One of the most frequent concerns of defendants in criminal proceedings are: Will I get bail? or How do I get bail? With trial waiting lists in many Courts stretching to absurd lengths many defendants are rightly concerned that they do not await their trial in Custody. Read further to find out more..

The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 introduced an offence of Causing Serious Injury by Dangerous Driving; this came into force on 3rd December 2012. As always it has taken a long time for the Police and CPS to start using the offence on a regular basis but we are now seeing the offence being prosecuted with some vigour. Read further to find out more..

According to Home Office Statistics the offence of Criminal Damage is one of the top ten most prosecuted crimes in the United Kingdom. It is also one of the most frequently abused by way of prosecutions being brought against individuals in circumstances where no offence has been committed. Read further to find out more..

Quentin represented KS who pleaded guilty to a count of Dangerous Driving. Mr S was driving his sports car at speed on a singe carriageway A road in Hertfordshire when he overtook a car on a blind corner on a stretch of road with double white lines. Read further to find out more..

In many driving cases people commit offences in circumstances that are really not their fault. This stems from the fact that the vast majority of driving offences are what lawyers call ‘strict liability’ offences. This means that you are guilty whether or not you actually meant to commit the offence. Read further to find out more..

Local authorities are becoming increasingly trigger-happy in respect of landlord and tenant prosecutions. Such prosecutions can occur when there is a dispute with a tenant over the circumstances of their leaving a property. Often such disputes can be the word of one party against the word of another. As such it is essential that a landlord or other party accused of such an offence gain specialist legal advice if being either investigated or prosecuted. Read further to find out more..

Quentin appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on behalf of KA a company director who was due to stand trial on an indictment containing five counts of Fraud. The case revolved around the trade in financial instruments and Commercial Mortgage Obligations to the value of over €57,000,000 in Northern Europe and South America. Read further to find out more..

Blackmail is an offence under section 21 Theft Act 1968. It is a serious offence and is tried only in the Crown Court before a judge and a jury. The maximum penalty on conviction is 14 years’ imprisonment. Read further to find out more..

The Courts have recently seen a marked increase in prosecution applications for Serious Crime Prevention Orders especially in cases prosecuted by HMRC and the NCA. Read further to find out more..

Quentin recently appeared in the Birmingham Crown Court on behalf of RK, a man convicted of producing high quality forgeries of Bank of England £10 notes. Read further to find out more..

Quentin Hunt acting on behalf of Transport For London has concluded the successful prosecution of the controversial App based Private Hire Vehicle Operator Uber for road traffic offences. Read further to find out more..

Applications for special procedure production orders are some of the most common applications before the Crown Court. Many Crown Courts will hear a few applications in a 9:30am list before trials or case management hearings and each numbered application can contain any number of substantive sub-applications against different institutions. Most applications for special production orders are not opposed as they are made as against financial or other institutions who will not produce material without such an order and will not oppose the order being sought.

Quentin appeared at Isleworth Crown Court on behalf of SP, a University student accused of perpetuating a large scale eBay Fraud involving the cloning of credit cards and the misuse of Transport For London Oyster Cards. Following the close of the prosecution case Quentin argued that the case on the first and most serious count on the indictment should be withdrawn from the jury. The judge agreed and the count was withdrawn from the jury and a Not Guilty verdict was entered on her behalf.

Quentin appeared on behalf of FA who had been the Principal Contractor on a large scale commercial building project in South East London. Following the collapse of a structure at the site a 92 year old woman suffered near fatal injuries. The defendant pleaded guilty to an offence under regulation 28(2) of the Construction (Design and Management ) Regulations 2007.

Quentin appeared in the Court of Appeal Criminal Division, instructed by Stokoe Partnership Solicitors on behalf of FI who had been convicted of a s47 ABH offence. Quentin successfully submitted that the judge had misapplied the relevant sentencing guidelines and the sentence was reduced in length by six months.

VAT fraud is big business. How big? Well it is very difficult to estimate the exact amount of money that is defrauded but the case of Federation of Technological Industries estimated that in 2002-03 the cost to the United Kingdom taxpayer was between £1.65 and £2.64 billion. By 2005-6 an EU think tank estimated that this figure had increased to some £10 billion. Read further to find out more..

Mr N was arrested on a Friday evening just outside Manchester. Two police officers on foot stopped him in his work van in a car park outside a fish and chip shop; the police had received a tip off. He was taken to the police station where he was subject to the breath test procedure and was found to be considerably over the drink drive limit. He was arrested and charged with drink driving. Mr N travelled all over the UK with his work and needed his licence for his work; he knew that if he lost his licence he would lose his job and his livelihood. Read further to find out more..

Changes to the criminal justice system of late have been very much focussed on encouraging defendants to plead guilty. ‘Early guilty plea’ schemes have been rolled out across the country and a full discount for pleading guilty is only available if the plea is entered at the first opportunity, often before the evidence has been served by the prosecution in proper and full form. Read further to find out more ..

Section 1 of the Fraud Act 2006 relates to the offence of failing to disclose information. The offence is wide ranging and can cover a number of circumstances. An example would be where a person makes an insurance claim for a ring that they believed had been stolen. They report this to their insurance company and make a claim. They subsequently receive an insurance payout of £15,000 for the ring. Read further to find out more..

The Police and HMRC are increasingly using their powers under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 to require information from innocent parties who are not accused of a criminal offence but who can be compelled by law to provide information whether they like it or not. Read further to find out more ..

If you are being investigated or have been charged with an offence of VAT fraud it is essential that you seek specialist legal representation at an early stage. How the matter is conducted from the outset will shape the course of the case against you. Read further to find out more ..

If you are being investigated or have been charged with an offence of VAT fraud it is essential that you seek specialist legal representation at an early stage. How the matter is conducted from the outset will shape the course of the case against you. Careful consideration of the evidence is essential as well as an excellent working knowledge of this sort of case and experience in dealing with HMRC and the CPS. Read further to find out more ..

Taking penalty points is a serious criminal offence and perverting the course of justice. It was all over the news a short while ago. But now the convictions of Chris Huhne and Vicky Price for perverting the course of justice have faded in time and are no longer in the public consciousness the courts are once again seeing the return of people accused of perverting the course of justice due to others ‘taking their points’. Read further to find out more..

Witness intimidation is a serious offence and a conviction for the offence will, unless the offence is fleeting and in the heat of the moment, there is a high likelihood that any convicted defendant will end up with a sentence of imprisonment unless handled with the utmost skill and judgement. Read further to find out more..

Quentin acted in the case of the Health and Safety Executive v Mark Hayes, a trial at Southwark Crown Court. The case centred around an allegation of a breach of the defendant's duties under Regulation 4 of the Work At Height Regulations 2005 in respect of scaffolding works. Read further to find out more..

What to do if I am summonsed for driving without insurance? It is a criminal offence for a person to “use” a motor vehicle on a road or “cause” or “permit” any other person to use it on a road while uninsured. These offences can only be dealt with in the Magistrates’ Court and are typically punishable with a fine and the imposition of between 6 and 8 penalty points on your licence or a disqualification from driving. Despite the fact that these are “summary only” offences that can only be dealt with in the Magistrates’ Court, they are treated seriously.. Read further to find out more..

Causing death by dangerous driving is the most serious driving offence that you can be prosecuted for. If you are being investigated for this offence, have been charged or are under suspicion it is essential that you get legal representation. The representation you will require will need to be not just a ‘criminal’ lawyer but a lawyer with specialism in Road Traffic Offences.

Disqualification is generally compulsory. However, if you are able to persuade the court that there would be exceptional hardship amounting if you lose your licence they may allow you to keep your licence despite the fact that you have 12 penalty points or more..

G O-M was a lady with no previous convictions accused of a fraud carried out upon the London Borough of Southwark. Mr Hunt's client had maintained her innocence throughout. The matter related to a large investigation into housing fraud where an employee of Southwark Council had already pleaded guilty to various offences. Read more..

Government is currently considering a formal discussion to propose some changes on the legislations for the traffic offenders. According to BBC, drivers who speed on motorways could face a fine up to £10,000 under new proposals for England and Wales. Read this to find out more..