HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018

: Wishing you a Very Happy New Year 2018 :

Ernest Tomlinson - Prelude on Old Lang Syne

Geoffrey Nobes - Prelude on Lavenham - International Staff Band of the Salvation Army

Irving Berlin - Holiday Inn - Let's Start the New Year Right

Brexit - end of year view

The Snowman

On 24th January the Supreme Court of the UK handed down its judgment in the Miller and Dos Santos litigation - post 24th January.  By a majority of 8 to3 the court held that an Act of Parliament was required to authorise the giving of notice under Article 50.   The Act was duly passed - European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017 and the Prime Minister sent the notice to the EU on 29th March 2017 triggering the Article 50 two year period - post 29th March.

 The last weekend of 2017 is now here and, unsurprisingly, Brexit continues to dominate much of the news.  Whilst one might reasonably have expected

Laura Plummer ~ a devastating outcome

Laura Plummer (aged 33) was arrested in Egypt for importing 290 tablets of the drug Tramadol.  She said that the painkilling drug was for her Egyptian husband whom she said suffers back problems.  Plummer has now been sentenced to 3 years imprisonment - see The Telegraph 26th December - where it is reported - 'Standing before the judge in court on Christmas Day, Ms Plummer was asked: “You are accused of smuggling and possessing Tramadol to Egypt?”  Misunderstanding the question, she replied “yes” and the judge then instructed the session clerk to record that she had confessed.'

It is of interest to see what sort of sentence would be imposed in the courts of England and Wales for a similar importation.

Christmas 2017

Best wishes to all readers for a truly Happy Christmas and New Year 2018.

"So remember while December Brings the only Christmas day, in the year let there be Christmas in the things you do and say."

Racially aggravated assault ~ Raheem Sterling's attacker

 Raheem Sterling is a midfield professional footballer with Manchester City.  He suffered an unprovoked attack by Karl Anderson (29) who pleaded guilty to racially aggravated common assault.  Anderson has a criminal record containing 25 convictions for 37 offences, including football-related violence.  He was sentenced at Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court to 16 weeks imprisonment and ordered to pay compensation of £100 plus the required surcharge of £115.

This BBC Report says that Anderson kicked Sterling four times during the assault and also used racist language as well as telling Sterling he wanted his mother and child to die.  The Guardian 20th December offers rather more detail including information about the racial abuse.  Then there is the The Manchester Evening News report indicating that Sterling suffered bruising to his leg.

My immediate reaction to the sentence was that Anderson "got off lightly."  I thought I would check that view out.

Damian Green ~ Ministerial Code bites

Mr Damian Green was appointed First Secretary of State and Minister for the Cabinet Office on 11 June 2017.  He has now left the government and The Telegraph (20th December) has published an exchange of letters between the Prime Minister and Mr Green.

As reported by The Guardian 1st December 2017  Mr Green was investigated by the Cabinet Secretary about an accusation of  inappropriate behaviour towards a young Conservative activist, Kate Maltby.

R v Liam Allan: the crucial question of disclosure

"In criminal cases, the State has the Police, an agency for the discovery of evidence, superior to anything which even the wealthiest defendant could employ" - Lord Devlin (1976)

Liam Allan, a criminology student at Greenwich University, was charged with six counts of rape and six of sexual assault.  During the trial, the contents came to light of mobile telephone messages sent by the complainant including messages asking Mr Allan for sex.  This material had been held electronically by the Police.  The outcome was that prosecuting counsel (Mr Jerry Hayes) offered no evidence against Mr Allan and the case against him ended.