Conspiracy and attempts

The law must be updated to deal with new challenges posed, for example, by internet paedophiles and organised gangs planning criminal activities who may be operating on a world-wide basis. The Law Commission recommends a series of changes to improve and clarify the law governing conspiracy and attempts to commit crimes to make it simpler and fairer both for the prosecution and the accused. This report contains a draft Conspiracy and Attempts bill that would: make it possible to bring a charge of conspiracy when conspirators deliberately take a risk that they will engage in criminal activity; abolish the outdated rule that prevents married couples from being charged with conspiring to commit a crime; make it possible to bring a charge of conspiracy when conspirators deliberately take a risk that they will engage in criminal activity; introduce a new defence of reasonableness to a charge of conspiracy. The report follows a consultation paper issued in 2007 (ISBN 9780118404433).