30 Things Criminal Lawyers Need to Know

Introduction

This half day seminar will update you on 30 things you really ought to know as a criminal practitioner.

With Parliament being otherwise engaged, the amount of new legislation has been somewhat limited. We have had the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and The Voyeurism (Offences) Act 2019 which we will consider.

Over the last year or two we have had some very interesting cases from both the Court of Appeal and the Divisional Court. Over this half-day course, we will examine some of the most important judgments for the busy criminal practitioner to assist you with your daily practice.

What You Will Learn

This seminar will cover the following:

• DNA Evidence - what’s sufficient to raise a case to answer?
• Up-skirting - what constitutes the offence, and will I have to register under the Sexual Offences Act 2003?
• Assaults on Emergency Services (Offences) Act 2018 - what’s new and some helpful case-law
• What does the recent case-law in relation to dishonesty say - has the test now changed?
• The final word on credit for guilty pleas and what should be indicated at the first hearing
• Admissibility of the PET form - what should I be writing, and where?
• Section 49 RIPA requests - failure to comply
• Understanding the new offence of controlling and coercive behaviour
• Burglary - what constitutes a ‘dwelling’
• Disparity of sentence between co-defendants
• Rape - what lie by a defendant may vitiate consent?
• Bad character - the latest case law
• Hearsay - some helpful case-law