England and Wales Case Commentaries

Extensions of Time in Criminal Appeals: No “Interests of Justice” Extension Where Delay Makes Merits Unreviewable

Date: May 21, 2026

Extensions of Time in Criminal Appeals: No “Interests of Justice” Extension Where Delay Makes Merits Unreviewable 1) Introduction In R. v Edgecombe [2026] EWCA Crim 848, the Court of Appeal (Criminal...

R v Jowitt [2026] EWCA Crim 694 — Commentary

Date: May 21, 2026

Excessive Post‑Plea Delay During Licence Recall May Constitute “Exceptional Circumstances” to Moderate the Firearms Statutory Minimum (Fact-Sensitive) Case: R v Jowitt Neutral citation: [2026] EWCA...

Extended Sentences and Guideline Category Uplifts for Violent False Imprisonment Linked to Wider Criminality

Date: May 20, 2026

Extended Sentences and Guideline Category Uplifts for Violent False Imprisonment Linked to Wider Criminality Case: Hague, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 689 Court: England and Wales Court of Appeal (Criminal...

R v George [2026] EWCA Crim 688 — Youth-Offending Sexual Cases: Sentencing Anchored to the Likely Sentence at the Offence Date and the Correct “Half to Two-Thirds of Adult” Approach

Date: May 20, 2026

Youth-Offending Sexual Cases: Sentencing Anchored to the Likely Sentence at the Offence Date and the Correct “Half to Two-Thirds of Adult” Approach Case: R v George Neutral citation: [2026] EWCA Crim...

POCA Restraint Orders: Later Charging Cannot Cure Unreasonable Delay, and Delay Must Be Justified by Evidence

Date: May 20, 2026

POCA Restraint Orders: Later Charging Cannot Cure Unreasonable Delay, and Delay Must Be Justified by Evidence Case: R v Bewley Neutral citation: [2026] EWCA Crim 730 Court: England and Wales Court of...

R v Leddra [2026] EWCA Crim 702 — Sentencing Multiple Child Sexual Offences: Meaningful Uplift for Total Criminality and Limited Discounts for Youth, Delay and Prior Sentences

Date: May 20, 2026

Sentencing Multiple Child Sexual Offences: Meaningful Uplift for Total Criminality and Limited Discounts for Youth, Delay and Prior Sentences 1. Introduction R v Leddra [2026] EWCA Crim 702 is an...

Immediate Custody May Be Required for Grave Historic Sexual Offending Committed as a Child Despite Rehabilitation and Delay

Date: May 20, 2026

Immediate Custody May Be Required for Grave Historic Sexual Offending Committed as a Child Despite Rehabilitation and Delay 1. Introduction In R v Reynolds [2026] EWCA Crim 733, the Court of Appeal...

Unlawful Under-Minimum Foreign Travel Restriction Orders: Court of Appeal Must Quash (Not Increase) on a Defendant-Only Sentence Appeal

Date: May 20, 2026

Unlawful Under-Minimum Foreign Travel Restriction Orders: Court of Appeal Must Quash (Not Increase) on a Defendant-Only Sentence Appeal Case: Cassanova, R. v Citation: [2026] EWCA Crim 734 Court:...

Starting a Car’s Engine From Outside the Vehicle Can Amount to “Driving” for Road Traffic Act Offences

Date: May 16, 2026

Starting a Car’s Engine From Outside the Vehicle Can Amount to “Driving” for Road Traffic Act Offences 1. Introduction In R v OFM [2026] EWCA Crim 599, the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)...

Financial remedy appeals after an appellant’s death: no personal representative means no properly constituted appeal; strike out under FPR r 30.10

Date: May 16, 2026

Financial remedy appeals after an appellant’s death: no personal representative means no properly constituted appeal; strike out under FPR r 30.10 Case: Kanabar v Kanabar Neutral citation: [2026]...

Controlling or coercive behaviour: “substantial adverse effect” does not require disruption of an established routine

Date: May 16, 2026

Controlling or coercive behaviour: “substantial adverse effect” does not require disruption of an established routine Introduction In R v Keay [2026] EWCA Crim 850, the Court of Appeal (Criminal...

Post-sentence early release changes do not retrospectively shorten driving disqualification

Date: May 16, 2026

Post-sentence Early Release Changes Do Not Retrospectively Shorten Driving Disqualification (and HDC Is Irrelevant at Sentence) 1. Introduction In R v Lindsay [2026] EWCA Crim 692, the Court of...

R v Cruise [2026] EWCA Crim 731 — Totality Requires a Real Uplift Where Concurrent Sentences Cover Multiple Victims and Distinct Sexual Offending

Date: May 15, 2026

Totality Requires a Real Uplift Where Concurrent Sentences Cover Multiple Victims and Distinct Sexual Offending Case: Cruise, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 731 (CA (Crim Div)) Date: 14 May 2026 Constitution:...

R v Belfon [2026] EWCA Crim 612 — No-case rulings: accomplice “knowledge of a weapon” must be assessed from the whole circumstantial case, not isolated CCTV visibility

Date: May 15, 2026

No-case rulings on accessorial murder: “knowledge of a knife” is for the jury where the totality of circumstantial evidence could support it Case: Belfon, R. v Neutral citation: [2026] EWCA Crim 612...

DVLA Website Error and Post‑Offence Driving Abstention Are Not “Special Reasons” to Disapply Mandatory Minimum Disqualification

Date: May 15, 2026

DVLA Website Error and Post‑Offence Driving Abstention Are Not “Special Reasons” to Disapply Mandatory Minimum Disqualification Case: Brown, R. v Neutral citation: [2026] EWCA Crim 704 Court: Court...

Peripheral Complaints and Speculative Fresh Evidence Do Not Justify Extending Time to Renew Leave to Appeal Against Conviction

Date: May 15, 2026

Peripheral Complaints and Speculative Fresh Evidence Do Not Justify Extending Time to Renew Leave to Appeal Against Conviction Introduction In R v Bhayani [2026] EWCA Crim 691, the Court of Appeal...

Jury Irregularities: Discretion to Discharge a Threatening Juror Without Derailing the Trial (Crim PD 8.7)

Date: May 15, 2026

Jury Irregularities: Discretion to Discharge a Threatening Juror Without Derailing the Trial (Crim PD 8.7) Case: R v Boyce Neutral citation: [2026] EWCA Crim 693 Court: England and Wales Court of...

Extraterritorial Rape of an Adult: Schedule 2 Expansion Is Not Retrospective Under Sexual Offences Act 2003 s72

Date: May 15, 2026

Extraterritorial Rape of an Adult: Schedule 2 Expansion Is Not Retrospective Under Sexual Offences Act 2003 s72 1. Introduction In R v Wisher [2026] EWCA Crim 695, the England and Wales Court of...

Unduly Lenient Rape Sentences: Domestic Abuse Aggravation and Totality Uplift for Multiple Sexual Offences

Date: May 15, 2026

Unduly Lenient Rape Sentences: Domestic Abuse Aggravation and Totality Uplift for Multiple Sexual Offences 1. Introduction In R v Akram [2026] EWCA Crim 732 (Court of Appeal (Criminal Division),...

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 s.3: “In charge” can persist without presence where an omission causally permits the dog to be dangerously out of control

Date: May 15, 2026

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 s.3: “In charge” can persist without presence where an omission causally permits the dog to be dangerously out of control 1) Introduction In R v Twigg & Anor [2026] EWCA Crim...