Plea Bargaining in UK Law

Using his home computer the appellant, through the internet, identified US Government network computers with an open Microsoft Windows connection and from those extracted the identities of certain administrative accounts and associated passwords.

In addition to making submissions about the likely length of any sentence in the United States, Mr Lawson also submits that the conditions of detention both before trial and after sentence raise human rights issues. He draws our attention to material provided by Amnesty and from American case law regarding the use of stun guns and the like against detainees in American prisons. On analysis, the evidence is of the use of such devices in the face of prison disturbances and the like.

We agree with that analysis. Submissions similar to those advanced by Mr Lawson were advanced on behalf of the appellant in Bermingham. There, neither the fact that the appellants were United Kingdom nationals nor anything else about their circumstances brought them within the scope of exceptionality. We agree with Mr Summers that, if anything, the US links in the present case are stronger than they were in Bermingham and the UK links are weaker.

In the present case Mr McKinnon has been able to raise his human rights points in this Court in the context of his appeal against the decision of the District Judge.

Once an indication has been given, it is binding and remains binding on the judge who has given it, and it also binds any other judge who becomes responsible for the case. If, after a reasonable opportunity to consider his position in the light of the indication, the defendant does not plead guilty, the indication will cease to have effect.

"There is no doubt in my mind that BCCI has centralised its management, control and operations in the City. This is a UK- based bank, with its White House encompassing two buildings fronting Leadenhall Street and three at the rear. There is absolutely no way that we should continue the pretence that Luxembourg are the prime supervisors. Luxembourg is prehistoric; Grand Cayman is a tax haven; and it is the Bank of England who are the lender of last resort.

There had been a significant change in availability of court reports in China over the last ten years, due in part to improvements in technology. Dr Dillon accepted that Chinacourt had on it 23100 criminal judgements or thereabouts. That was a drop in the ocean.