Experienced solicitors in Washington and Gateshead
If you have received a drunk and disorderly charge, you could end up with a criminal record if convicted. This could impact you in the future, including in respect of issues such as applications for jobs and visas. You could also receive a fine of up to £1,000 and/or an order, including an anti-social behaviour order, drinking banning order or football banning order.
Having the right advice and representation at the start is crucial to try and deal with the matter out of court. At John Donkin Solicitors, we can advise you of your options and the best course of action to try and avoid a conviction.
If errors have been made in the way that your case was handled or your rights were not observed, we may be able to ask for charges to be dropped. In some cases, it may be possible to negotiate a reduced penalty, such as an official caution.
We have extensive experience in dealing with drunk and disorderly charges and are often able to minimise the impact of a case for our clients.
To speak to one of our expert drunk and disorderly lawyers, call us on 0191 416 2182 (Washington) or 0191 495 2896 (Gateshead) or complete a Free Online Enquiry today.
“Very efficient, with a swift approach to all issues.”
Our Drunk And Disorderly Services
Our services if you have been arrested for being drunk and disorderly include:
- Police station representation
- Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your case and whether there are any mitigating factors
- Advice on the options open to you
- Defending drunk and disorderly conduct charges
What Is Drunk And Disorderly Conduct?
Under the Criminal Justice Act 1967, it is an offence to be drunk and disorderly in a public place. The Act does not include an exact definition of disorderly, but it is generally taken to have an ordinary meaning and will include behaviour such as shouting, threats, throwing things and fighting. There is no set amount of alcohol that you need to have consumed and the threshold for this can be quite low.
It may also be the case that the authorities try to allege aggravating factors, for example, if the issue happened somewhere where there were young or vulnerable individuals present, where the offence involved those providing a service to the public or where substantial disturbance was caused.
“Excellent service nothing was a problem everything explained to enable us to fully understand the process.”
Defending Drunk And Disorderly Charges
Our team will work to establish what happened and secure copy evidence from the police and prosecution. We will check that the correct procedures were followed in dealing with your case and that your rights have been observed throughout.
We will check whether there are any factors that can be raised in mitigation, for example:
- Remorse
- No previous convictions
- Age or lack of maturity, if this has affected responsibility
- Only a minimal disturbance was caused
- Mental disorder or learning disabilities
If you are considering pleading guilty to the charge, we can advise you on this point. An early guilty plea could result in lesser penalties.
Otherwise, we will put together the strongest possible defence on your behalf. We will work to secure you a discharge wherever possible. This could either be an absolute discharge, or a conditional discharge where you are given a set of conditions that you need to observe. If you were to fail to do so, you could receive a sentence at that point.
Alternatively, you could be bound over to keep the peace.
Contact Our Gateshead And Washington Drunk And Disorderly Solicitors
If you have been accused of being drunk and disorderly in a public place and you would like to speak to a solicitor, call us today.
To speak to one of our expert drunk and disorderly lawyers, call us on 0191 416 2182 (Washington) or 0191 495 2896 (Gateshead) or complete a Free Online Enquiry today.
“Can highly recommend John Donkin Solicitors. Excellent service and friendly people”
