Legal News Round-Up – November 2023

Law Articles From Around the Web This Month…

November has been another busy month for legal updates, investigations and featuring in the news – so here is our round up of some of the things our regular articles haven’t picked up on.

Focusing on criminal law, motoring law, sexual offences and regulatory law, we’ll keep you abreast of the big cases, law changes and latest legal features.

Child prisons significantly more violent than adult prisons

The Guardian reported this week that a recent study shows that child prisons are “significantly more violent than adult prisons”. 

Charlie Taylor – the chief inspector of prisons – has said that despite the Government spending £300,000 for EVERY CHILD IN CUSTODY, the levels of violence and self-harm amongst young offenders in England and Wales has risen markedly and is continuing to rise. At Werrington Young Offenders Institute – there has been a 78% increase in incidents in just the last 12 months.

Taylor wrote in his report;

“Despite employing hundreds of staff and dozens of managers, most sites are unable to deliver one meaningful conversation with each child a week. Given these circumstances it is unsurprising that most do not feel cared for by staff and few are motivated to behave well,” 

He continues; 

“The youth estate is significantly more violent than prisons holding adult men. We are storing up real problems for the future by failing to help children learn better ways to manage frustration and conflict and giving them access to the education many of them have missed out on in their lives before they were incarcerated.”

To read the full article in the Guardian website click here.

New CPS Guidance on Mercy Killings

The Law Society Gazette published an article earlier this month that looked in CPS guidance regarding the complex matter of Mercy Killings. 

The new guidance factors in new details in relation to an increase in the numbers of deaths arising from “mercy killings” and failed suicide pacts. There are also amendments covering public interest factors, which both contain favouring tendency for both the prosecution and the defendant – depending on the specific circumstance. 

These are particularly complex cases with many considerations. As the guidance notes, there is no definition in law (either statute or common law) as to what constitutes a ‘mercy killing’, although the guidance defines it as when a life is taken, or an attempt is made on someone’s life, upon the wishes of the victim and the suspect may act out of mercy.

The guidance now makes it clear that killing in this context does not provide a defence and that for those charged in this instance will be charged with murder, or attempted murder, where the case may be.

The guidance also goes on to look at the clarity regarding suicide pacts whilst also considers public interest factors and for the prosecution to adopt an holistic approach.

You can read the full article on the Law Society Gazette website by clicking here.

Academics Call for national database on drug-related harm at music festivals

A “small but significant” number of people die at UK festivals as a result of taking drugs, and in this week’s Independent, a recent study revealed there has been an estimated 32 drug-related deaths at UK music festivals including Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds, Creamfields and Isle of Wight between 2017-2023.

However, only 18 of these have been confirmed.

Researchers are saying that it can be difficult to determine the exact numbers. Also the number of smaller festivals popping up across the UK could be hiding even larger numbers – all of which is making it difficult for raising awareness in the risks of taking drugs at music festivals. 

To read the article, click here.

Man Convicted After Cryptocurrency Robbery 

The BBC reported at the start of the month that a 28-year old Lanarkshire man – John Ross D’Alfonso had been convicted of the robbery of upto £1.2m worth of cryptocurrency. The first conviction of it’s kind in Scotland.

The High Court in Glasgow heard that three men went into a home in Blantyre in Lanarkshire and forced the homeowner to transfer his Bitcoin, a form of digital cash, to D’Alfonso’s account.

Whilst D’Alfonso wasn’t one of the robbers to enter the property, he was believed to be the technical mastermind behind the robbery – which D’Alfonso denied. 

You can read more about this in the article here.

And Finally – Oldham man fined for driving offences in London

In the latest Oldham Times, an Oldham man has been fined and had points added on his licence for driving offences committed in London.

Abdul Nawaz was driving on School Road in Dagenham, east London, earlier this year and was found to be driving without a licence or insurance.

Nawaz pleaded guilty to both offences and was sentenced at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on November 17. As a result, he received 8 points on his license and was ordered to pay a fine of £323, a victim surcharge of £129 and court costs of £110, bringing his total costs to £562.

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