Tower Hamlets – General Election Day 2015

I say General Election day, as next month we’ll be going back to the polls for a re-run of the Tower Hamlets mayoral election. But, today on the 7th May 2015, I’ve just been to vote in Bethnal Green and Bow and it’s been a remarkable sight. Three people, and a slightly borer police officer, was all there…

Tower Hamlets – Lutfur Rahman ousted as Mayor

  Introduction Declaration – *I am a resident of Tower Hamlets and have been since before the 2010 General Election. I voted in favour of a directly elected Mayor (despite knowing that it was a vehicle for Respect/Galloway etc, because I thought it was the right thing (I still do). I didn’t vote for Lutfur Rahman…

Do we need a right to review in rape cases?

Introduction If you didn’t know that there was a General Election on, all you need to do is stick you nose in the air and you’ll detect the sweet smell of politicians unveiling new policies, more in the hope of a headline rather than in order to solve a problem. On 12th April 2015, Labour…

Could anonymity for the accused help the Prosecution?

Introduction On 6th February 2014 Bill Roache was acquitted of all the charges that he faced. Inevitably, this revived calls for anonymity of the accused in sexual offences until charge/conviction (take your pick), and not just from Christine Hamilton. Here is an overview of how the law on anonymity for complainants works and a piece by…

No Keir, we don’t need a Victims’ Law

Introduction On 3rd February 2014, Sir Keir Starmer announced that what the Criminal Justice System really needed was a Victims’ Law. Anyone who blogs can feel his frustration at not being listened to when we have the answers. If only he had been in a position to do something about this in the last five…