Blog
Direct access Barrister | Criminal, Motoring & Regulatory Law
What is the best time to ask the CPS to drop the case?
Is it too late to ask the Crown Prosecution Service to drop the case? If you've read my previous posts of how to get the CPS to drop the case against you, you'll know that the Crown has a duty to review the evidence against you before deciding whether the case should...
How to fill out a PET Preparation for Effective Trial Form
What is a PET form and how should you fill it out? Most people heading for their first court date don't realise that they need to fill out a Preparation for Effective Trial form before the Magistrates will see them. Some try to do it themselves - while others get the...
Stratford Magistrates Court in the time of Covid-19
Would you step into Stratford if it was your workplace? If Covid-19 is an airborne transmitted virus, why is Stratford Magistrates Court open? How can hand sanitiser and taping off some chairs be enough when people who talk for a living are crammed into small rooms...
While you’re waiting, maybe you’d like to ask the CPS to drop the case?
What can you do to move your case along during the corona court backlog? Criminal proceedings hanging over your head can have a big affect on your mental health. The exponential growth of the Magistrates Court backlog of cases means that an unprecedented number of...
Should I go to a voluntary police interview?
What's a voluntary police interview - and should you go to it? Imagine this - Your neighbour has a beef with you and it all came to a head a couple of weeks ago. Words were exchanged - and maybe there was a push. You get a phone call from a police officer who...
Should I plead guilty because the police say I am guilty?
If this police officer can't get the search right, how can you have any confidence he can get an arrest right? Should you be pleading guilty just because the police say you are guilty? DRIVER: So you stopped me because I am back? POLICE OFFICER: Yeah...but not because...
Is a “Fuck Boris” t-shirt worn at a political march really a breach of s5, Public Order Act?
Is "Fuck Boris" printed on a t-shirt really a breach of s5 of the Public Order Act, 1986? This video encapsulates the danger of thinking, "I must be guilty because the cops say so" - and it really makes my blood boil. The starting point is that there is no right not...
American drivers in the UK: Penalty Notices & Notices of Intended Prosecution
Many Americans driving in the UK are scared of being disqualified from driving when they get Penalty Charge Notices, Fixed Penalty Notices and Notices of Intended Prosecution in the mail. They’ve tried to fly below radar on their home state license – but then they’re...
Why illegally driving in the UK on an American license can invalidate your insurance
Welcome to this three-part series of Motoring law tips for American drivers in the UK. In this series, I’ll show you some of the everyday mistakes American drivers in the UK are making which are costing them money, points on their licence, and/or unnecessary criminal...
Can I drive in the UK with an American License?
Welcome to this three part series of Motoring law tips for American drivers in the UK. In this series, I’ll show you some of the everyday mistakes American drivers in the UK are making which are costing them money, points on their licence, and/or unnecessary criminal...
