Calls for review of police use of restraint over lung cancer patient’s death – The Guardian

Posted March 8th, 2016 in death in custody, inquests, news, police, restraint by sally

‘A senior coroner has called for a national review of police use of restraints after an inquest jury found a decision to restrain a 57-year-old man suffering from lung cancer and pneumonia in hospital contributed to his death.’

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The Guardian, 8th March 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Supreme Court learns lessons of IT implementation as it heads towards going paperless – Litigation Futures

Posted March 8th, 2016 in courts, internet, judges, news, speeches, Supreme Court by sally

‘Lord Kerr, the Supreme Court justice, is leading an initiative to improve the use of technology at the court and cut down on paper, it has emerged.’

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Litigation Futures, 7th March 2016

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

School closure consultation – Education Law Blog

Posted March 8th, 2016 in consultations, education, news, Wales by sally

‘The School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013 sets out the process for establishing, altering and discontinuing schools in Wales. R (Edwards) v Flintshire County Council [2016] EWHC 459 (Admin) was an unsuccessful judicial review challenge of a decision by the Defendant LEA to issue statutory notices under Section 48 of that Act to close a High School. The ground of challenge was that the Council failed, in its consultation process, to comply with its obligation under Section 38(4) of the Act to act in accordance with the Welsh Ministers’ Code of School Organisation. The Act requires the Welsh Ministers to issue a code on school organisation. It may contain requirements and/or guidelines. By Section 38(4), those who exercise functions in relation to school organisation in Wales, including local education authorities, must, when exercising those functions, act in accordance with any relevant requirements contained in the Code, and have regard to any relevant guidelines contained in it. Section 48 requires a proposer for change to publish the proposals, consult and publish a report on the consultation, all in accordance with the published code. In April 2013, the Welsh Ministers published a Code on School Organisation. It came into force on 1 October 2013.’

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Education Law Blog, 8th March 2016

Source: www.education11kbw.com

Research suggests Family Drug and Alcohol Courts make major savings – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 8th, 2016 in alcohol abuse, courts, drug abuse, family courts, news, reports by sally

‘Family Drug and Alcohol Courts (FDACs) save the state money, with the London FDAC alone generating estimated gross savings of £1.29m to public sector bodies over five years, research has suggested.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 8th March 2016

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Sharon Edwards: Violent wife murdered lawyer husband – BBC News

Posted March 8th, 2016 in domestic violence, murder, news by sally

‘A woman who regularly beat her newly-wed husband has been convicted of his murder by stabbing him through the heart.’

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BBC News, 8th March 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Prison smoking ban overturned by court of appeal – The Guardian

Posted March 8th, 2016 in appeals, news, prisons, smoking, Wales by sally

‘A compulsory, immediate ban on smoking in prisons has been overturned by the court of appeal, allowing the Ministry of Justice to introduce its own voluntary, phased controls.’

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The Guardian, 8th March 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Why is domestic abuse still not taken seriously in UK courts? – The Guardian

Posted March 8th, 2016 in criminal justice, domestic violence, news, sentencing, victims, women by sally

‘Female victims left in fear for their lives speak out about the failure of the justice system to punish abusers with long prison sentences.’

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The Guardian, 8th March 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The justice system of the future: online continuous hearings and a single point of entry – Legal Futures

Posted March 8th, 2016 in courts, internet, judges, news, speeches, tribunals by sally

‘The first trial of online dispute resolution (ODR) in the UK’s courts and tribunals will introduce a concept known as the “online continuous hearing”, it has emerged, with the Senior President of Tribunals urging a change in perception of litigation from an adversarial dispute to “a problem to be solved”.’

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Legal Futures, 8th March 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Woman jailed after explosives hoard found in house – The Guardian

Posted March 8th, 2016 in explosives, news, sentencing, women by sally

‘A woman who stored improvised hand grenades, other explosive materials and 2,000 rounds of ammunition in her house has been jailed for three years.’

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The Guardian, 7th March 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

IPCC police complaints body to be rebranded and reformed – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 8th, 2016 in bills, complaints, news, police by sally

‘Independent Police Complaints Commission to be overhauled and renamed the ‘Office for Police Conduct’, Theresa May says.’

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Daily Telegraph, 7th March 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Cases taking 19 months to get to appeal court owing to backlogs – The Guardian

Posted March 8th, 2016 in appeals, courts, delay, internet, judges, news, reports by sally

‘Cases are taking up to 19 months to reach trial in the court of appeal because of increasing courtroom backlogs, according to the judge in charge of introducing online justice.’

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The Guardian, 7th March

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Joint enterprise: First murder case defendants walk free after landmark ruling – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 8th, 2016 in appeals, codefendants, joint enterprise, murder, news, sentencing by sally

‘Two men acquitted after judge decides pair have no case to answer following ruling that courts have been wrongly interpreting law for 30 years’

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Daily Telegraph, 7th March 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

The poppers ban: will it criminalise gay users? – The Guardian

Posted March 8th, 2016 in bills, crime, drug abuse, drug offences, homosexuality, news by sally

‘More than 2m bottles of poppers are sold legally every year – and Yorkshire is the centre of the trade. How is one factory preparing for the ban?’

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The Guardian, 7th March 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk