On 12 March 2015 Section 85 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) 2012 came into force. The aim of this section is to give more power to magistrates’ courts by removing the upper limit on the size of fine they can impose, in order to free up Crown Courts to sentence the more serious offences. Its effects are likely to be significant in cases where companies of substance are prosecuted and convicted. [Read More...]