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About Corporate Crime

Over the last ten years, the Government has passed a series of laws creating new corporate criminal offences - from corporate manslaughter, money laundering, bribery and insider dealing to environmental health and consumer protection. Keeping on top of the latest laws, cases and commentary is a challenge – but the stakes are higher than ever.

Bribery and corruption

Businesses facing prosecution for recent or historic bribery and corruption offences need quick, accurate, and practical advice on investigations and self-reporting. Our content offers unique practical insight.

Health and safety offences

Investigations into workplace accidents can be lengthy and complex. Our content provides practical advice on health and safety and gross negligence manslaughter offences, investigations and prosecutions.

Private prosecutions

Private prosecutions are on the rise, as businesses see it as a way to secure justice in financial crime cases. Our bespoke suite supports anyone seeking to bring and challenge private prosecutions.

Keeping up to date

As the scope and volume of corporate criminal offences increase, keeping track of changes is a constant challenge. Our weekly highlights and trackers keep you up to date with all the latest developments.

Our Top Sources

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Associated legal terms

Aggravating circumstances

Aggravating circumstances are specific factors that make an offence, or an offender’s conduct, more serious and therefore justify a harsher sentence. They focus on features such as greater harm, higher culpability, targeting of vulnerable victims, use of weapons, planning, abuse of trust or authority, group offending, or offences motivated by hostility (for example, hate crime).

Across England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, the concept is broadly consistent, but the lists and treatment of aggravating circumstances are partly set out in statute and partly developed through sentencing guidelines and case law. Some aggravating factors are statutory (such as racial or religious aggravation, domestic abuse, or offending on bail), while others are non‑exhaustive and identified judicially.

Aggravating circumstances are weighed against mitigating circumstances during sentencing. They do not change the legal definition of the offence but influence sentence length, type of disposal, and decisions on custody thresholds, dangerousness and extended sentences. Practitioners must identify and particularise aggravating features in pleadings, indictments where appropriate, and sentencing submissions, with courts required to explain on the record how aggravating circumstances have affected sentence.

False trade description

A false trade description is defined in the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 (TDA 1968), s 3(1) as a trade description which is false to a material degree.

Inchoate offences

Inchoate offence is criminal offences designed to punish the acts prior to the committing of another crime.
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