The National Crime Agency explains that ‘County Lines is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another… usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs.’ (National Crime Agency (2021) County Lines).

Often those groomed or coerced by county lines gangs do not realise that this is what is happening to them until it is too late, by which time the law is unlikely to provide them with any defence if they are charged with a criminal offence connected to their involvement in the gang.

Forced to commit a crime?

Watch the animation below. Pause after each scene and ask yourself whether the main character (in red) ought to have realised that they might be threatened to do things by the gang. If they are forced to commit a crime by the gang, do you think that the criminal law should provide them with a defence?

This animation is used as part of one of the units in the W111 Criminal law and the courts module. The W111 module employs a range of multi-media sources and engaging activities to immerse you in key issues and debates relevant to the Criminal Justice System of England and Wales. The module focuses on a range of criminal offences, such as murder and theft using real case studies, as well as aspects of criminal defences. The module is also built around themes of law reform, campaigning, and inequality.