach a ludicrous and unrelated clickbait headline to draw…
Read moreBashing burglars and the law of self-defence
The headlines and news bulletins over the past two days have focused on this story: (Your attention is respectfully drawn to the headline, rather than the libido-boosting diet to beat the menopause (no HRT required.)) I make clear at the outset that I offer no comment whatsoever on this particular case. While the editorial slants…
Read moreLegally Blonde: The Live Tweet
In the final (for now) instalment in my relentless flogging of pop culture, Friday night was spent Live-Tweeting the legal cinematic classic, Legally Blonde. If you want to find out how it went, click on the Tweets below. ***ANNOUNCEMENT*** So, it’s nearly Friday night. If you, like me, will be stuck in at home…
Read moreLove In The First Degree: Analysing the legal misconceptions of Bananarama
This weekend’s Twitter thread, which has received a surprisingly warm reception (even from Bananarama themselves), is as below. It is important, it struck me as I sat stationary on a snow-stranded train, that we always hold (girl) power to account and challenge legal myths wherever they arise, however difficult that may be. 🎵And the judge…
Read moreSome thoughts on Dr Bawa-Garba and our faith in the jury system
I’m loath to tread onto terrain that I do not usually cover in my modest knockabout criminal practice, but the case of Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba has caused such tremors in the medical profession that I thought, vainly, that I might throw my two pence in. Misery is so ubiquitous in the criminal law that it…
Read moreWhy did a Britain First supporter who wanted to “kill a Muslim” and drove his van at a pedestrian only receive 33 weeks’ imprisonment?
This is a little later than planned, but recently I’ve been responding to a number of queries about legal issues on Twitter through threads, and it struck me that it might be of some use (possibly) to put them up here, for anyone interested who doesn’t catch them live. Here, from a fortnight ago, I…
Read moreWhy is a man who raped “hundreds of women” being released from prison after only 9 years?
Storm clouds are gathering over the news that former taxi driver John Worboys, the convicted rapist who police believe may have drugged and attacked hundreds of female passengers, is to be released from prison after reportedly serving nine years of an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment. How, it is being asked, can one of Britain’s most…
Read moreWas 16 weeks’ imprisonment for Raheem Sterling’s racist attacker a soft sentence?
Yesterday, 29 year-old Karl Anderson pleaded guilty to a racially-aggravated common assault on Manchester City and England footballer Raheem Sterling, and was jailed at Manchester City Magistrates’ Court for 16 weeks. He was also ordered to pay £100 compensation and a mandatory Victim Surcharge of £115. The reported facts are that, shortly before Manchester City’s…
Read moreGuest post by Mary Aspinall-Miles: We must confront the criminal justice system’s warped attitude to time
I am delighted that the wonderful Mary Aspinall-Miles (@MAM12CP) has agreed to write a guest post for this blog. Mary practises criminal law at 12 College Place Chambers, with a particular expertise in sexual offences. She also sits on the executive committee of the Criminal Bar Association. NOTE: This article was written long before the recently-reported case…
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