Advising clients - chapter one Flashcards
a suspect is always entitled to free in person legal advice at the police station irrespective of their income - true or false
false - all suspects are entitled to free legal advice but the advice isn’t always in person - suspects who are detained on suspicion of committing an offence which isn’t punishable by imprisonment may receive free telephone advice
what is the name of the identification procedure where an eyewitness is shown images of a suspect and individuals who resemble the suspect
video identification procedure - witnesses are shown various images including one of the suspect
if a suspect claims to have relied on legal advice to remain silent during a police interview, they will automatically be protected from having adverse inferences drawn from their silence - true or false
false - suspects who later become defendants aren’t automatically immune from having adverse inferences drawn by simply claiming that they relied on legal advice to remain silent
if the arbiter of fact is satisfied that reliance on the advice was genuine, then inferences may not be drawn
in the case of a juvenile what is the hierarchial order that the police must follow when identifying an appropriate adult
the police should first attempt to make contact with the parents or guardians of the juvenile (or representatives from the LA if the juvenile is in LA care)
failing that - the police should identify a social worker from the LA to act as the appropriate adult
failing that - the police should identify some other responsible adult aged 18 or over who isn’t connected to the police
where an individual is suspected of being involved in a criminal offence, they may be arrested and taken to an authorised place of detention (police station) - at this stage the suspect hasn’t been accused of committing or being involved in the commission of the offence - when does a suspect become accused
when they’re charged with an offence
individual, once charged, referred to as defendant in next cards
on arrival at the PS following an arrest - a suspect will be booked into custody (ie their details are recorded) - when must this be done and who records these details
the details are recored by the custody officer and this must be done as soon as possible
custody officer
an officer, independent of the investigation, holding the rank of at least sergeant who is responsible for the welfare of a suspect who is in police custody
what rank should a custody officer hold
the rank of at least sergeant
what is the custody officer responsible for
opening a custody record as soon as practicable for any arrested person brought to the PS and informing the suspect of their rights whilst in police detention and for the authorisation of detention
what is a custody record
a document opened and kept by the custody officer which is used to record details of the suspect and their welfare whilst in police detention
what kind of details will the custody record include
suspects name, address, offence arrested for, time of arrest, arrival at PS, time of interview, confirmation that rights of suspect (eg to legal advice) have been provided to them, any requests made by the suspect and compliance with PACE code
can a suspects custody record be inspected at the request of a suspect, their solicitor, or appropriate adult at any time whilst the suspect is in custody
yes
a copy of the custody record can’t be obtained when the suspect is released from custody - true or false
false - this can be obtained upon request
following the booking in of the suspect, what must the custody officer decide (based on the details provided by the investigating officer)
whether there’s sufficient evidence already to charge the suspect with an offence, or whether detention of the suspect is required
if there’s sufficient evidence to charge the suspect - what action needs to be taken by the custody officer
they should charge the suspect and either release them on bail, to appear before the mag court at a later date or remand them into police custody
if there’s insufficient evidence to charge the suspect - what action needs to be taken by the custody officer
they should release the suspect on bail (with or without conditions) or unconditionally, unless detention can be justified
the custody officer may detain a suspect in police custody if they have reasonable grounds for believing what
that the suspects detention without being charged is necessary
a) to secure or preserve evidence relating to an offence for which the suspect is under arrest
b) to obtain such evidence by questioning the person
once a suspects initial detention has been authorised, they will remain in police custody for…
questioning
the suspect has certain rights - what are these primarily described as
Codes of Practice under PACE 1984 - PACE codes
how many codes of conduct are there under PACE 1984 and what do they regulate
there are eight codes of conduct (A-H)
they regulate how the police or other investigative agencies (HMRC) should conduct themselves before and during criminal proceedings
the treatment of suspects in police custody is governed primarily by which code of PACE
Code C PACE 1984
Code C PACE 1984
provides, among other things, how suspects should be treated in police custody, their rights and how interviews are to be conducted
when a suspect is detained in custody, they have the right to consult legal advice, privately, at any time - true or false
true
when must a suspect be informed of the right to seek free ILA
- on arrival at PS
- on arrest following voluntary attendance at the PS
- immediately before the commencement, or recommencement, of any interview
all suspects are entitled to free in person advice unless…
unless the punishment for the offence for which the suspect is being held in custody is non-imprisonable
once ILA has been accepted or requested, subject to the power of delay, when should a suspect be permitted to consult with a solicitor
as soon as practicable
a custody officer should act with no delay in ensuring a solicitor is contacted - true or false
true
in most cases - who will the custody officer contact to obtain ILA
The Defence Solicitor Call Centre - DSCC
Once contacted, what will the DSCC determine
whether telephone advice is sufficient or whether a solicitor or PS representative should attend in person
there are occasions when the suspect may wish to have a specific solicitor or firm contacted instead - what would happen in this situation
the suspect will be asked to identify the sol or firm - the suspect must be informed of the sols arrival at the PS and must be asked whether they wish to speak with the solicitor
is it true that the solicitors arrival and the decision of the suspect to see the solicitor must be noted in the custody record
yes
in limited circumstances, an officer of the rank of superintendent may delay a suspects access to consult with a solicitor - when may the officer do this
- if the suspect has been arrested for an indictable offence (which includes indictable only and either way offences)
- the officer has reasonable grounds to believe that exercising the right to legal advice will for example
a) lead to interference with or harm to evidence connected with the offence, or interference or physical injury to other persons
b) lead to alerting others suspected of having committed such an offence who have not yet been arrested for it
if a suspect has been denied access to a specific solicitor, should they be permitted to choose another solicitor
yes they must
in any event, the right to access legal advice may only be delayed for as long as…
for as long as the ground used to justify the delay in the first place continues to exist
a delay to access legal advice must not exceed how many hours from the relevant time
must not exceed 36 hours from the relevant time
when the right to consult a solicitor is delayed - should the suspect be informed of the delay and does this need to be included in the custody record
yes the suspect should be informed that there is a delay and also the reason for the delay - these must both be included in the custody record
if a suspect declines to speak to a solicitor - what must they be reminded of
(what does the right to legal advice also include)
they must be informed that the right to legal advice also includes the right to speak to a solicitor on the telephone
if the suspect declines to speak to a solicitor and is informed that the right to legal advice also includes the right to speak to a solicitor on the telephone, but still refuses - what must be done by the custody officer
the custody officer must ask why the suspect has declined and record any answer in the custody record
if a suspect denies legal advice initially - can they request to consult a solicitor at any time
yes
where a person has been arrested and is being held in custody at a PS/authorised place of detention, they have the right to have someone informed of their arrest as soon as practicable following their arrest - who are the individuals that may be informed
- relative
- friend
- other person known to them, or who is likely to take an interest in the suspect’s welfare
what is the custody officers role in respect of this right to have someone informed of the arrest
the custody officer must inform the suspect of this right, and ask the suspect if they wish to exercise it
what happens if the suspect wishes to exercise the right of informing someone of the arrest
the chosen person will be informed of the fact that the suspect has been arrested and of their place of detention
if the suspect has moved to another authorised place of detention, the suspect can request to have the person chosen informed of their new whereabouts - true or false
true
if the chosen person to be informed of the arrest can’t be contacted - how many alternatives can the suspect givr
the suspect can nominate a max of two alternatives
what happens if the two alternatives that the suspect has nominated cant be contacted
the custody officer may allow further attempts
which rank of officer may authorise a delay in exercising the right of a suspect to notify someone of their arrest and for how many hours
an officer of the rank of inspector or above - may authorise a delay in exercising the right of a suspect to notify someone of their arrest for upto 36 hours
what are the rules for the authorisation of a delay in exercising the right of a suspect to notify someone of their arrest
- such a delay may only occur if the suspect is detained for an indictable offence
- there must be reasonable grounds to believe that notifying an individual will
a) lead to interference with or harm to evidence connected connected with the offence or interference or physical injury to other persons
b) lead to alerting others suspected of having committed such an offence who have not yet been arrested for it
a delay may be authorised where the officer has reasonable grounds to believe…
- the person detained has benefitted from their criminal conduct
- the recovery of the value of the property constituting the benefit will be hindered by telling the named person of their arrest
when the right to inform someone of a suspects arrest and detention is delayed - what must the suspect be informed of and where must this be recorded
the reason for the delay and this must be noted in the custody record
what are the two periods of reviews and detention time limits under PACE 1984 Code C
- period of detention
- period of reviews of detention
what is period of reviews of detention often referred to as
review clock - this prescribes the time periods when the detention of a suspect must be reviewed
what is period of detention often referred to as
detention clock - prescribes how long a suspect may be kept in police custody
generally a person suspected of committing an offence may only be held without charge for how long
for a max period of 24 hours from the relevant time
what is meant by the relevant time
the time when the detention clock starts
does the relevant time (detention clock) start when the arrested suspect arrives at the PS or 24 hours after the arrest
whichever is earlier
what is the general rule regarding the start of the detention clock
the general rule is that the detention clock will begin at the time of arrival at the PS
once the initial period of detention is due to expire - what two options do the police have
- seek to extend the suspects detention
- release the suspect
REVISION TIP
its generally uncommon for the police to use the full 24h period - in most cases police will charge the suspect with the offence or release them under investigation (RUI)
only rarely will the police require an extension to the suspects detention
extension from 24 to 36 hours
when the initial 24h period has expired, an officer of the rank of superintendent or above, who is responsible for the station at which the suspect is being held, may authorise a 12h extension to detain the suspect taking them to a max of 36h in detention
an extension of detention of the suspect from 24h to 36h may only be done if the officer has reasonable grounds to believe what
- that the detention of that person without charge is necessary to secure or preserve evidence relating to an offence for which they are under arrest or to obtain such evidence by questioning them
- that the offence for which the suspect has been arrested in connection with, is an indictable offence
- that the investigation is being conducted diligently and expeditiously
if the police wish to seek an extension of the detention of the suspect beyond 36 hours from the relevant time - what must be done
they must seek a warrant for further detention from the mag court
the mag court may authorise further detention for such period of time as the magistrates think fit, but up to a max of 36hrs detention - what are the conditions for extending the suspects detention
- the court is made up of a min of two lay magistrates or a district judge
- the application is made on oath by a warranted constable supported by written information
- the suspect is present in court and being detained in connection with an indictable offence
- the court is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the further detention of the suspect is justified
further detention is justified if it’s necessary to…
- secure or preserve evidence relating to the offence
- obtain such evidence through questioning of the suspect
- the investigation is being conducted diligently and expeditiously
the mag court may issue a warrant for further extensions up to a max of 36h for each extension however the mag court can’t extend detention beyond 96h in total - true or false
true
ie if the mag court extend detention by 36h on first extension, they would be restricted to extension of 24h on the second detention
(24+12+36++24 = 96h)
if the police wish to have detention authorised beyond 36h the mag court must warrant the extension for further detention - it’s imperative that the police have an application listed and heard before..
before the 36h period is up