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71 articles

How to: the cross examination of vulnerable witnesses (part 2)

This article is the second in a series which aims to explore some common themes in the cross examination of vulnerable witnesses by providing tips and illustrative examples.

Launching PDS Advocacy Team Confiscation Group

The PDS Advocacy Team’s Confiscation Group provides expert representation in POCA and other confiscation related hearings.

How to: the cross examination of vulnerable witnesses (part 1)

This article is the first in a series which aims to explore some common themes in the cross examination of vulnerable witnesses by providing tips and illustrative examples.

Is ‘posting annoying tweets’ a criminal offence? The impact of R v Scottow

The recent High Court decision stressed that the Article 10 right to freedom of speech includes the right to cause offence.

Is ‘advance consent to sexual activity’ a defence?

Can consent to sexual activity be given in advance? Will “advance consent” be a defence for sexual activity with a person who is asleep or unconscious?

Mental incapacity and consent to sexual activity: a case study

Sexual offences against a person with a mental disorder: at what point will a “mental disorder” mean a person lacks capacity to consent to sexual activity? Where do we draw the line? And how will incapacity be proved?

The Sentencing Code 2020

The Sentencing Act 2020 or ‘the Sentencing Code’, as it is often referred to, came into force on 1 December 2020 and applies to all those convicted on or after this date.

Video hearings and disabled defendants – a review of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s interim report

A review of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s interim report.

Legal advice regarding Coronavirus offences

The current Coronavirus pandemic has presented all of us with unprecedented challenges, especially whilst under lockdown.

Impact of the Coronavirus on the criminal justice system

The COVID19 pandemic has meant that every aspect of society, including the Criminal Justice System, has had to adapt to the many new challenges that we face.