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Martin, Johnston & Socha Insights

Criminal Law news & updates from Martin, Johnstone & Socha's expert criminal defence solicitors.

Value of UK Fraud Exceeds £1 Billion

A rise in the number of so-called “super cases” has led to the value of alleged fraud breaking the £1bn barrier in 2016, which is apparently the first time since 2011 that fraud has reached this level.

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1413 Hits

Report Reveals Scottish Criminal Court Proceedings

A new report by Scotland’s Chief Statistician has revealed the number of people proceeded against in criminal courts in Scotland and the nature of the crimes they have been charged with.

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Police ‘Stop and Search’ Powers

The Scottish Government has published a code of practice setting out the principles that determine when police can use ‘stop and search’ powers.

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Rise in Festive Drink Drivers

Police Scotland’s recent festive crack down on drink driving resulted in a slight increase in the proportion of drivers stopped by police who were found to be over the drink drive limit.

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1820 Hits

Warning over 'legal high' drugs causing violence in Scottish prisons

Prison officers have revealed that the use of legal highs has sparked a sharp increase in violent crime in Scottish jails.

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1597 Hits

Calls for Stricter Limits on Drink Driving

There is growing public demand for more action to tackle drink driving across the UK, a new survey by road safety charity Brake and Direct Line has revealed.

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1479 Hits

3,000 "serious crime" arrests made in Scotland last year

A recently published report has revealed that almost 3,000 individuals known to be involved in serious organized crime were arrested in Scotland last year.

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Tougher Sentences for Dangerous Driving

The UK Government has launched a consultation exercise over plans to introduce life sentences for those found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

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1444 Hits

Firearms Offences Fall in Scotland

Scotland’s Chief Statistician has recently published a report providing information on crimes and offences recorded by the police in which a firearm was alleged to have been involved. 

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1424 Hits

Report Reveals Fall in Recorded Wildlife Crime

This year’s wildlife crime report has revealed a drop of 20% in recorded crime over the five-year period to 2015.

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1438 Hits

The Work of Europol

We reported earlier this month that the UK Government has announced that the UK would renew its membership of international crime agency, Europol.

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1415 Hits

UK to Continue Membership of Europol

The UK Government has announced its intention to opt-in to Regulation 2016/794 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Union agency for law enforcement cooperation (Europol).

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1468 Hits

Calls for Repeal of Offensive Behaviour at Football Act

MSPs have called on the Scottish Government to repeal the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012, claiming that is badly written and unnecessary, reports the BBC.

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1482 Hits

Fall in Number of Domestic Abuse Incidents

Figures published recently by Police Scotland have revealed a 3% fall in the number of domestic abuse incidents reported to the police compared to the previous year.

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Tougher Punishments for Young People Filming Knife Crime

In this age of social media, new sentencing guidelines are being drafted to enforce tougher punishments on young people who film instances of knife crime and upload them to online platforms in England &Wales. Within gangs, this has become an increasingly popular method of humiliating victims and asserting dominance - something that the law is attempting to crack down on. This is only one of a number of ‘aggravating factors’ for judges and magistrates to consider when sentencing defendants convicted of possessing a blade or offensive weapon in public, or making threats.

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1707 Hits

Calls for More Action to Change Driver Behaviour

New research from RAC Business has highlighted a worrying trend in driving behaviour reported by company car drivers.

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1662 Hits

Homicide Numbers Fall to Record Low

Recent figures from Scotland’s Chief Statistician have revealed that the number of homicides in Scotland fell to their lowest on record last year.

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1526 Hits

Rise in Counterfeit Goods Seized by EU Authorities

There has been an increase of around five million in the number of counterfeit items seized by customs authorities across the EU in 2015, according to new figures by the European Commission.

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1537 Hits

Scotland to See More Electronic Tagging Sentences

The Scottish Government has announced that it intends to expand the use of electronic tags to help reduce reoffending levels and keep communities safe.

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1639 Hits

Levels of Recorded Crime Fall in Scotland

Scotland’s Chief Statistician has recently published details on levels of recorded crime in Scotland for the year 2015-16.

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1406 Hits

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