Kingsley Napley 24 HOUR SEARCH Youth Crime and the Law Home Services Criminal Litigation Criminal Defence and Police Investigations Youth Crime and the Law Youth Justice Online - Episode 1 - Sexting and Social Media "The KN team are one of the best known, oldest and highly regarded teams in this area of work. They get first rate work and deliver excellent results." Legal 500 UK 2021 Our experienced youth crime lawyers are committed to understanding your child and finding a solution that protects their reputation. Applying the law to children and young people is a specialist area of law. We have considerable experience and demonstrated success in ensuring that their age, lack of willingness to communicate and curiosity are not misinterpreted as illegality. A call to say your son or daughter is in trouble with the law is something every parent fears. We understand that young people make mistakes and that immaturity sometimes results in errors of judgement. We believe that such misjudgements should not result in a permanent mark against a young person’s character. Our youth crime lawyers are formally trained and experienced in building rapport and trust with your child so that they feel confident in giving instructions and understanding the advice they receive. We view you as an essential partner in the process and value your input in resolving your child’s case. Achieving the best outcome for our clients Some young people think that offences committed while under 18 years old are wiped from their record when they become adults. This is not true. A record will always be kept which can be disclosed at the discretion of the police in the future. UCAS and college applications routinely ask for information about convictions and cautions which can be determinative in securing and retaining your child’s place in education. Our representation is targeted at avoiding arrest and conviction and thereby limiting the impact on your child’s future prospects. Like you, we understand that there is a lot more to your child than the isolated issue that brings them into contact with the youth justice system. By engaging one of our specialist youth crime lawyers, you give your son or daughter the best opportunity to safely navigate this complex area of law. We understand that young people do not think like adults and often cannot foresee the consequences of their actions. Sometimes their reticence makes it difficult to give an innocent explanation for what has happened. We are able to support them in doing this to ensure the law does not mistakenly define their immaturity as youth crime. We achieve the best outcome by forcing the police and others involved in the youth justice system to apply common sense to your child’s situation. This includes finding the least onerous outcome which may be as simple as an apology. We will always look for innovative alternatives to prosecution that avoid a criminal record. In addition to addressing the immediate crisis, our lawyers aim to equip your child with information and skills that diminish the likelihood of future contact with the criminal justice system. WHAT DIRECTORIES, CLIENTS AND THEIR PARENTS HAVE SAID ABOUT US Further information about youth crime and justice Please see our page on frequently asked questions about youth crime and our youth crime blogs for further information and regular updates. Should you have any questions, please contact our team of youth crime lawyers in confidence or call us on +44 (0)20 7814 1200. +44 (0)20 7814 1200 Contact the team Sandra Paul Partner Email Sandra David Sleight Partner Email David Matthew Hardcastle Senior Associate VIEW FULL TEAM Highly collaborative and team based in everything they do. Friendly and down to earth while also being world class. Uniquely able to bring together the brightest and the best but without being pompous or superior in their attitude. Great listeners, hard workers and tactically the best in the business." Legal 500 UK 2021 The lawyers on the crime team are relentlessly good at what they do. They have a collaborative approach and are incredibly thorough and detailed in their work." Chambers UK 2021 The care, consideration and professionalism which [our child] was treated with by you, meant what could have been potentially a life changing experience was one where he felt informed, understood and less frightened. I will never be able to thank you enough." Parent of one of our clients Latest blogs & news Being accused of sexual misconduct when you are a child As a criminal defence solicitor specialising in defending allegations of sexual misconduct and representing children, the perfect storm that has erupted since the launch of Everyone’s Invited has made me privy to some of the saddest and most distraught children I have ever advised. READ MORE ... Regressive approaches to sentencing will not help children or society The head of the Youth Justice Board has rightly criticised the Government’s plans to raise child custodial sentences. At a time when England and Wales falls behind most European countries in protecting children with the lowest age of criminal responsibility (10), it is inexplicable that the Government is taking a further regressive step by seeking to increase the length of time that children must spend in prison. READ MORE ... Youth Justice: Is reform on the way for young people who turn 18 while in the criminal justice system? Children under 18 years old are afforded a number of special protections by virtue of the fact that they are children in the eyes of the law. These protections fall away when an individual turns 18 and they are legally considered an ‘adult’. For defendants who cross the threshold into adulthood during the criminal process, the impact of reaching this milestone can be profound. READ MORE ... Tackling Racial Injustice: Children and the Youth Justice System Today JUSTICE has published the latest working party report ‘Tackling Racial Injustice: Children and the Youth Justice System’. I am delighted to have had the opportunity to chair the working party that produced this report. The report makes practical recommendations to reduce BAME disproportionality in the Youth Justice System (YJS) of England and Wales. READ MORE ... Outcome 22: are the police utilising this important diversionary tool or leaving it on the shelf? David Lammy’s landmark review of racial bias in the Criminal Justice System (‘CJS’), made many key recommendations to help improve trust and fairness in the CJS when it was published in 2017. One of which was to expand the use of the deferred prosecution for adults and young offenders. READ MORE ... Student misconduct allegations and the right to a fair hearing The temptation to approach the adjudication of a student complaint as merely an ‘internal process’, is one of the most common errors made by some higher education institutions. The process adopted must be capable of examination by an independent and external eye to ensure that at each stage of the process, the rights of all individuals involved are protected. READ MORE ... How Universities should investigate a complaint under the disciplinary procedure Once an allegation is made against a student (or member of academic staff), either by another student, a member of staff or someone outside the university, it is important that that the University takes stock of the issue and acts carefully to ensure fairness to all parties. READ MORE ... The first crucial steps: how Universities should respond to allegations of misconduct University providers owe a duty of care towards staff members and students; this duty takes on particular significance during a disciplinary process and it is essential that Universities provide appropriate and relevant information and support to all parties involved in allegations of misconduct. READ MORE ... Getting it right from the start: University policies for dealing with non-academic misconduct complaints What happens when a complaint is made to a University about the conduct of a student or a member of academic staff? What should the procedures for the resolution of these complaints look like and how can all parties be reassured that such allegations will be resolved fairly? READ MORE ... I May Destroy You, Part 3: A study of sexual assault - Voyeurism, Revenge Porn, Youth Justice and False Allegations This blog series examines some of the sexual offences encountered by the main characters in the explosive 12-part BBC series, ‘I May Destroy You’. This final instalment focuses on a character called Theo and the events that occurred when she was a youth, during her high school years. READ MORE ... Legal limbo for children: The risks of turning 18 The impact of Coronavirus is significant and far-reaching for all children and young adults. For a youth justice system creaking under strain with serious delays, the lockdown has only compounded the problems and brings a raft of serious consequences. Timely justice is ever more important. READ MORE ... Appealing and challenging university disciplinary decisions: what students need to know Where a student has had an unfavourable outcome from a university disciplinary process, that need not be the end of the road. It may still be possible for them to appeal or otherwise challenge the higher education provider’s decision. READ MORE ... Reflections on Westminster Higher Education Conference, Priorities for tackling sexual violence and harassment in higher education At last week’s Westminster Higher Education (HE) Conference, speakers from Student Unions, Universities, to regulators and law firms discussed how best to tackle sexual violence and harassment in high education, including how to change campus culture and improve complaints and disciplinary processes. This blog summarises those discussions and reflects on where the sector’s key focus areas should be now. READ MORE ... Criminalising children – at what age and what cost? As the Scottish Parliament raises the age of criminal responsibility to 12, the law in England & Wales becomes even more isolated from the rest of the Western World. The Equality and Human Rights Commission, in relying on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), a convention to which the UK is a signatory, continues to criticise the UK in no uncertain terms regarding our failure to raise the age from 10 (the lowest in the region) to 14. READ MORE ... Sentences for young people should take account of their maturity Ministry of Justice figures show that 18 to 25-year-olds account for a third of the total social and economic costs of crime as victims or offenders, despite making up only 10 per cent of the population. READ MORE ... On the cliff edge: Do we need formal sentencing guidelines for ‘young adults’? Most of us remember our 18th birthday. Finally you are old enough to do a whole list of activities which were previously prohibited – you can vote, buy alcohol, open your own bank account, gamble or even get that tattoo you always wanted. On top of this, you are now deemed an ‘adult’ in the eyes of the law. READ MORE ... Eastenders explores rape: Part 5 - what happens when a complainant wants to "drop the case"? In this blog series, we have been following the progress of one of the latest EastEnders storylines, which centres on a young woman who claims to have been raped by two men after a night of heavy drinking. READ MORE ... Eastenders explores rape: Part 4 – what happens when someone is accused of rape? In this blog series, we have explored the concept of consent, the making of a complaint of rape from the perspective of the victim and what happens to those who may be interviewed as witnesses. In this piece we will look at what happens to someone who is accused of rape. READ MORE ... Changes to the Code for Crown Prosecutors David Sleight discusses the revised ‘Code for Crown Prosecutors’ and suggests that a shift in policy to encourage prosecutors to carefully review cases and exculpatory evidence at an early stage is a good idea in principle. Sleight argues the revised code is, however, ‘yet another example of a well-intentioned policy change that has little or no consideration as to what is happening on the ground’. READ MORE ... EastEnders explores rape: Part 3 – witness interviews In part 2, we followed how Ruby reported the allegation to the police. Now Ruby’s friends, Martin and Stacey, are being interviewed as witnesses and in this blog, we look at how this would really unfold. READ MORE ... YOUTH CRIME - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Services Youth Crime - FAQs Applying the law to children and young people is a specialist area of law. We set out the frequently asked questions in relation to youth crime and justice, which we are often asked by parents when their child has been accused of a criminal offence. Students and Universities We are experts in disciplinary and fitness to practise investigations conducted by Universities, as well as in the associated areas of safeguarding and the application of the Equality Act 2010. Simple Cautions FAQs We answer some of the most frequently asked questions asked about simple cautions Sexual Offences FAQs Our criminal lawyer experts address some of the most frequently asked questions regarding sexual offence allegations. Sexual Offences We deal with the highest profile and most sensitive cases, providing expert advice and support to both individuals and companies. Blackmail and Extortion Should you find yourself the victim of extortion or are accused of threatening someone, you should seek legal advice at the earliest opportunity. Serious Road Traffic Offences The law relating to driving offences is amongst the most complex in criminal law. Many people rely on their vehicles for their jobs or their families. Losing your licence can have devastating effects on all aspects of your life. Should you find yourself subject to a police investigation or summons, it is vital that you obtain professional legal advice as quickly as possible. Youth Crime and the Law Insights BLOG Being accused of sexual misconduct when you are a child Sandra Paul BLOG Regressive approaches to sentencing will not help children or society Áine Kervick BLOG Youth Justice: Is reform on the way for young people who turn 18 while in the criminal justice system? 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