Tag: Crown Court

Equal Treatment Bench Book, Judicial College, February 2018 The Equal Treatment Bench Book has been updated and expanded by the Judicial College who state that ‘true equal treatment may not always mean treating everyone in the same way’. Chapter 2 relates to children, young people and vulnerable adults. Details Practitioners representing children in the criminal […]

R v Grant-Murray and Henry; R v McGill, Hewitt and Hewitt [2017] EWCA 1228 Five defendants, in two joined applications to appeal, challenged their convictions for joint enterprise murder. The appeals also raised issues as to how young or vulnerable defendants are dealt with by the court. Whilst the applications to appeal were all dismissed, the court made important comments on the training of practitioners representing children and vulnerable defendants in the criminal courts.

The Youth Justice Legal Centre (YJLC) has published a lawyer's guide to the use of intermediaries for child defendants.

The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) has expressed concern about the amendments to the Criminal Practice Direction in relation to intermediaries. It has requested practitioners to share their experience of defendants who have been badly disadvantaged by the Court’s failure to appoint an intermediary.

The Prison Reform Trust and Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR) have published their study into Joint Enterprise. The report says there is an ‘urgent need’ for much greater clarity and transparency in the prosecution of ‘joint enterprise’ cases.

The Judicial College has published The Crown Court Compendium (May 2016), providing guidance on directing the jury in Crown Court trials and when sentencing. It contains specific guidance on the sentencing of children.

The Youth Justice Board has published a statement outlining its position on children appearing in court via video link.

On 7th April 2016, Mr Justice Globe of Leeds Crown Court passed sentences on two girls, F and D, convicted of the murder of Angela Wrightson. In his decision, Justice Globe also had to consider whether to grant anonymity to F and D following an application by the media to lift reporting restrictions preventing identification of the girls.

The amended Criminal Practice Directions 2015 (in force on 4 April 2016) contains a revised practice direction on the appointment and use of intermediaries during criminal trials. The new practice direction has attracted criticism because it suggests intermediaries for defendants will be 'rare'.