Despite petition, government has no plans to legalise cannabis – The Guardian

Posted August 26th, 2015 in drug offences, news by sally

‘The government has responded to a 200,000-strong petition calling for the legalisation of cannabis in the UK by saying it has no plans to change the law.’

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The Guardian, 25th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Departing forensic specialist highlights legal aid plight – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted August 26th, 2015 in budgets, forensic science, legal aid, news by sally

‘A forensic science specialist has paid tribute to solicitors working with a ‘decimated’ legal aid budget after announcing an exit from the UK market.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 25th August 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Refusing a subject access request: proportionality, anxious scrutiny and judicial discretion – Panopticon

Posted August 26th, 2015 in burden of proof, data protection, disclosure, news, police, proportionality by sally

‘Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis [2015] EWHC 2484 (QB), a judgment of Green J handed down today, is an interesting – if somewhat fact-specific – contribution to the burgeoning body of case law on how subject access requests (SARs) made under the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) should be approached, both by data controllers and by courts.’

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Panopticon, 25th August 2015

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Iran is Great van: no apology or compensation to family from Met – The Guardian

Posted August 26th, 2015 in compensation, news, police, terrorism by sally

‘The Metropolitan police have decided not to compensate or even apologise to the European family whose van was broken into because it had “Iran is Great” emblazoned on its sides.’

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The Guardian, 25th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

“Fundamentally decent” partner broke rules to keep firm afloat while waiting for legal aid payments – Legal Futures

Posted August 26th, 2015 in client accounts, disciplinary procedures, legal aid, news, solicitors by sally

‘A former president of Bolton Law Society, described by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) as a “fundamentally decent man”, made 61 improper transfers from client account and used a personal credit card to keep his firm afloat.’

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Legal Futures, 26th August 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘Appropriate adults not being used’ for many vulnerable people in custody – BBC News

Posted August 26th, 2015 in detention, learning difficulties, local government, mental health, news, police by sally

‘About a quarter of a million vulnerable people are not receiving the support of an “appropriate adult” while in police custody, a report has suggested.’

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BBC News, 26th August 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Revenge porn: Are the police and courts taking the crime seriously? – The Independent

Posted August 26th, 2015 in internet, news, police, pornography, prosecutions, victims by sally

‘Since April this year, sharing explicit images or videos without consent – known as revenge porn – has been illegal. Now, the first perpetrators are being sentenced. But does the new law go far enough? Emily Dugan speaks to victims, legal experts and campaigners to find out.’

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The Independent, 25th August 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Bigamist jailed after cheating dying wife out of £30,000 in benefits – The Guardian

Posted August 26th, 2015 in benefits, bigamy, news, obtaining property by deception, sentencing by sally

‘A lorry driver has been jailed for cheating his terminally ill wife out of £30,000 of incapacity benefits and committing bigamy by marrying a new bride on their wedding anniversary.’

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The Guardian, 25th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Billy Mankelow murder: Leeds man Richard Danter jailed for life – BBC News

Posted August 25th, 2015 in murder, news, sentencing, violent offenders by sally

‘A man with a history of violent and sexual offending has been jailed for a minimum of 15 years for the savage murder of a Leeds University student.’

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BBC News, 21st August 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Inspection of family visit visa system: serious problems remain – Free Movement

Posted August 25th, 2015 in appeals, families, immigration, news, reports, visas by sally

‘The family visit visa system underwent an inspection by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration last month. The posts inspected were Abu Dhabi, Accra, Amman, Dhaka, Kingston, Manila, Nairobi, New Delhi, Croydon and Sheffield. The Inspector confidently declares that there is “no evidence that the removal of the full right of appeal from Family Visitor visa applicants had led to a higher refusal rate or to an overall reduction in decision quality.”’

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Free Movement, 24th August 2015

Source: www.freemovement.org.uk

Making sense of deposits. Nearly. – Nearly Legal

Posted August 25th, 2015 in deposits, housing, landlord & tenant, news, penalties by sally

‘It started as such a simple idea, the tenancy deposit regulations. But bad drafting and some ‘interesting’ interpretations by the Courts put paid to that. We now have a confusing mess, for both landlords and tenants.’
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Nearly Legal, 24th August 2015

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Soviet dissident sues Crown Prosecution Service, alleging libel – The Guardian

‘The veteran Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky is suing the Crown Prosecution Service for libel over a statement it issued in April announcing that he was being charged with child pornography offences.’

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The Guardian, 24th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Google ordered to remove news links by UK authority – BBC News

Posted August 25th, 2015 in data protection, internet, news, privacy by sally

‘Google has been ordered to remove nine links to news stories by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under the “right to be forgotten”.’

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BBC News, 21st August 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Asylum seekers fight deportation to Afghanistan – The Guardian

Posted August 25th, 2015 in appeals, asylum, deportation, news by sally

‘Lawyers have launched a series of last-minute challenges to the proposed deportation of failed asylum seekers on a charter flight to Afghanistan.’

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The Guardian, 24th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Brendan Conway TV talent show dancer jailed for grooming boys – BBC News

Posted August 25th, 2015 in news, sentencing, sexual grooming by sally

‘A chef and youth football coach who appeared on a TV talent show has been jailed for eight years for using social networking sites to groom boys.’

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BBC News, 24th August 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Chilcot report: Farce deepens as Downing Street is forced to rule out inquiry into the inquiry – The Independent

Posted August 25th, 2015 in delay, inquiries, Iraq, news, reports by sally

‘The farce over the long-awaited publication of John Chilcot’s report into the Iraq War has deepened after Downing Street was forced to rule out having an inquiry into the inquiry.’

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The Independent, 24th August 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Number of most dangerous prisoners in special units doubles – report – The Guardian

Posted August 25th, 2015 in dangerous offenders, imprisonment, news, prisons, reports by sally

‘The number of the most dangerous male prisoners in England being held in a special “jail within a jail” system has doubled over the past decade, inspectors have revealed.’

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The Guardian, 25th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

10 of the strangest wills of all time – The Guardian

Posted August 25th, 2015 in news, wills by sally

‘Leaving instructions for what should happen to your finances after your death is a serious matter – but for some the temptation to cause mischief or raise a smile from beyond the grave is too much to resist.’

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The Guardian, 25th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Emily Thornberry MP – Human rights conventions: when some are more equal than others? – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted August 24th, 2015 in appeals, benefits, bills, children, human rights, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘When a legal challenge to one of the coalition Government’s flagship welfare reforms – an overall cap of £26,000 per year on the amount any family could receive in benefits – was reviewed by the Supreme Court earlier this year, the resulting judgment left many observers scratching their heads. Had the Court declared the cap unlawful or not? The answer seemed to be a mixture of yes and no.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 24th August 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Girl, 16, who tried to travel to Syria must be removed from her home – The Guardian

Posted August 24th, 2015 in children, families, family courts, Islam, news, passports, terrorism, wardship by sally

‘A schoolgirl “fully radicalised” by Islamic State propaganda must be removed from her family home, the high court has ruled.’

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The Guardian, 21st August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk