I retired from the magistracy in 2015 after 17 years mainly as a presiding justice

United Kingdom
My current blog can be accessed at https://thejusticeofthepeaceblog.blogspot.com/

3000 NEW LAWS AND STILL IGNORANCE IS NO EXCUSE

 

29. Aug. 2010. – 11:04:13


The old adage, ignorance of the law is no excuse, might have been applicable when it was first coined 2000 years ago but at a time when according to the Law Commission 3,000 criminal offences were created between 1997-2010 it might have increased substance as a defence in theory if not in practice.

From my experiences in court I am of the opinion that some of the non police uniformed figures telling us where we mustn`t wait, where we can`t walk, what we can`t wear, what we can`t drop, where we can`t cycle etc etc rely on their scanty knowledge of a tiny bit of law to persuade, frighten, threaten ordinary citizens to do or not do what they are told to do or not do. But for that to be more or less written into the system is unacceptable. The case of CPS-v-Jolly AER 20 [May] in allowing a police officer to explain to a driver who has provided a breath sample of < 50mg that it can be substituted for a blood or urine test by simply reading the words on the form without explanation is in my opinion restrictive but who am I to argue?

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