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83 news articles

Your client, intermediaries and ‘invisible’ Autism

Published:
Here’s a question that we regularly deal with as solicitors or advocates: is it possible my client needs an intermediary?

Conclusive Grounds decision and human trafficking – it’s a matter for experts

Published:
I'm currently defending a 21-year-old male who was tricked and trafficked to the UK with a promise of a better life.

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

Published:
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

Published:
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)

Published:
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 ‘advance consent to sexual activity’ a defence?

Published:
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?

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

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

Mental incapacity and consent to sexual activity: a case study

Published:
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

Published:
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.