I was in court today for a hearing of the prisoner accidentally set free from jail. He wasn't there. It is a case study in the terrible communication between prisons, courts, and the immigration system. Absolutely atrocious, but equally not that surprising www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/p...

The Criminal Justice System in this country is fundamentally broken. Trials will soon be set in 2030, victims are losing faith, prisons are full, and crimes may be going unsolved My long read for this week's @thelondonstandard.bsky.social www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/b...

I'm writing today about the broken Criminal Justice System For a boost, I bought a coffee from the Old Bailey's canteen, which was downgraded recently to a vending machine The machine promised an overpriced latte, then spewed out a black coffee with no milk Is this the metaphor my article needs?

More trouble for HMP Chelmsford, the prison which accidentally set free a sex offender: One of the inmates died when staff filed to spot he was a known suicide risk www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/hmp-...

Politicians have simplistic solutions to crime - lock everyone up, and for longer They then have a casual indifference to what happens once the cell door is shut This weekend's crisis over the prisoner wrongly released is symptomatic of a broken system www.standard.co.uk/comment/sex-...

You've being summonsed to court, you believe it is wrong/malicious, and a suspected abuse of the justice system The court's answer: Come to court to argue your case, face the person who summonsed you anyway, and pay £300 for the privilege The county courts in this country have some issues....

Commons Speaker made extraordinary intervention so that Labour minister didn't have to go face-to-face in court with a trans woman she says was harassing her www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/c...

Pensioner with dementia living in a care home is convicted in our broken court system over a £43 car bill www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/p... I’ve been writing versions of this story for more than two years now. If politicians were interested in helping vulnerable people, they would act

A court has requested a Latin interpreter for today's sentencing hearing LATIN (AMERICAN) INTERPRETER REQUIRED Luckily they added (American), and someone who speaks Spanish has turned up. Otherwise the interpreter might have spent the day translating legal asides, but not much else

Baby P's mother Tracey Connelly says 'I was a crap mum' in latest bid for release from jail A big understatement, you might think This hearing was a good example of why open justice is important. Public Parole Board hearings are a great innovation www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/b...

The Ministry of Justice has been convicted of a crime and fined £1,000, in a closed-door court hearing the department itself was apparently not aware was happening www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/m...

City of London police officer who posted sexist, ableist, and homophobic comments on Twitter is allowed to keep job www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/c...

Open Justice. Why are these journalists fighting secrecy in the courts? Join @sanchia7.bsky.social & @kirkkorner.bsky.social at @goldsmithsuol.bsky.social @mediacomgold.bsky.social for a revealing discussion. Reception afterwards. All welcome. Details below 👇🏽https://www.gold.ac.uk/calendar/?id=15603

Watch: Police officer guilty of assault for grabbing teenage fare dodger by her neck www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/p...

MPs demand answers as to why the Chinese 'spies' case collapsed Wish them the best, but being realistic, CPS pulls the plug on cases & often offers no explanation Something vague about evidential test not met, maybe These two have been treated no differently. www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/c...

Turn up to court, judge starts to hear the case I’m interested in, staff have forgotten to unlock the doors. Been a while since this happened… #SecretJustice

We have a system of justice which is secretive, known to be flawed and unfair, and week-by-week lands very vulnerable people with harsh criminal convictions And we have a government which is content for that to keep happening www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/t...

Teenagers charged over TfL cyber attack www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/t...

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon sentenced to 14 years in prison each for killing their baby while on the run www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/c...

TV presenter Jay Blades gets an apology from a judge, as his trial on rape charges is set for 2027. "It's not a proper justice system....", admits the judge www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/j...

Dutch football legend Edgar Davids' art collection raided by fraudster www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/e...

An offer to plead guilty to ABH charges is sent to the CPS on September 2 Six days later, it's the plea hearing in court And the case is then adjourned for a week, because no one actively reads emails sent to that account Efforts bringing defendant to court, lawyers & judge in court Total waste

Got an FOI back from the Ministry of Justice It came with a curious addition - a couple of (irrelevant) lines from an MoJ press release Either press officers are intervening in FOIs to insert quotes Or the FOI team is doing it of their own volition Neither option is good

Comedy writer and activist Graham Linehan faces trial today over claims he harassed a trans activist online and broke a mobile phone during a confrontation www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/g...

TV licence conviction for 'homeless' man caring for disabled and partially sighted friend #SingleJusticeProcedure www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/t...

'Shame' of judge who had sex in Chambers www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/judg...

Breaking news on the Epping hotel: A High Court judge has granted an injunction on the Bell Hotel, which will see it cleared of asylum seekers Victory for the local council www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/eppi...

In-depth: The 'Jekyll and Hyde' celebrity osteopath jailed for spying on women in their own homes www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/t...

It's still happening A criminal conviction for a mentally ill man who didn't pay car insurance when hospitalised and in crisis #SingleJusticeProcedure www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/d...

Pensioner, 72, with dementia is convicted of not paying her TV Licence when she was recovering from a stroke www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/b...

Inside London's youth courts, and the battle to turn teenage boys away from knife crime www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/l...

BBC at loggerheads with magistrates over Single Justice Procedure reform Sick & grieving people have been convicted of not paying bills Beeb says magistrates are to blame, the Magistrates Association accuses the BBC of trying to 'outsource' responsibility www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/bbc-...

A fact: More than 3,000 people were convicted in the last month of fare dodging in London Cases all brought to court by TfL More could be done, sure But let's not pretend nothing is done Also a fact: The last government invented a court system which hides these cases from the public

Another day, another widow being convicted in the Single Justice Procedure just after her husband had died standard.co.uk/news/crime/w... Tune in at 3pm today to Radio 4's The Law Show for an in-depth discussion of the SJP system and all its flaws www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Celebrity osteopath admits 2,000 voyeurism and upskirting recordings in ten years of perverted offending www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/c...

Jurors in this trial had to watch, repeatedly, some horrendous video footage They don't even get the resolution of delivering verdicts I sincerely hope they have been offered access to counselling after being discharged. But somehow I doubt that happened www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/c...

Exciting times, as a prosecutor refuses to give journalists his opening note for sentencing He missed out key details when opening the case, while liberally referring the judge to paragraphs from his note He's insisting that he doesn't know a single barrister who would provide a note to the press

Rogue prosecutors should be banned from using Britain's fast-track courts, says Magistrates Association Push for #SingleJusticeProcedure overhaul www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/rogu...

Mother whose baby died has been convicted over an £8.75 car bill which went unpaid while she was in mourning This is the #SingleJusticeProcedure www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/d...

Disagree with Simon here Jury trials are essential for maintaining public trust in justice Last line of this piece is telling & alarming Radical reform is more likely because system is broken & we've no money, not necessarily because reform is any good www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Pensioner 'murdered by neighbour in row over shutting the gate at their Covent Garden estate' www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/c...

Pensioner, 81, in care home gets criminal conviction over unpaid car insurance Another #SingleJusticeProcedure horror, from a courts system in need of immediate reform www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/p...

Mother wins High Court go-ahead for DNA tests on dead husband's sperm www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/sper...

As always, an honour to be involved in the Paul Foot Award. Check out this year’s wonderful longlist

Congratulations to all on this exceptionally broad and exciting longlist fill of cracking stories and sharp injustices www.private-eye.co.uk/paul-foot-aw...

Absolutely over the moon to be longlisted for the Paul Foot awards for my investigation into military sexual abuse for @opendemocracy.net and a huge thank you to the survivors who told their stories. www.private-eye.co.uk/paul-foot-aw...

From broken legs caused by falling Lime bikes to lead poisoning lurking in our homes and soil, the Paul Foot Award longlist shows the strength and range of journalism in 2025. ➡️ Find out who made the list: www.private-eye.co.uk/paul-foot-aw...

An osteopath caught spying on half-dressed students has now been charged with eight further counts of voyeurism over 12 years, including allegedly secretly recording his clients www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/c...

An IT worker hacked the Wifi systems of major UK train stations to spread an anti-Islam message, court hears John Wik admitted the offence and now faces a possible jail term www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/t...

County Court delays - particularly in London - are harming Britain's economy, Justice Minister tells MPs www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/coun...