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Magistrates – Jurisdiction. The claimant, who was 14 years old, was charged with robbery on a joint enterprise with three other juveniles. The lay justices decided to decline jurisdiction (the decision) and sent the claimant and her co-accused to the Crown Court. At the plea and case management hearing the claimant pleaded not guilty, but her co-accused pleaded guilty. The judge expressed reservations about the claimant facing trail in the Crown Court alone. The judge adjourned the case and the claimant applied for judicial review of the decision. Allowing the claim, the Administrative Court held that, in the instant case, the justices had failed to properly consider the relevant sentencing guidelines and the claimant's limited role in the alleged offence.
Magistrates – Jurisdiction. The claimant, who was 14 years old, was charged with robbery on a joint enterprise with three other juveniles. The lay justices decided to decline jurisdiction (the decision) and sent the claimant and her co-accused to the Crown Court. At the plea and case management hearing the claimant pleaded not guilty, but her co-accused pleaded guilty. The judge expressed reservations about the claimant facing trail in the Crown Court alone. The judge adjourned the case and the claimant applied for judicial review of the decision. Allowing the claim, the Administrative Court held that, in the instant case, the justices had failed to properly consider the relevant sentencing guidelines and the claimant's limited role in the alleged offence.
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
Unlocking your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step. By Philip N Bristow
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, discusses the upcoming changes to pensions and Inheritance Tax and the potential impact on your financial future
Save the Children UK is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain until 27 September Rothko in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi until 23 August Reviewed by Stephen Cragg KC
The Chief Legal Officer to the Metropolitan Police, barrister Brett Welch, tells Anthony Inglese CB about his mission and the work to turn the Met around
Barrister apprenticeships – shortly to provide the fourth pathway to the Bar – are an ideal opportunity to support local talent and ‘grow your own’, say Tim Coulson and Dr Jane Dennehy
Grok around and find out – or not? Mariya Peykova investigates the nudification scandal, what the law has to say about sexually explicit deepfakes, and whether stronger regulation is needed
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law – coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts