Best summer crime fiction, as recommended by a criminologist

Peter Squires, University of Brighton

A criminologist with a passion for crime fiction. It sounds a bit of a cliché, but crime thrillers may have started me on this career path to begin with. I’ve always told people that my interest in law and order was ignited by Z-Cars, when believable working class characters and realistic urban settings replaced the usual, old-fashioned cerebral sleuths in country houses. But then I’ve been reading mysteries and detective stories since childhood. I started, as did many, with the Famous Five and the Hardy boys, before gravitating on to more adult crime fiction and legal thrillers. Continue reading “Best summer crime fiction, as recommended by a criminologist”

Explainer: why the Supreme Court ruled against joint enterprise

Peter Squires, University of Brighton

Hundreds of convictions may need to be re-examined after a landmark Supreme Court judgement found that a man found guilty of murder under the controversial “joint enterprise” principle should have his murder conviction quashed.

The man, Ameen Jogee, was convicted after the jury in his original trial believed him guilty of encouraging the killer, Mohammed Hirsi, who actually struck the fatal blow – even though Jogee was outside the building when the murder occurred. Continue reading “Explainer: why the Supreme Court ruled against joint enterprise”