Category: Law

The human rights organization Justice, has published a significant report that examines the prosecution of sexual offences, and in some areas calls for radical changes to be made.

Among the authors of the report is Judge Peter Rook QC, a senior Judge at the Central Criminal Court (the ‘Old Bailey’) and considered an expert authority on this area of law.

The main areas examined in the report are preventing and reducing offending with the attention being turned onto those who view indecent images of children.

The recommendations in the report are as follows:

“Police-led diversion schemes have recently been developed. These seek to address the factors that may lead to offending behavior without the need for prosecution. We have been inspired by the success of these programs to develop our own proposal for a Conditional Diversion Scheme, for individuals who have viewed IIOC. We consider that this scheme will provide the correct intervention to these individuals as quickly as possible, helping to both save prosecution and court resources and ensure reoffending rates remain low.”

When it comes to sentencing, this working party believes that lessons should be learned from the skills-based approach to rehabilitation, which has shown this to be an effective way to reduce reoffending rates. There should be a shift in focus to rehabilitation and more flexibility should be given to sentences to allow them to make suitable orders that allow the individual to rehabilitate effectively.”

In all cases we deal with, we work sensitively and diligently to prepare a robust defence case, we work hard with others to ensure outcomes that work for our clients and the wider community when it comes to sentencing.

To discuss anything to do with prosecution regarding sexual offences please contact us on 020 8754 5577 or email Amandeep@mtgsolicitors.com and we will gladly assist.

How is a jury made up?

A jury is comprised of 12 people. Before a trial starts in the Crown Court there is a process of jury selection, whereby 12 members of the jury are selected from a ‘pool’ of available candidates that have been selected from the wider community.

What is the jury responsible for?

Once the trial starts, it becomes the responsibility of the jury to decide whether that person is guilty of the offence(s) for which they are on trial. This is the essence of a trial and the essence of what the jury must do.

Acting as a juror is a very serious responsibility and the jury are told by the judge presiding over the trial that they cannot convict a person unless they are sure of that person’s guilt – otherwise known as being sure and beyond all reasonable doubt. The announcement of their decision is the verdict.

Before the jury are asked whether they have reached a verdict, the judge reminds them of the evidence that they have heard and the law that they must apply to the case, which is relevant to what the accused person is standing trial for.

Once the judge has done this, the members of the jury are sent to the retirement room, which is a private room in the court building where they are free to discuss the case and their thoughts amongst themselves.

What is a majority verdict?

In cases where the jury struggles to all agree on the same verdict, the judge may decide that a verdict can be returned if a majority of the jury can reach an agreement on whether they are sure of the accused’s guilt or innocence. This is known as ‘majority verdict’ and normally means that the judge is content to receive a verdict if 10 or more of the 12 jurors are in agreement.

A jury is required to reach a clear conclusion by either convicting or acquitting the defendant. A majority of 10–2 is needed for a verdict, failure to reach this is not an acceptable verdict. If the jury indicates that they will not be able to reach a verdict in accordance with the law, the jury will need to be discharged. In legal terms, this is often referred to as a ‘hung jury’.

What happens next?

In most cases the prosecution can apply to have the defendant tried again. The decision is left with the trial Judge to consider if it is in the interest of justice for the defendant to be re-tried.

There are a number of questions that need to be considered some of which are whether the offence the defendant is being charged with is sufficiently serious to justify a retrial. Whether if convicted, the defendant would be likely to serve a significant period in custody. The wishes of the victim of the alleged offence.

In most case, defence will not be able to resist an application for retrial. However, defence should consider if there has been any abuse of process to allow for a retrial. They should also carefully consider all relevant factors and object to a retrial if able to.

How MTG Solicitors can help you

To discuss anything to do with offences concerning a hung jury please contact us on 020 8754 5577 and we will gladly assist.

As a result of the introduction of the Policing and Crime Act 2017 the police can no longer release someone on bail for longer than 28 days, unless this has been lawfully extended. The police now regularly release individuals suspected of committing a criminal offence under investigation, which does not mean they are on police bail.

If you are released on bail, the police must provide a specified date and time for you to return to the police station. This was known as being ‘bailed to return’. In this instance, the investigation would be progressing and you could expect that a decision would be made by the date you were required to return to the police station.

Before April 2017, those suspected of committing a criminal offence often found themselves on bail for many months and sometimes years, being given repeated bail to return dates with no real evidence that progress in the investigation had been made.

The Policing and Crime Act 2017 was introduced, which came into force in April 2017. This Act brought changes to the way the police were required to deal with suspects who have been arrested where there is a need for further investigation.

The Act sets out certain time limits for the police to carry out investigations, and it is as a result of these time limits that the police now often circumvent the legislation by releasing suspects under investigation rather than releasing them on police bail.

What does it mean to be released without bail?

If an individual is released under these circumstances, they will have been given a notice which tells them information such as: ‘inappropriate contact with anyone linked to your case, either directly or indirectly, through a third party or social media, may constitute a criminal offence’.

The notice will mention serious criminal offences such as witness intimidation and it will tell the recipient that they could face up to 5 years in prison or alternatively commit the offence of perverting the course of justice, in which case they could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Suspects can find their lives somewhat on hold, not knowing what is happening, when property is going to be returned, when they can speak to loved ones and family members who are connected to the investigation (directly or indirectly) and most importantly of when they can return back to normal life, hopefully with the matter behind them. During this difficult time, it is important not to simply live in hope that the police will be carrying out an effective and timely investigation. It is important to instruct lawyers who will be in very regular contact with the police to keep you updated as to what is happening, to ensure that they are making progress and to question the need to retain the personal belongings of suspects such as mobile phones, computers, cars and the like. This is how MTG Solicitors approach such cases.

Conclusion of enquiries

Following the conclusion of the enquiries, 1 of the following decisions can be made on the matter –

1. No further action

The Police may decide to take no further action against you. No Further Action (NFA) in effect means that the Police are not taking any further action against you in respect of the allegations against you. This is a very positive outcome, the effect of which is that you are no longer a suspect and the investigations against you will seize.

2. Re-interview

The Police may wish to interview you. This is likely to happen where further evidence (including forensic evidence such as the matching of fingerprints or DNA) has been obtained or where you have been picked out following an identification procedure.

3. Postal Requisition

What is a Postal Requisition and what should you do if you receive one? In the field of criminal investigations, Postal Requisitions have become an increasingly utilised method of requiring someone to attend court. A Postal Requisition is effectively a summons; a letter received in the post that requires a person to attend court on a given date and time to answer a charge or series of charges. If the person who receives the Postal Requisition subsequently fails to attend court on the date and time contained in the Requisition, then it is likely that a warrant will be issue for their arrest.

A Postal Requisition often comes about when a person has been interviewed on a voluntary basis at a Police Station, but can happen after a person is formally arrested, detained, interviewed and then released under investigation. In these circumstances, if the decision is taken by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to prosecute, then notification of that decision to any suspect can be sent by way of Postal Requisition. That will be sent to the suspects last known address. It is not uncommon for prior notice to be given of the decision to prosecute by telephone, but often the Postal Requisition will be received by a suspect completely without notice, and often many months after the formal interview under caution.

If you are in receipt of Postal Requisition, contact us on 02087545577 or 07737372766 (during office hours) so that a mutually convenient appointment is made for you to attend us in person and for us to advice you on what needs to be done next to ensure representation at the forthcoming Magistrates Court Hearing.

If the Police had not already taken your fingerprints, DNA and swabs when you were first interviewed, the Police have the power to take your fingerprints, photograph and a sample of your DNA (by way of mouth swab) if you are charged and required to attend Court.

How can we help you?

The changes to the law and procedure with limiting police bail and releasing people under investigation is to try and avoid people being on bail for lengthy periods of time, however the reality is there is also uncertainty about how long you are left under investigation for, as there is no set time limit.

At MTG Solicitors we make sure that we chase the police regularly to make sure that the police are investigating matters expeditiously. If the police wish to interview you then we can be present during the interview to advise and represent you. If the police take the decision to charge you at the end of the investigation we can represent you at Court.

If you require advice or assistance regarding being released under investigation or any other criminal matter then please contact our experienced criminal law defence team at MTG Solicitors on 0208 754 55 77 or 07737372766 (during office hours).

Mr Teagy Singh Grover Solicitor, Head of Crime Department

Ms Amandeep Purewal Paralegal, Crime Department

Tel: 020 8754 5577 | Fax: 020 8561 2800 | Mob: 077 3737 2766 My profile: https://www.mtgsolicitors.com/solicitors/teagy-grover/ Warley Chambers, Warley Road, Hayes, Middlesex, UB4 0PX