News
Inadmissible confessions and oppression
The 2015 documentary series Making a Murderer follows the story of two men from Wisconsin whose confessions helped to convict them of sexually assaulting and murdering a woman. One of the convicted was an impressionable teenager called Brendan Dassey. Dassey’s conviction was overturned in 2016 (confirmed on appeal in 2017) on the basis that his ‘confession’ to the murder was coerced by police...Read More
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What is harassment?
There are two distinct criminal offences, one of harassment putting people in fear of violence and one without. Stalking is a similar but separate offence and is not covered in this article. What does it involve? There has to be a course of conduct involving as little as two incidents against another person or persons. The dictionary definition is to “torment by subjecting to constant...Read More
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Can I get a reduced sentence by helping the police?
You may have heard about ‘texts’ or a ‘brown envelope to the Judge’, some of the names for the old system by which someone could get a reduced sentence. If you helped the police, a ‘text’ may be handed to the sentencing judge explaining that you had assisted and a reduction in sentence may have followed. It was a murky world, clouded in some secrecy and one that few people properly understood....Read More
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Racially aggravated offences
In recent years, legislation has been enacted to ensure that crimes demonstrating hostility towards certain groups of people are treated more seriously than before. If your offence is said to be racially aggravated, you should expect a heftier sentence. What does it mean? An offence is racially aggravated if, at the time of the offence, you demonstrate hostility towards the victim based on...Read More
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