Recent Cases and News

The DBS is a government organisation responsible for the reporting of convictions and other information to employers and other relevant organisations.   What Data is Held? The DBS holds three classes of information: Class 1: Information from the...

It can be a temptation to family members, and to others perhaps for financial gain, to seek to convey articles into prisons. The chance of being detected is high and possibly for that reason many who might otherwise be tempted to do so, resist. Section 40CB...

In Entick v Carrington (1765), a case concerning the entry to and searching of premises, the court ruled: “…if this is law it would be found in our books, but no such law ever existed in this country; our law holds the property of every man so...

In a major announcement, the government has signalled a busy year ahead with legislative changes affecting the criminal law. Following on from the recent announcement about the sentencing of domestic abuse offences, the government has announced further...

The unlawful death of a child is always a deeply traumatic act and one that shakes any society to its core. For some parents, it represents not only a deeply personal and tragic loss but the beginning of a nightmare. The reality in most murder and...

On 21 February 2018 the Supreme Court made a landmark decision in the case of John Worboys by handing down a judgment that the police had breached two womens' human rights by failing to properly investigate their allegations of rape. The judgment will...

A former senior police officer, David Duckenfield, who was in charge on the day of the Hillsborough disaster, will this week find out whether prosecution proceedings against him can continue. Prosecutions against others allegedly involved in the...

A new domestic abuse sentencing guideline has been published today (22 February), giving courts up to date guidance that emphasises the seriousness of this offending.   What is domestic abuse? There is no specific crime of domestic abuse - it can...

What Happens in Rome, May Not Stay in Rome Most people know that if you commit a criminal offence in the UK, the police will record details of that offence and any subsequent sentence so that it is revealed during any future PNC (Police National Computer)...

In a legal challenge brought by the MP Tom Watson, and supported by campaign group Liberty, the High Court ruled that a major plank of the government's surveillance strategy is unlawful (Secretary of State for the Home Department v Watson MP & Ors...