Law Weblog

An offence of trespass…

Monday 28 May 2007 at 7:29 am | In News | Post Comment
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An offence of criminal trespass begins on 1st June 2007. It was found to be necessary when no action could be taken against Aaron Barschak who jumped on stage dressed as Osama bin Laden at Prince William’s 21st birthday at Windsor Castle on 21st June 2003 when. He was found to be a simple trespasser against whom no criminal sanction could be used. In the same year a reporter started work as a footman at Buckingham Palace and the paper published photographs of the inside of the palace including the Queen’s breakfast table.
The offence is viewed as being necessary both to create a deterrent to intrusions at high profile secure sites where no other apparent existing offence had been committed. Not only are Royal residences covered but some government buildings too, including 10 Downing Street. There are initially 16 locations but it is inevitable that the number will increase.

Judges snub Falconer

Friday 25 May 2007 at 9:50 pm | In News | Post Comment

At the launch party of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on Wednesday 23 May, not one judge turned up.

The judiciary feel it would be wrong to support a ministry that is supposed to uphold the law when the creation of the MoJ department itself may be constitutionally unsound.

They left the champagne swigging to Charlie Falconer and his prison wardens.

“The trouble is I don’t understand the language. I don’t really understand what a website is.”

Thursday 17 May 2007 at 6:07 pm | In News | Post Comment

Judges will often ask counsel what appear to be blindingly obvious questions not because they don’t know the answer but because future generations will not know. So, when a judge asked who Gazza was and who the Beatles were the judges were eliciting an answer for posterity not because he didn’t know.

As protective of our judiciary as one might feel, it appears impossible to find a benign explanation for Judge Peter Openshaw’s when he said, “I don’t really understand what a website is.”

See the full article here.

One night in the court cells costs as much as a Ritz suite

Monday 14 May 2007 at 5:07 pm | In News | Post Comment
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