header-logo header-logo

Crime brief: 23 June 2023

23 June 2023 / David Walbank KC
Issue: 8030 / Categories: Features , Criminal , Property , Judicial review
printer mail-detail
127497
Thus far, arguably the most significant output of the HS2 project has been a stream of litigation: David Walbank KC charts the path to judicial review
  • HS2 protesters tunnelling under Euston Square Gardens.
  • Offence of aggravated trespass.
  • Scope of the ‘lawful activity’ being obstructed or disrupted.

The economic benefits of the high-speed railway HS2 may sometimes seem illusory. Nebulous phrases like ‘connectivity’, ‘capacity’ and, dare I say it, ‘levelling up’ are bandied about, while a hard-headed costs/benefits analysis is harder to come by and grows ever more elusive as project costs continue to spiral. Only history will judge whether this state-of-the-art high-speed rail link, supposedly bringing London and the North of England closer together, is ultimately seen as a marvel of modern engineering or the biggest white elephant ever to burn through our increasingly straitened public finances. However, one identifiable sub-class of our fellow citizens that it has undoubtedly benefited is the criminal lawyer. Rarely has any major construction project given rise to such

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Boies Schiller Flexner—Tim Smyth

Boies Schiller Flexner—Tim Smyth

Firm promotes London international arbitration specialist to partnership

Katten Muchin Rosenman—James Davison & Victoria Procter

Katten Muchin Rosenman—James Davison & Victoria Procter

Firm bolsters restructuring practice with senior London hires

HFW—Guy Marrison

HFW—Guy Marrison

Global aviation disputes practice boosted by London partner hire

NEWS
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
A construction defect claim in the Court of Appeal offers a sharp lesson in pleading discipline. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains how a catastrophically drafted schedule of loss derailed otherwise viable claims. Across the areas explored in this week's column, the message is consistent: clarity, economy and proper pleading matter more than ever
back-to-top-scroll