Author: Matthew

Celebrity opponents of the drilling operations in Balcombe who include Bianca Jagger, Vivienne Westwood, Russell Brand and even, God help us, the neo-fascist Nick Griffin, are celebrating Cuadrilla’s decision to “temporarily suspend operations” in the face of the potential disorder that they fear may be imminent.

Leaders of the anti-fracking demonstrators have called for “civil disobedience,” – what is otherwise known as breaking the law – to stop the drilling permanently. The protesters have set up a camp on private land from which to co-ordinate their campaign. They do not have the landowner’s permission. The certainty in the rightness of their cause appears to have led some to consider themselves above the law.

It is of crucial importance that their campaign does not succeed. Continue reading “Drilling at Balcombe must go ahead. Law breakers must not win.”

The always informative and often fascinating UK criminal law blog has given us some interesting background to the fixed penalty notice for being drunk and disorderly received by Monty Panesar on 4^th August. Panesar apparently urinated on two bouncers from a night-club balcony. The learned editor, Dan Bunting, points out that Mr Panesar was lucky to be dealt with in this lenient way because he might have committed at least 5 other separate offences, and he set law students a challenge to see if they could identify them all.

As no law student seems to have taken him up on it, here are my answers: Continue reading “Monty Panesar urinates into a legal minefield”

Neil Wilson probably thought that he had escaped lightly on Monday when he walked out of Snaresbrook Crown Court with a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to a single count of sexual activity with a child and 2 counts of possession of images of extreme pornography possibly involving horses or dogs. There was some suggestion that he may also have possessed images of child abuse, but puzzlingly the press reports do not suggest that he was actually sentenced for such an offence.

Unfortunately for Mr Wilson his good fortune quickly turned sour with the news that the Attorney General is considering a review of his sentence. Continue reading “If Robert Colover made a mistake it does not make him a scumbag”

I have blogged recently about The Naked Rambler, and apologies to readers who feel that it is becoming something of an obsession. There are, I suppose, many more important legal issues than the largely self-inflicted fate of one obsessive individual. On the other hand law is nothing if it is not about the protection of individual rights and Stephen Gough’s lengthy campaign does raise a number of important questions. Should we really go to great lengths to prosecute a man for doing no more than expose his un-air-brushed, and un-hair-brushed, body in a society in which highly sexualised near nudity is widely accepted? Is the ASBO regime appropriate to criminalise activity which might well not otherwise be criminal? Does the existence of Mr Gough’s ASBO mean that he is in effect denied the chance of a jury’s verdict on his behaviour? And do we not have many better ways to spend public money than to prosecute and incarcerate Mr Gough until the day he dies? Continue reading “A way out of the naked rambler dilemma: let a jury decide”

Now that the Boy George is safely home, thoughts are turning to who will be the next Royal Nanny. Although it is said that Kate’s mother Carole is to be a very “hands-on” mother-in-law my guess is that before long the strain will tell on her and a nanny will be appointed. In these enlightened days they will probably avoid someone like Prince Charles’ former nanny, Helen Lightbody, who was said to be “as imperious as old Queen Mary”. According to www.royalcentral.co.uk she would insist “… on the infant Prince having his own special lunch, something quite different from what was served to anyone else. Helen would then reject the meal that was first offered and demand another choice.” One would hate to think that the next but one heir to the throne would inadvertently be taught such finickiness by those who have charge of his moral welfare. My guess is that they will opt for someone a little more chilled out, probably an Australian. Their Royal Highnesses could perhaps start their search by seeking advice from the Prime Minister’s fair dinkum blunt speaking special adviser Lynton Crosby. Continue reading “Banning rape pornography won’t work and is wrong in principle”

Following the acquittal of George Zimmerman as well as protests across America there has been a great deal of comment in the British media about the Florida law of self-defence.

Some of the facts are reasonably clear. Mr Zimmerman became suspicious of Trayvon Martin a 17 year old black boy who was walking through the gated community where Mr Zimmerman acted as a Neighbourhood Watch volunteer. He assumed – perhaps on racial grounds – that Martin was “up to no good.” In this country the typical Neighbourhood Watch volunteer might at this point have discretely tweaked the net curtain back into position before making a cup of tea and dialling 999. But they favour a more direct approach in Florida. Mr Zimmerman picked up his legally owned Kel-Tec PF9 semi-automatic pistol, got out of his car and followed Trayvon through the gated streets. Exactly what happened next is unclear but there was a fight – who started it, and why, may never be satisfactorily resolved – but Zimmerman was to say that he feared for his own safety and as a result shot Trayvon dead.

Since the verdict much criticism has been directed at what has been called the law of “stand your ground.” Continue reading “Zimmerman verdict: Stand your Ground Florida! There’s nothing wrong with your law of self defence”

Both Theresa May and the Justice Secretary Chris Grayling have called for Britain to consider repealing the Human Rights Act and withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights. It is a populist call that they probably calculate will win them votes.

 But there is in fact a strong Conservative case for supporting the Act and the Convention, which was drafted very largely by David Maxwell-Fyfe, later a Conservative Home Secretary and Lord Chancellor. Continue reading “Abu Qatada & Derrick Kinsasi: The Conservative Case for supporting the European Convention on Human Rights”

My first email this morning revealed that I had been nominated by a “professional colleague” for inclusion in International Who’s Who. At last, recognition that I am no longer just a criminal hack, I have become a somebody. Who needs a puff from Chambers and Partners Legal 500? I was now an international celebrity. Not quite Tom Cruise or Barack Obama but bigger than, say, Jack Dee – who has heard of him internationally? Should I wish to get married again, or at least to renew my vows, I would be able to sell the picture rights to Heat.  Continue reading “Edward Snowden, Putin and the crawling bots: I prefer GCHQ”

I would love to be able to make some constructive comment on developments in the Criminal Legal Aid saga, but I am as confused as most others about what has happened.

Have criminal practitioners won a great victory? Has Chris Grayling been routed? Or has he merely staged a tactical retreat or a “small u-turn”. Or did he always intend to give way on the proposals to withdraw choice of solicitor so that he could say he was listening? Is he in fact on the verge of a great victory?

Legal aid lawyers would be wise to bear in mind the words of Virgil writing of the Trojan war: “Equo ne credite, Teucri. quidquid id est, timeo danaos et dona ferentes”, generally translated as “Do not trust the horse, Trojans, whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts.” Continue reading “Criminal Legal Aid – Is Grayling Hitler, Zhukov, Caesar or The Bastard?”

The independence of the judiciary is a cornerstone of liberty.  Fundamental to that independence is an appointments process in which promotion does not depend upon the wishes of the government.  The more senior the appointment the more important that principle is.

Any day now we shall know the identity of the next Lord Chief Justice.

 My guess is that it will be the erudite and delightful Lady Justice Hallet. She once decided one of my bail applications in a most courteous manner, displaying in the process many of the qualities now required of a Lord Chief Justice such as “clear vision” (she rejected it) and “decisiveness” (she did so quickly).

 Whoever is chosen to replace Lord Justice Judge will have been chosen by the most modern of selection procedures.

 The new criteria for selection leave much to be desired, managing as they do to combine the bleedin’ obvious – “ability to write high quality judgements” – with the creepily political – “ability to modernise the judicial system … ability to lead change in encouraging a more diverse judiciary”. Continue reading “Can Mr Grayling’s vestigial organ protect judicial independence?”