Of all the legal issues that we hear of during the news or read about in the papers are mostly criminal matters. Sometimes there are details of a nice juicy divorce – to those unaffected and not joint parties to it all, the juicier and nasty it sounds, the more we like to read the gossip. But on the whole, criminality take major stakes in our courts. The question may never arise in a normal family – what is criminal law. In itself, the phrase just covers the fact it defines the criminal offences and the rules and procedures that will apply if a) the police start investigations into an offence they allege has been committed b) the prosecuting authorities charge someone, and c) these accused, once charged, must appear in a criminal court. If an accused person admits the offence or are found guilty at hearing in court, the court will impose punishment. This can range from fines, community orders and improsonment. Specialist criminal law soliitors will help parties who are suspected or arrested of a crime.
Offences under the criminal heading include all matters of violence such as murder and manslaughter, sexual offences and non sexual assaults. Other areas involving dishonesty offences will include fraud, theft and offences against property, such as arson (deliberately setting light to something or somewhere) and other criminal damage.
There are also crimes against justice itself, such as perjury or giving false evidence under oath and perverting the course of justice.
