suspended sentence meaning

In this issue: Cross border criminal investigations Criminal procedure and evidence Proceeds of crime Bribery, corruption, sanctions and export controls Cybercrime and data protection offences Environmental offences Financial services and pensions offences Fraud, forgery, tax and theft offences Insolvency Local authority prosecutions Money laundering Corporate Crime in Scotland Other corporate crime and crime related news Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Cross border criminal investigations Companies should act as corporate enforcement develops. In late June 2025, SFO Director Nick Ephgrave met with Matthew Galeotti, head of the criminal division at the US Department of Justice (DOJ), and both reiterated a pledge to work together on prominent transnational investigations. Hayley Lund, partner, and Frankie Cowl, counsel, at Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, consider the UK’s shifting corporate enforcement landscape. See News Analysis: Companies must take action as...

Appeal by Dmitrii Ovsiannikov over UK Russia sanctions conviction Dmitrii Ovsiannikov, once a politician for Russia’s ruling party, has filed an appeal after his April conviction for breaching the UK’s Russia sanctions. He was found guilty of six counts of circumventing sanctions under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, SI 2019/855, alongside two counts of money laundering. At Southwark Crown Court, a judge handed the former Russian trade minister and ex‑governor of Russian‑occupied Sevastopol a 40‑month prison term. Liam Lane of Peters & Peters, who acted for Ovsiannikov, confirmed an application had been submitted on his behalf. Ovsiannikov’s brother, Alexei Owsjanikow, received a 15‑month sentence, fully suspended, after he too was convicted of circumventing sanctions for paying the school fees of Ovsiannikov’s children. Owsjanikow’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. These convictions and sentences were the first in the UK for breaches of its sanctions on Russia and linked individuals...

In this issue: Data Protection ePrivacy Cybersecurity Reputation management Confidential information Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Data Protection ICO reprimand Levales Solicitors LLP under Articles 32(1)(b) and (d) of UK GDPR The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has censured Levales Solicitors LLP for breaches of Article 32(1)(b) and (d) of the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation, Retained Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (UK GDPR), after a security incident. A threat actor entered the firm’s cloud-hosted server using valid credentials and released sensitive data on the dark web, affecting 8,234 individuals in the UK; 863 were assessed as high risk given the sensitivity of the information. The ICO’s inquiry concluded the firm failed to ensure the ongoing confidentiality of its processing systems and had not deployed sufficient organisational measures to safeguard personal data. See: LNB News 14/10/2024 31. ICO reports on criminal record and suspended sentence handed to former RAC employees for personal information...

Practice Note This Practice Note consists of two strands created to help dispute resolution practitioners remain up to date with developments in case law that affect their field, or which influence civil litigation procedure more generally: selected forthcoming appeals to the Supreme Court are highlighted below; see Key forthcoming appeals to the Supreme Court—2022 summaries of significant appeal decisions in England and Wales (ie rulings of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court and, where appropriate, certain judgments of the Competition Appeal Tribunal, Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, Court of Justice of the European Union), and ECtHR, which we have covered; see: Key forthcoming appeal cases—2022 You can navigate this content using the table of contents in the left-hand margin. Alternatively, search this tracker using [CTRL]+[F]. This material is not intended to be a comprehensive register of every appeal or major decision relevant to dispute resolution practitioners. Key forthcoming appeals to the Supreme Court—2022 Tort and negligence ...

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is no longer maintained. This Practice Note is retained solely for historical reference as it relates to CPR 81 as it stood before 1 October 2020, and to Practice Direction 81, which was revoked in full with effect from 1 October 2020. If you are handling a committal application after 1 October 2020, you must consult the CPR 81 currently in force and the Practice Notes addressing it; see: Contempt and committal—overview. For the pre-1 October 2020 version of CPR 81 or Practice Direction 81, see: This Practice Note considers the aims and principles of sentencing in contempt and writ of sequestration matters following a successful committal application. It does not attempt to provide a sentencing guide on the suitability or otherwise of sentence length in any particular circumstances. In line with Longhurst v Killen, the duration of any sentence will always turn on a broad range of factors and, naturally, the character of the contempt itself. Committal...

Forthcoming change: The Sentencing Act 2026 gained Royal Assent on 22 January 2026 and delivers extensive revisions to the Sentencing Code. It brings in additional sentencing powers, such as new financial orders, widens both the scope and obligations of community orders and suspended sentence orders, and introduces major alterations to bail and overarching sentencing principles. The Act also overhauls elements of release, recall, post-sentence supervision, and the deportation framework for foreign criminals. Some sections are scheduled to commence on 22 March 2026, with further provisions activated in stages by regulations. This content will be updated as the relevant measures are brought into force. For more information, see: LNB News 23/01/2026 5. This Practice Note sets out when a defendant may appeal to the Crown Court from a magistrates’ court’s refusal to grant bail or to vary bail conditions. It additionally explains when a prosecutor may invite a magistrates’ court to reconsider the grant of bail to a defendant, and when a prosecutor may appeal to the Crown Court against...