Footballer Ched Evans was today acquitted after a retrial of one count of rape. The jury at Cardiff Crown Court returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty, Mr Evans’ solicitor read out a statement on his client’s behalf to the gawping media on the court steps in the time-honoured fashion and, within seconds, social media…
Read moreWhy we need legal aid for the worst people in society
Recently, I’ve noticed an increase in the number of people getting cross about legal aid. I don’t know whether this can be causally linked to the backing tracks expertly laid down by our new Lord Chancellor, adopting the smooth jazzy beats of her pre-predecessor Chris Grayling to create a steady percussive “legal-aid-bad, legal-aid-bad” filtering through…
Read moreThe prosecution of Gazza raises some troubling questions
I am going to break my cardinal rule and offer comment on a legal case without having read the judgment or sentencing remarks. My excuse is that the case in question was a guilty plea at Dudley Magistrates’ Court, and my exhaustive research suggests that the District Judge has not followed the modern fashion of making his…
Read moreThe criminal law has no business interfering in bad relationships
On 29 December 2015, to relatively little fanfare, a well-meaning but ultimately flawed criminal law was brought into force. Today, some 8 months on, the Guardian reports that the number of people being prosecuted under this law is low, inviting remedy under David Allen Green’s so-prescient-that-it-surpasses-satire Something Must Be Done Act 2014. The issue at…
Read moreCriticisms of Liz Truss have nothing to do with lawyers’ sexism
Let’s knock one evolving conspiracy theory on the head before court starts. Since the new Prime Minister appointed Liz Truss as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice in lieu of the defenestrated, and relatively popular, Michael Gove, a number of lawyers and politicians have suggested that Ms Truss – the third consecutive non-lawyer appointed to…
Read moreThe new Justice Secretary – does it matter that she’s not a lawyer?
So, as anticipated, our new Prime Minister has favoured punishing disloyalty over rewarding competence and sent Mr Gove and his ambitious, compassionate prison reforms to the naughty back benches. This morning has brought a transfer-deadline-day-style frenzy to Legal Twitter, anticipation and trepidation converging as rumours and supposition threw up name after name as possible new Secretary…
Read moreWhat would happen to Brock Turner in an English criminal court?
On 18 January 2015, Brock Allen Turner committed a series of serious sexual assaults against an unconscious woman on an American university campus. Two graduate students at Stanford University saw the 20-year old Turner lying on top of the motionless victim behind a dumpster. Her underwear and bra had been partially removed, and Turner was…
Read moreIt’s official: the Criminal Justice System is broken, and no-one seems to care
Friday 27 May 2016. The day on which the following events were deemed worthy of historical record on the front pages of the English press: It is also the day, you may be interested to know, that the criminal justice system was officially declared “close to breaking point”. Not by me or my kindred professional…
Read moreDefendants in person, aliens and the MoJ Jekyll and Hyde
“Right.” The legal advisor looked at me, then back at the defendant. “And are any of them going to be witnesses for you today?” “Any of who?” replied the defendant. The legal advisor looked at me again and cleared his throat. “Any of the aliens?” The defendant shook his head angrily. “No! My case isn’t…
Read moreIs Katie Hopkins on the verge of committing a criminal offence punishable with life imprisonment?
There is a risk inherent in writing about professional trolls that you serve only to ladle extra righteous indignation into their feeding troughs. It is for such reason that I set myself a strict biannual ration when blogging about Philip Davies MP. However, the overwhelming public interest in preventing – or, if by publication the horse has…
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