Criminal Law news

Former JLS member Oritse Williams attended Magistrates’ Court last week. Despite much being made of his failure to do so, he wasn’t actually required to enter his plea, as rape cases are only heard in the Crown Court. Oritse Williams continues to be on unconditional bail, at least until his first hearing in the Crown Court which will take place on 7th November 2018. Unconditional bail means that there are no restrictions on his movement or the people he contacts. He must... Read More

When Kingston Crown Court slapped a Criminal Behaviour Order on the young members of drill music group 1011, the public sat up and paid attention. The five West London teenagers had been imprisoned after police arrested them in Notting Hill in November last year for conspiracy to commit violent disorder. Their resulting CBO, issued at the request of the Police, was unusual. It specified that the group must notify police within 24 hours of releasing new music videos, provide details of any... Read More

The Ministry of Justice has announced a Post-Implementation Review (PIR) of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), which altered the provision of legal aid. The announcement is made in conjunction with a call for evidence and information that may be helpful in ascertaining what “the future of legal support” may look like. The review has been anxiously awaited by groups working in the fields that have been affected, such as the Coram... Read More

A new consultation which looks to simplify sentencing law has been launched by the Law Commission. The project was set up in 2015, and having gone through the initiation and pre-consultation stages, the Law Commission launched the official consultation stage of the project on 27 July 2017. It is open until 26 January 2018. This will allow experts and practitioners to read the Law Commission’s paper and respond, contributing to what the Commission hopes will result in a tidying up of... Read More

Women’s rights groups are protesting against Russia’s recent move to decriminalise domestic violence. The bill breezed through its first reading with 386 votes to 1 and is due to return for its second of three readings in the Duma next week before it passes to parliament’s upper house. Under the new ‘slapping law’, ‘moderate’ violence, for instance bruises, cuts and any injuries not requiring hospital care, would be punished with a simple... Read More

Mrs Justice Pauffley has refused to permit the publication of a 2014 judgment concerning the death of six-year-old Ellie Butler, on the grounds that releasing the document could prejudice a potential retrial. The child’s father, Ben Butler, was convicted of her murder and jailed for life last week. Ben Butler, who had a history of domestic violence, inflicted severe head injuries on his daughter Ellie which resulted in her death in October 2013. Ellie’s mother, Jennie... Read More

Can I get a restraining order? In the UK, only the criminal courts can make a restraining order, usually after a person has been on trial for an offence involving harassment or violence. The family court can, however make similar orders, known as non-molestation orders and occupation orders. What is a non-molestation order? A non-molestation order (or “non-mol”) is one of the court’s key powers in cases involving domestic violence. The order prevents... Read More

Of all the countries in South America, Bolivia has the highest rate of inter-partner violence, with over 50% of women having reported physical or sexual violence at the hands of their husbands. Now, a change in the law is seeking to keep the perpetrators of such violence away from public office. Earlier this week it was announced that men who wish to run for public office must produce a document proving that they have no criminal record of gendered violence, nor that they have ever... Read More

Bolivia has the highest rate of inter-partner violence in South America, with more than 50% of women having reported physical or sexual violence at the hands of their husbands. Now, a change in the law is seeking to keep the perpetrators of such violence away from public office. Earlier this week it was announced that men who wish to run for public office must produce a document proving that they have no criminal record of gendered violence, nor that they have ever been... Read More