BPTC Law Notes BPTC Criminal Litigation Notes
A collection of the best BPTC notes the director of Oxbridge Notes (an Oxford law graduate) could find after combing through dozens of samples from outstanding students with the highest results in England and carefully evaluating each on accuracy, formatting, logical structure, spelling/grammar, conciseness and "wow-factor".
In short, these are what we believe to be the strongest set of BPTC notes available in the UK this year. This collection of BPTC notes is fully updated for recent exams, ...
The following is a more accessible plain text extract of the PDF sample above, taken from our BPTC Criminal Litigation Notes. Due to the challenges of extracting text from PDFs, it will have odd formatting:
Sentences in the magistrates and Crown Courts
Sentences available to m’ court and Crown Court
Type of Sentence | Magistrates’ Court | Crown Court |
---|---|---|
Bind Over | Yes | Yes |
Absolute discharge | Yes | Yes |
Conditional discharge | Yes | Yes |
Fine | Yes (subject to any statutory maximum) | Yes (subject to any statutory maximum) |
Community Order | Yes | Yes |
A suspended prison sentence | Yes (though the suspended custodial term is subject to the same maximums below) | |
A determinate custodial sentence | Yes, subject to a max of 6 months, or two 6-month sentences to run consecutively where charged with 2+ either-way offences | Yes (limited only by statutory maximum for an offence) |
Mandatory minimum sentence for a third domestic burglary | No | Yes |
Mandatory life sentence for murder | No | Yes |
Where a D is committed from m’ court to Crown Court, the power of Crown Court on sentence (i.e. whether it is limited to m’ court maximum) depends on which section (s3, 4 or 6) they were committed under.
Ancillary orders and costs orders (when sentencing) (all available in both m’ court and Crown Court except Confiscation orders:
Prosecution costs order
Compensation orders
Forfeiture and depravation orders
Sexual offences notification
Confiscation orders pursuant to Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Crown Court only, though default is managed by the m’ court).
Bind Over
Who has the power to impose it? | M’ Court and Crown Court (and Court of Appeal) |
---|---|
A special case not JUST a sentence |
A bind over can be imposed on, inter alia:
But CANNOT bind over:
|
What is it |
|
When can it be imposed | It’s not just a sentence, so it can be imposed:
A binding order refraining the individual from specified types of conduct/activities, must specify the details of that conduct in a written order, served on all relevant parties. & court should state its reasons. Court must be satisfied that it is ‘SURE’ that: a breach of the peace involving violence, or an imminent threat of violence has occurred; or there is a real risk of violence in the future.
|
How is this sentence passed in court? | “Mr Smith, the prosecution has decided not to pursue the charge under s5 Public Order Act against you. Instead, we are binding you over in the sum of 100 to keep the peace for 1 year. If you fail to keep the peace for the next 1 year, you will have to pay this court 100. At the end of the year, if you have kept the peace, you pay nothing”. |
Consequences of breach | If D breaches the peace they are liable to pay the monetary sum they were bound over for. |
Absolute & conditional discharges
Power to grant, s12 PCC(S)A: court can grant absolute or conditional discharge, if court is of opinion (regarding nature of offence & character of offender) that it is inexpedient to inflict punishment
Cannot combining discharge orders with other sentences
A discharge CANNOT be combined with a punitive measure (custody, community order, fine) for the same offence except where permitted by statute (so cannot be combined with a custodial sentence, community order or a fine).
But if offender is given a discharge for one of multiple offences, court can sentence other sentences re the other offences.
Combining discharge orders with other orders On discharging an offender (conditionally or absolute), the court CAN:
(a) Impose any disqualification on him, or make a compensation order, deprivation order or restitution order, or confiscation order; or from making an order under s4 Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act re an offence of unlawful profit.
Eg: disqualification from driving, disqualification from acting as a company director etc.
Can be combined with a recommendation for deportation.
(b) make an...
Buy the full version of these notes or essay plans and more in our BPTC Criminal Litigation Notes.
A collection of the best BPTC notes the director of Oxbridge Notes (an Oxford law graduate) could find after combing through dozens of samples from outstanding students with the highest results in England and carefully evaluating each on accuracy, formatting, logical structure, spelling/grammar, conciseness and "wow-factor".
In short, these are what we believe to be the strongest set of BPTC notes available in the UK this year. This collection of BPTC notes is fully updated for recent exams, ...
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