The Ministry of Justice have recently introduced an amendment to a Bill currently going through Parliament, which introduces a new criminal offence of squatting. It is hoped that this new offence finally is going to help reduce the risk to owners of empty buildings posed by squatters.
The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill 2011 is a hefty document which adds to the encyclopaedia of criminal justice legislation that has been introduced in the last decade by various Governments. The Bill imposes mainly administrative rules for the provision of legal aid, but tucked away at the end of the Bill is a new criminal offence which has got the interest of many property owners. Read the rest of this entry »
