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Opinion

How do you deliver justice fairly?

If there is one quote that has remained with me, it is one from a foreign-language film. It broadly translates as "law and justice sit as slaves in the houses...

May 23, 2017
Blog

Compliance, Rolls-Royce, and DPAs—what went wrong?

Legal commentators have rightly hailed the announcement of a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) between the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and Rolls-Royce as a huge victory for the SFO. It signals…

May 12, 2017

Raj Chada

Opinion

New youth sentencing guideline begs more questions than answers

The new sentencing guideline for young people published recently and due to come into effect on 1 June, introduces a shorter sentence for children who plead guilty earlier in criminal…

May 4, 2017

Caroline Liggins

Opinion

“Sentencing now is a mechanical numbers game, with a much reduced role for judicial discretion and personal circumstances.”

The Age of Unreason is upon us. Brexit and the popularity of Trump and May are simply symptoms of a malaise that I struggle to understand yet fear greatly: Thatcherism…

May 4, 2017

Raj Chada

Opinion

Policing and Crime Act 2017 – Implications for Police Bail – A Ticking Time Bomb

The Policing and Crime Act was given Royal Assent on 31 January 2017. It is anticipated to come into force in April 2017. It introduces a presumption of release without...

March 17, 2017
Opinion

Immigration Detention – what is the real purpose?

I represent people at the police station almost every day of the week. In almost all cases, the child or adult who has been arrested will have spent hours in...

March 13, 2017
Opinion

Beware the new early guilty plea sentencing guidelines

Criminal defence practitioners this week will have approached the publishing of the new definitive guideline on reduction in sentence for a guilty plea, which becomes effective in June, with some...

March 9, 2017

Ruth Harris

Opinion

Getting to the heart of knife crime in the UK

Last night three prisoners were stabbed in Pentonville, one fatally, a tragic reminder that something must be done to address the prevalence of knife crime in the UK. That said,...

February 8, 2017
Opinion

Executives with sleepless nights – a fear of being rolled over

Legal commentators have rightly hailed the announcement of a Deferred Prosecution Agreement between the Serious Fraud Office and Rolls Royce as a huge victory for SFO. It signals the arrival...

February 3, 2017

Raj Chada

Opinion

Trump card in compliance

Are we about to undergo a fundamental sea change in how to approach anti corrupt practices with arrival of President Trump? As indicated in Bribery: A Compliance Handbook the inspiration...

January 20, 2017

Raj Chada

Opinion

Reflections on the Black Lives Matter case – the right to free speech needs to be refreshed

HJA represented all 9 clients in the Black Lives Matter case that finished at Wilesden Magistrates Court on Thursday 19 January 2017. All of our clients were convicted of obstructing...

January 20, 2017

Raj Chada

Opinion

A revolution in criminal law?

If asked what motivates me to do this work, there are two overriding emotion. The first, unsurprisingly as a lawyer, is a deep commitment to the rule of law. Not...

January 13, 2017

Raj Chada

Opinion

Every part of the criminal justice system needs to change – and that includes defence lawyers

The emerging findings from David Lammy MP’s review should make all of us who work in the criminal justice system pause to reflect. It is not that the statistics are...

December 6, 2016

Raj Chada

Opinion

Killer clowns beware

With Halloween, fast approaching it’s highly likely that we will see further reports of incidents involving ‘killer clowns’ in the UK. Over the past few weeks the media has been…

October 26, 2016
Opinion

The unintended consequences of bail reform

The Policing and Crime Bill is working its way through Parliament into law. Contained within are radical proposals for dealing with suspects while their cases are under investigation. The proposed...

October 4, 2016

Ruth Harris

Blog

Criminal Record: What you need to know

Being arrested, cautioned or convicted of a crime can be a daunting experience but the long term effects of having a criminal record can make it even worse. Over 10.5...

September 27, 2016
Blog

Raj Chada Column

"Chilcot lays bare a catastrophic error of judgement. That is a damning indictment in history. Whether it is an indictment for a trial is less clear.” "Let justice be done...

September 7, 2016

Raj Chada

Opinion

Jogee convicted of manslaughter at his retrial following joint enterprise appeal

The man at the centre of the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling earlier this year on joint enterprise has been found guilty of manslaughter following his retrial for murder. Amen Jogee…

September 6, 2016
Opinion

Decriminalising the sex industry – The Home Affairs Committee finds criminalisation of sex workers must come to an end!

The Home Affairs Committee has published an interim report on prostitution, acknowledging that elements of the present law are unsatisfactory and that the criminalisation of sex workers must come to...

July 4, 2016
Blog

“He knows if he’s guilty or not”

The Sentencing Council is currently consulting on a new guideline that will dictate the level of reduction that a defendant will receive for entering a guilty plea. The guideline will...

June 29, 2016
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