The applicant was registered on a German database as a person prepared to use violence in the context of sports events. He travelled with a group of others from Bremen to Frankfurt in order to attend a football match. They were kept under police surveillance. Some (not the applicant) were searched and found to be … Continue reading Ostendorf v Germany: ECHR 7 Mar 2013
The several applicants had been arrested in different circumstances and each charged with breach of the peace contrary to common law. Under the Magistrates’ Court Act 1980, the court can bind over a Defendant to keep the peace, if the Defendant consents, and impose a sentence of up to 6 months’ imprisonment if the Defendant … Continue reading Steel and Others v The United Kingdom: ECHR 23 Sep 1998
The claimants had variously been attending a demonstration in London, or passing through. The police detained them in a cordon for several hours. They sought damages. No unlawful acts were alleged against them. Held: There was no deprivation of liberty during the initial period when the cordon was not absolute and people were free to … Continue reading Austin and Another v The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis: QBD 23 Mar 2005
The court considered the required basis for a reasonable suspicion to found an arrest without a warrant: ‘The ‘reasonableness’ of the suspicion on which an arrest must be based forms an essential part of the safeguard against arbitrary arrest and detention which is laid down in Article 5(1)(c). The court agrees with the Commission and … Continue reading Fox, Campbell and Hartley v The United Kingdom: ECHR 30 Aug 1990
ECJ (Judgment) Reference for a preliminary ruling – Urgent preliminary ruling procedure – Judicial cooperation in criminal matters – Directive 2016/343/EU – Articles 3 and 6 – Temporal application – Review by the courts of the remand in custody pending trial of an accused – National legislation prohibiting, during the trial stage of the proceedings, … Continue reading Milev C-439/16: ECJ 27 Oct 2016
The claimant appealed against rejection of his claim for damages for false imprisonment and infringement of his human rights. On his arrest for a different offence his passport was suspected to be counterfeit, and he was then held for an offence under the 2006 Act. The police secured expert evidence from the National Document Fraud … Continue reading Zenati v Police of The Metropolis and Another: CA 11 Feb 2015
