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August 2023
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A District Judge sitting at Westminster Magistrates' Court last month authorised that a summons be issued against the prominent conservative member of parliament, Boris Johnson.
The allegations relate to alleged conduct during the Brexit referendum campaign and in particular the £350m per week for the NHS slogan that adorned the side of campaign buses. Unless other steps are taken to the stop this prosecution, Johnson will have to appear in court to answer these charges and face trial at the crown court. So what? The unusual aspect of this case is that this is a private prosecution crowdfunded by individuals who support the prosecution. Is that unusual? In England and Wales, the vast majority of prosecutions are undertaken by the Crown Prosecution Service. Also, there are also a large number of other public bodies that regularly prosecute cases, generally of a specialist nature, before the courts, such as the Environment Agency, Serious Fraud Office, Local authorities, Civil Aviation Authority etc. There are also very few well-known organisations that regularly privately prosecute cases, most notably the RSPCA in respect to allegations of animal cruelty. But private individuals prosecuting cases are relatively rare. Are private prosecutions always allowed? The Supreme Court has reiterated quite recently that private citizens have a constitutional right to prosecute alleged crimes before the courts. Some companies and individuals’ resort to private prosecution when they feel that the State has failed to act. There are many safeguards to prevent vexatious prosecutions, such as:
Doing a Boris Update The High Court has blocked a private prosecution of Tory leadership frontrunner Boris Johnson This has now completely quashed all charges against him The man who brought a private prosecution against prime minister hopeful Boris Johnson has told Legal Cheek he faces an uncertain financial future after racking up debts of around £200,000. Despite crowdfunding over £500,000 over three years to bring the case, Marcus Ball has told this website in an exclusive interview that “in terms of the overall balance sheet, money owed and money left, we’re in the negatives.” When asked if he’s in debt, the director of Brexit Justice Limited responded: “Oh, massive debt, of approximately about £200,000, roundabout.” Source How we can assist If you need specialist advice, then get in touch with Ashmans Solicitors 03330096275 and let us help, we deal with all manner of criminal offences on a daily basis and have the expertise to get you the best result possible. Alternatively email us [email protected] Comments are closed.
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