Archive for the ‘Criminal Offences’ Category

Hate Crime Prosecutions At All Time High

Posted on: July 29th, 2016 by steve

Hate Crime Prosecutions At All Time High

The Crown Prosecution Service have released their eighth Hate Crime Report and the results are clear. Hate crimes are being prosecuted at a higher level than ever before, with a 4.8% increase from the year before.

In particular, the report shows a 41% increase in hate crimes relating to disabilities, with high conviction rates for those charges with homophobia and transphobic offences.

Racially and religiously aggravated hate crimes remain the biggest form of hate crimes prosecuted, making up 84% of all hate crimes prosecuted.

The prosecution have a very high success rate in securing convictions when charging hate crimes, with 83% of all hate crimes prosecuted resulting in a conviction. Around 15,000 hate crimes are prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service each year.

The numbers of homophobic and transphobic prosecutions are increasing and this trend is likely to continue as awareness of these issues improves. Levels of disability hate crime have also increased dramatically, with a 40% increase from 2014/2015 to 2015/2016.

Prosecutions of hate crimes against older people also continue to increase, although on a smaller scale, while the cases resulting in conviction actually fell. It is worth noting that a bespoke National Scrutiny Panel on crimes against older people will be established in 2016/2017 to assist the CPS in these cases, and the focus and training in this area could result in an increase of prosecutions and convictions.

Hate crimes are accepted by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the CPS as being:

“any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice based on a person’s race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by a hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.”

Although described as hate crime, the definition shows that the key words are actually hostility and prejudice. There is no need to prove hatred as the motivating factor behind an offence.

If you or a loved one are being investigated for a hate crime, it is important that you seek expert legal advice without delay. Call our dedicated team now on 01623 397200.

Solicitors Help Before Charge

Posted on: July 6th, 2016 by steve

Solicitors Help Before Charge

Are you currently under investigation but do not yet know whether you will be charged?

Plenty of solicitors will tell you “don’t worry” and “wait and see”, but what if you are worried and you don’t want to sit back without taking action? What if you want a solicitors help before charge?

We can help you with the unknown.

Parminder was terrified when her two sons were involved in a scuffle with some fellow spectators at a rugby match. They were arrested and then released on bail while it would be decided by the Prosecution whether or not her sons would be charged with assault.

She had been told by other firms not to panic and wait and see what the outcome would be. Parminder didn’t want to wait: her sons were terrified after being innocently caught up in a fight whilst trying to leave the venue. Nobody in the family had ever been arrested before and they were unfamiliar with the process and scared of the unknown. Parminder and her family needed solicitors help before charge, but her pleas were being ignored by other firms.

Instead of turning Parminder away like other solicitors had previously, we told her “we can help”. Instead of seeing her cries for assistance as unnecessary because we as a Legal Firm are familiar with the process, we did what we do for every client: we put ourselves in their shoes and provided the bespoke solicitors help before charge that they needed.

We arranged with Parminder and her sons to meet with one of our experienced criminal barristers to answer any queries and provide a step by step guide on how the process works and what to expect. The assurance was exactly what the family needed.

Whilst Parminder’s family were waiting for a bail date we liaised with the officers in charge of the case and due to our persistence and determination we were able to get the case dropped with no further action taken against the boys.

Parminder’s sons now have no criminal record due to Forrest Williams’ proactive approach.

If you are currently being investigated by police please give us a call on 01623 397200.

Hate Crime Solicitors

Posted on: May 26th, 2016 by steve

Hate Crime Solicitors – How Can We Help?

What is a ‘hate crime’?

A hate crime is any incident which the victim (or any other person) thinks is based on someone’s prejudice towards them because of their:

Race
Religion
Sexual orientation
Disability
Or because they are transgender

Anyone who has been called names, or bullied, or suffered any other actions which they believe may be due to one (or more) of these factors should report hate incidents to the police, even if they do not want the matter to be investigated.

Not all hate incidents will amount to criminal offences, but those that do will become hate crimes.

A common definition of hate crime has been agreed by The Association of Chief Police Officers and the CPS, as follows:-

“Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.”

What types of hate crimes are there?

There are different types of hate crimes:

Race and religious
Homophobic and transphobic
Disability
Crimes against older people

What should I do if I believe I am a victim of hate crime?

You should report what has happened to the police, who should treat the matter very seriously if they believe a hate crime has been/is being committed.

In an emergency situation, you should call 999 and ask for the police.

In a non-emergency situation, you can attend a police station in person, call the non-emergency number for your local police station, or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if you want to remain anonymous.

Can I take out a private prosecution against a person who has been victimising me?

Yes, this is an option where the police and the CPS do not bring charges against the other party. We could assist you with this.

If you would like to discuss a private prosecution with us, please call Forrest Williams Legal Ltd on 01623 397200.

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Archive for the ‘Criminal Offences’ Category

Hate Crime Prosecutions At All Time High

Solicitors Help Before Charge

Hate Crime Solicitors

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