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Criminal law – Child sex offences. The Court of Appeal, Criminal Division held that a 3-year community order, with a supervision requirement for 2 years and a rehabilitation activity requirement for 30 days, for the offence of rape of a child under 13, contrary to s 5(1) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, had been unduly lenient. The recorder had been wrong to have deemed the case as exceptional in order to depart from the Sentencing Council's Definitive Guidelines: Sexual Offences. The sentence would be quashed and substituted for a term of 42 months' detention in custody.
Criminal law – Child sex offences. The Court of Appeal, Criminal Division held that a 3-year community order, with a supervision requirement for 2 years and a rehabilitation activity requirement for 30 days, for the offence of rape of a child under 13, contrary to s 5(1) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, had been unduly lenient. The recorder had been wrong to have deemed the case as exceptional in order to depart from the Sentencing Council's Definitive Guidelines: Sexual Offences. The sentence would be quashed and substituted for a term of 42 months' detention in custody.
The Bar Council faces both opportunities and challenges on our key areas this year
Exclusive Q&A with Henry Dannell
Casey Randall of AlphaBiolabs discusses the benefits of Non-invasive Prenatal Paternity testing for the timely resolution of family disputes
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Have you considered being a barrister in the British Army? Here’s an insight into a career in Army Legal Services
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, discusses the role that drug, alcohol and DNA testing can play in non-court dispute resolution (NCDR)
Senior barristers reflect on the progress made since the publication of Race at the Bar: A Snapshot Report in 2021, as well as the persistent challenges and cultural shifts still needed. Interviews by Mariam Diaby
‘Hard work and commitment can open doors. I believe that I am proof of that,’ says Senior Treasury Counsel Louise Oakley. She tells Anthony Inglese CB about her journey from Wolverhampton to the Old Bailey
What's it like being a legal trainee at the Crown Prosecution Service? Amy describes what drew her to the role, the skills required and a typical day in the life
Barbara Mills KC wants to raise the profile of the family Bar. She also wants to improve wellbeing and enhance equality, diversity and inclusion in the profession. She talks to Joshua Rozenberg KC (hon) about her plans for the year ahead
The winning essay is ‘A fiction of defendant participation: Single Justice Procedure offences should be moved to the civil jurisdiction’ by Hal McNulty