Section 115 MHA

I went looking to find my post on section 115 of the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA), having been asked a question about it – idea was to save myself some time by just emailing the post and seeing if that took care of the question. Turns out I hadn’t written one! – so here […]

Hainault

UPDATE – When you read the post below, bear in mind that we found out in June ’25 the outcome of the investigation and prosecution after the appalling events of April 24. During trial at the Old Bailey, Marcus Monzo put forward a partial defence of diminished responsibility to the charge of murder. The jury […]

The Sentencing Council

I made reference in a recent blog post to Sentencing Council guidelines on the sentencing of mentally disordered defendants in criminal courts. They are worth reading if you’re trying to understand how a defendant’s mental health has bearing on decisions made about sentencing. It can affect how prison sentences are determined and the guideline covers […]