Criminal Offences App
The By Lawyers Criminal Offences app now includes new offences created by the Public Order Act 2023.
The offences are stated to have been implemented to bolster the police’s power to respond to disruptive protests. This is in response to protests regarding HS2 and Stop Oil, among others, where individuals have attached themselves to others, objects and buildings, or created tunnels to cause disruption.
While the Sentencing Council has yet to publish offence-specific Sentencing Guidelines for the newly created offences, the Criminal Offences app assists practitioners in advising clients charged with the new offences.
The new offences are:
- locking-on;
- being equipped for locking-on;
- causing serious disruption by tunnelling;
- causing serious disruption by being present in a tunnel;
- being equipped for tunnelling;
- obstruction of major transport works; and
- interference with the use or operation of key national infrastructures.
The new offence of interference with access to or provision of abortion services will be made available on the Criminal Offences app once it is in force.
The Criminal Offences app is available in the LEAP Marketplace and can be enabled by all By Lawyers subscribers free of charge.
