Olivia Peck The introduction of the Sentencing Act 2026 makes a change to defendants being sentenced in criminal proceedings. The main changes For prison sentences of 12 months or less, there is a presumption that these will be suspended,
In a bid to tackle reducing fatalities and serious injuries caused by driving offences, the Government proposes to reduce the legal limit for drink driving. This change would be the first in nearly 60 years, with drivers
Halloween often sees the rise in anti-social behaviour crimes, with people out ‘trick or treating’. But this year Halloween falls on Friday 31st October 2025, with the spooky occasion falling on a Friday, police are expecting a
Now that the football season is back in full swing, the police continue to take action over disruptive fans at football, with ongoing arrests and continued applications for football banning orders. What is a Football Banning Order?
It is an offence if you fail to provide details of a driver, to the police, at the time an alleged offence has been committed, under S172 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The registered keeper of
What is Stalking? Under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, stalking is recognised as a pattern of repeated, unwanted behaviour that causes distress or fear in the victim. Examples of stalking behaviour are; following a person contacting, or
New legislation came into force on 25th March 2022 that prohibits the use, while driving a motor vehicle, of hand-held mobile telephones or other interactive communication devices, when performing an interactive communication function. This widens the offence
Where there is no evidence that a vehicle has been driven by a defendant whilst over the prescribed limit, a charge of drunk in charge of a vehicle may be brought. In order to be guilty of
It is an offence if you fail to provide details of a driver, to the police, at the time an alleged offence has been committed, under S172 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The registered keeper of
Leicestershire saw almost twice as many speeding prosecutions in 2022 compared to 2021, reports show. Nationally, the number of drivers receiving a speeding conviction has reached an eight-year high. Most people caught speeding were offered a fine
Special Reasons it is not a defence but an argument surrounding the circumstances of the offence and if argued successfully, could avoid or reduce a disqualification. The argument is specifically around the drink driving incident itself and
Have you been asked by the Police to attend a voluntary interview, for a talk? A voluntary interview is conducted by a Police Officer when investigating a criminal offence, the person being interviewed is the suspect in
In the 2021-2022 season the police continued to take action over disruptive fans at football, with over 2,100 arrests and 516 new Football Banning Orders issued. There is no doubt therefore that with the World Cup taking
If you are considering dressing up for Halloween, to go to a party as a scary character, be careful that your costume does not obstruct your ability to drive. If your costume could affect your driving, you
Section 70 Domestic Abuse Act 2021, introduced offences of non-fatal strangulation and non-fatal suffocation, these offences came into force on 7th June 2022. What is the offence of strangulation or suffocation? The legislation states that a person
From 31st May 2022, the sentencing guidelines for child sexual offences where no child existed or is harmed will be revised. What are the changes? The new guidelines coming into force provide Judges and Magistrates with guidance
New legislation comes into force on 25th March 2022 that prohibits the use, while driving a motor vehicle, of hand-held mobile telephones or other interactive communication devices, when performing an interactive communication function. This widens the offence
If the police wish to speak with you under caution it is extremely important that you understand your legal rights. Even if you are not under arrest or placed in police custody you still have the right
The Christmas season is coming… As the Christmas season approaches the party season gets underway. You may see Christmas drink drive campaigns starting to appear from local police forces, which will mean that once again police will
Owning an E-Scooter legally is currently difficult, as there are strict rules on any privately owned E-Scooter to be used lawfully on a road or public place. The rider must have insurance, licence, safety equipment and vehicle
With restrictions lifting there is an increase in drink driving offences, not only can you find yourself arrested for an offence of driving a motor vehicle whilst over the prescribed limited but also if you are found to
The police can request a specimen of breath when they have reasonable grounds to suspect that you were driving, attempted to drive or drunk in charge of a vehicle where alcohol or drugs have been consumed. It
As a new driver your licence is particularly important to you, however are you aware that your driving licence is automatically revoked by the DVLA, if you build up six or more penalty points within two years of passing
Research shows that over a third of drivers fail to restrain pet passengers, with 1 in 10 allowing pets to sit in the front seat of the car, and a further 9% of drivers, allowing their pet
What is a Special Reasons argument? A special reasons argument is put forward to the Court in order to ask the court not to disqualify a motorist from driving or endorsing their licence with penalty points. A
Affray is a public order offence, the offence is committed if a person threatens or uses unlawful violence or force towards another person, which causes another person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for
While many of these drugs were once legal, under the Psychoactive Substances Act, 2016, it is now illegal to produce, supply, or import them for human consumption, including for personal use. However, possession for personal use is not
