Sally Kyd

Anne Robinson to host full series of You Be The Judge Anne Robinson is to host a four-part series of You Be The Judge.

God help us.

Do people still watch this type of drivel?

www.femalefirst.co.uk/tv/news/anne...

Self-driving taxis are coming to London – should we be worried? | Jack Stilgoe Waymo’s cars were first rolled out in San Francisco, but the English capital’s old roads, pelican crossings and jaywalkers may pose issues for AI, says science and technology professor Jack Stilgoe

“Jaywalking is permitted in London. In 1966, the police tried to crack down on it, but gave up after three months.”

People walk and cycle on roads by right, people drive under licence.

Jaywalking is not a thing in English law and Waymo must not change that.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I've noticed some have been removed in Leicester.

Belgian Parliament approves new offence of ‘traffic manslaughter’ The new law, introduced by Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V), changes both the terminology and the sentencing framework.

www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/1944...
I've never looked at Belgian law, but this is interesting. Sentence for killing on the road increased to 10 years in the worst cases, which seems to equate drug driving with running a red light. I haven't looked at the actual legislation yet.

Driver jailed for murdering Aidan Chapman in Shaftesbury Avenue Anthony Gilheaney hit four men on Shaftesbury Avenue, killing Aiden Chapman and injuring the others.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Motor murder.

A Waymo hit a child near an elementary school. The NHTSA is investigating U.S. regulators are investigating the behavior of Waymo driverless vehicles around schools and school buses

NHTSA probes Waymo after its AV struck a child near elementary school share.google/JQds3WoXKm3w...

Man admits manslaughter over crash death of Devon Simmonds, 15 Terrence King may face a retrial after jurors fail to reach a verdict on the higher charge of murder.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article....
Car as weapon murder case. CPS to decide whether to seek retrial or accept plea to manslaughter.

Elon Musk's Tesla fined for repeatedly failing to help UK police over driving offences The British arm of Tesla has faced multiple court proceedings linked to allegations of road traffic offences.

Tesla may not have delivered on Musk's promise of a fully automated vehicle yet, but it seems that as an alternative, if you 'buy' a Tesla you get the benefit of being able to drive it as you wish, protected from being prosecuted if you break the law. 😡
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Northern Ireland's new drivers to face major licensing changes from October Liz Kimmins says the introduction of graduated driver licences shows how serious officials are when it comes tackling road safety.

This morning's announcement of GDL in NI included the rule that:
For the first six months after passing their test, new drivers up to the age of 24 are only permitted to have one passenger aged between 14 and 20 in their car between the hours of 23:00 and 06:00
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cz...

Woman admits killing man and teenager in Marston crash Harrison Carter, 18, and George Stephenson, 17, died following a collision in Marston in June 2025.

This is the most strange headline. Several teenagers went out to celebrate the end of A levels and tragically two died in a collision caused by one of them driving carelessly.
Whatever the sentence passed, we should surely learn the lesson and follow the lead of NI.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Very insightful. But how do I encourage students to consider crime as a feasible career? Most aren't interested in the first place - Criminal law is just a little less boring than other modules - but there are a few passionate ones. I just hope their passion doesn't become too dampened by the system

Woman hunted and killed e-bike rider in her car in tragic ‘case of mistaken identity’ Treadwell's former partner, Joshua Lovell, was believed to be the intended victim

Car as weapon case.
35 years as a minimum term is high. It suggests that the court was of the view that the seriousness of the offence was "particularly high". Taking a weapon to the scene of murder has a starting point of 25 years (Sch 21 Sentencing Act 2020).
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crim...

Police-chase van driver jailed for killing golfer Suzanne Cherry The van was driven on to a golf course where mother-of-three Suzanne Cherry was hit by it.

I'm all for charging manslaughter in the worst cases of road death, but the increase in max sentence for death by dangerous driving, there is little incentive for the CPS to do so. Surprised it was charged here, but not by the acceptance of the plea.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Yes, I think the prophylactic argument is strongest. And I think elsewhere McGlynn has made an argument for needing to address a kind of societal second-order harm where failing to prevent this kind of behaviour nurtures a culture in which VAWG is acceptable (Adolescence [on TV] springs to mind).

Deepfake porn: why we need to make it a crime to create it, not just share it The invisible threat of deepfake porn now pervades the lives of women and girls

Here's one argument:
theconversation.com/deepfake-por...

Will new rules for drivers in England prevent deaths on the road? The new road safety strategy is a welcome shift to prevention, rather than punishment, for road fatalities.

👀 New piece by me. I don't mean to suggest that we shouldn't punish bad driving, by any means. But simply increasing sentences for the bad drivers who end up killing will not reduce road deaths. The new Road Safety Strategy is to be welcomed.

theconversation.com/will-new-rul...

How did the courts backlog get so bad? There are now 79,600 outsanding criminal cases in England and Wales - a record high. BBC Verify looks at how we got here.

Finally! An accurate explanation of the courts backlog from journalists!

And you'll notice that juries have absolutely F all to do with it!

This is correct. Lammy and Leveson etc are not telling you the truth in their PR campaign to ruin the CJS yet more.

Some really valid comments from Bluesky folk rejecting the Court of Appeal's rationale here.

It's about time Parliament jettisoned these motonormative arguments and legislated on this point (whilst also ensuring improvements in public transport).

Call for system that frees rape suspects as alternative to bail to be scrapped in England and Wales ‘Released under investigation’ leads to uncertainty and distress for both victim and accused, say campaigners

The 'release under investigation' option is as unhelpful in road death cases as it is in rape cases.

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

This government has not taken a single meaningful step to tackle the causes of the horrendous inefficiencies in the criminal justice system, instead rushing to dismantle trial by jury.

Legal professionals have offered numerous alternatives to address the backlog.

Ministers are not listening.

Driver In Fatal NYC Crash That Killed Mom, 2 Kids Gets Prison Time In Plea Deal The fatal crash, which killed a 34-year-old mother and her two daughters, ages 5 and 8, happened on Ocean Parkway in Midwood.

I know our criminal justice system isn't perfect, but it's a darn sight better than the messed up way they deal with things in the USA.

patch.com/new-york/bro...

Royal outrider acquitted over pensioner road death Met Police officer PC Christopher Harrison was accused of causing death by careless driving.

Jury have acquitted: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Looks like this is just a reporting error on the part of the BBC. I believe the charge is death by careless.

Man jailed for murder of ‘good Samaritan’ helping injured woman in Sheffield Hassan Jhangur sentenced to life after killing Chris Marriott when he drove car into a crowd during wedding brawl

26 years minimum term now passed for the murder of Chris Marriott.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Lollipop woman and pupils in Hertfordshire nearly hit by car Drivers face penalties including points on their licence or mandatory speed awareness courses.

This is indeed outrageous behaviour. But the mention of a speed awareness course as an appropriate response is objectionable. Surely it's clear this falls far below the required standard and amounts to dangerous driving? Further evidence of problems with current law.

share.google/4MvVxKaEPJqP...

The Crown Prosecution Service have launched a consultation asking for views on how they prosecute ‘gang’-based offenders and whether guidance is needed on musical expression in prosecutions.

To take part in the consultation and read more here click here 👉 orlo.uk/a2uXe

For completeness I should also add that weapon DOES make a difference, as the starting point is higher for cases where a knife was taken to the scene. This is set in statute: Schedule 21 of the Sentencing Act 2020.

Sorry - *age, not she!

Man jailed for murder of man in Chelsea The victim, 28-year-old Omarkafi Sahal, died in hospital two weeks after being stabbed.

eg this 19 yo who got minimum term of 22 years recently for a stabbing: share.google/xVwbeyxlojRG...
Or this 23 year old who also got 22 years: share.google/YIPRvHLLYpna...

It's the she that was the issue - not the weapon. It's a general principle of sentencing that youth is a mitigating factor. The question is where the cut off should be. At present 'young age' for an adult in sentencing is 18-25.