Judge rules on Madonna custody dispute – BBC News
‘Madonna has been granted permission to end the British legal action over the custody of her 15-year-old son, Rocco.’
BBC News, 21st March 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Month: March 2016
Clayton Williams convicted of PC Dave Phillips’s manslaughter – BBC News
‘A car thief has been found guilty of the manslaughter of a policeman by running him over in a stolen pick-up truck during a chase.’
BBC News, 21st March 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Last living suspect in VIP paedophile ring inquiry will not face charges – The Guardian
‘The last living suspect at the centre of a police investigation into an alleged VIP paedophile ring that was accused of killing three children has been told he will face no charges. Harvey Proctor, the former Conservative MP, was given the news on Monday afternoon following a conversation between his solicitors and a senior Met officer.’
The Guardian, 21st March 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Personal data and politicians’ names – Panopticon
‘Can the name of a local councillor who has defaulted on Council tax properly be withheld from disclosure under the exemption for personal data in s.40 FOIA? That was the issue for the Upper Tribunal (“UT”) in Haslam v (1) Information Commissioner (2) Bolton Council [2016] UKUT 0139 (AAC), 10 March 2016. Mr Haslam, a journalist on the Bolton News, had submitted a FOIA request to Bolton Council for disclosure of names of councillors who had received reminders for non-payment of Council tax since May 2011. The Council refused to name names, citing the exemption in s.40 FOIA. The Information Commissioner and First-Tier Tribunal (“FTT”) upheld the Council’s decision. The UT (Judge Markus QC) has now reversed the FTT’s decision, and held that the name of the individual councillor concerned should be released.’
Panopticon, 18th March 2016
Source: www.panopticonblog.com
Lammy Review of BAME representation in the Criminal Justice System: call for evidence – Ministry of Justice
‘In January 2016 the Prime Minister invited David Lammy MP to find out why official figures show that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups appear to be over-represented at most stages of the criminal justice system, and what can be done about it. This is an independent review. It aims to make sure that everyone is treated equally, whatever their ethnicity.’
Ministry of Justice, 21st March 2016
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
High Court rejects Clifford’s attempt to slash costs through “inadequate” Calderbank offer – Litigation Futures
‘The High Court has rejected jailed publicist Max Clifford’s attempt to limit his costs to only £5,000 in a privacy claim by making an “inadequate” Calderbank offer.’
Litigation Futures, 21st March 2016
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Speech by the Lord Chief Justice: The Bailii Lecture 2016 – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
‘As is well known, the development of the law in England and Wales was effected not only through cases where the claims were brought in the courts, but through claims that were brought in arbitrations. In 1979 (by statute) and 1981 (by Lords Denning and Diplock through an interpretation of that statute), the relationship between the courts and arbitration was changed on the perceived basis that it was damaging the attractiveness of London as a centre for dispute resolution through arbitration.’
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 18th March 2016
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
Regina v Boateng – WLR Daily
Regina v Boateng; [2016] EWCA Crim 57
‘The defendant. a Ghanaian national, held a non-European Union passport. His wife, also a Ghanaian national, assumed the identity of a deceased Ghanaian national, who had had Dutch citizenship, and obtained a Dutch identification card and a Dutch passport under that false identity. The defendant and his wife had an infant daughter. On the false premise that he and the daughter were entitled to reside in the United Kingdom by virtue of his wife’s falsely assumed status as a European Union national, the defendant obtained residence cards, each in the form of a Home Office stamp in a non-European Union passport, for himself and the daughter. On three occasions the defendant used his passport, containing the residence card stamp, to enter the United Kingdom, and on one occasion he used it to open a bank account in there. The defendant and his wife were charged with various immigration and documentation offences. The defendant pleaded guilty to eight counts, charged as follows: (i) seeking or obtaining leave to enter or remain in the UK by the deception of applying to the Home Office for a residence card for himself (count 2) and for a certificate of naturalisation (count 12), contrary to section 24A(1)(a) of the Immigration Act 1971; (ii) facilitating the commission of a breach of section 10(1)(c) of the “Immigration Act 1999” by obtaining leave for his daughter to enter or remain in the UK by the deception of applying to the Home Office for a residence card for her, contrary to section 25(1) of the 1971 Act (count 3); (iii) possessing false identity documents with intent, contrary to section 25(1) of the Identity Cards Act 2006 (counts 4 to 7); and (iv) being in possession or control with intent of an identity document, namely a British passport in his own name that he knew or believed to have been improperly obtained in February 2012, contrary to section 4 of the Identity Documents Act 2010 (count 13).’
WLR Daily, 16th March 2016
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Horada and others v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and others – WLR Daily
‘Pursuant to its power under section 226(1)(a) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the local planning authority made a compulsory purchase order in respect of land which included a well known market. The claimant and the market traders’ association objected and a public inquiry was held. The planning inspector recommended that the order not be confirmed. The Secretary of State issued a decision confirming the order, ostensibly giving reasons for departing from the inspector’s recommendation. The judge dismissed the claimant’s challenge to the validity of the order under section 23 of the Acquisition of Land Act 1981. The claimant and the association appealed on the grounds that the reasons given by the Secretary of State for departing from the inspector’s recommendation were inadequate and/or inadequately expressed.’
WLR Daily, 18th March 2016
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Revenue and Customs Commissioners v Apollo Fuels Ltd and others – WLR Daily
Revenue and Customs Commissioners v Apollo Fuels Ltd and others; [2016] EWCA Civ 157
‘The employers leased cars to their employees to enable them to carry out their duties. The cars were leased on arm’s length commercial terms, including lease charges at full market value. The revenue concluded that the provision of the cars was a taxable benefit, for the purposes of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003, and served notices of assessment for that tax on the employees. The First-tier Tribunal allowed the employees’ appeal, holding that the provision of the cars was a “benefit” which fell within section 114 of the 2003 Act with the result that Chapter 6 of Part 3 of the 2003 Act applied. That decision was affirmed by the Upper Tribunal.’
WLR Daily, 17th March 2016
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Poppi Worthington’s father faces intimidation every day, coroner told – The Guardian
‘A father who was identified by a high court judge as having probably sexually assaulted his baby daughter shortly before she died may be allowed to give evidence from a secret location after facing daily intimidation, a pre-inquest hearing has heard.’
The Guardian, 18th March 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Police guilty of misconduct over woman who died in cell – The Guardian
‘Two police officers and two members of police staff were found to have committed misconduct over the way they dealt with a “very vulnerable” woman who was found dead in a police cell.’
The Guardian, 18th March 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Crown courts to allow filming for first time – BBC News
‘TV cameras could be allowed into crown courts in England and Wales for the first time, as part of a pilot scheme proposed by the Ministry of Justice.’
BBC News, 20th March 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Judges overturn practice of double conviction for aggravated offences – The Guardian
‘A long-established legal practice of imposing double convictions for racially or religiously aggravated offences has been overturned by a high court ruling that could influence national crime statistics.’
The Guardian, 20th March 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
NHS blood contamination victims hit out at ‘reforms’ which cost them up to £7,000 a year – The Independent
‘Victims of the worst contaminated blood scandal in the NHS’s history say they have been betrayed by the Government after plans were revealed to reduce their annual payouts. About 5,000 people – many of them haemophiliacs – who were infected with HIV, hepatitis C or both after receiving infected blood in the 1970s and 1980s, have been sent letters from the Department of Health asking for their views on “reforms” that will leave them up to £7,000 a year worse off.’
The Independent, 21st March 2016
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Hundreds of rapists and child abusers taken off sex offenders’ register – The Independent
‘Nearly 700 sex offenders have been removed from the register in the last four years, including 157 child abusers, new figures have revealed. A Freedom of Information request by the BBC found more than half of applications made by criminals to be removed from the register since 2012 have been successful.’
The Independent, 21st March 2016
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Nuisance calls by ‘ambulance chasers’ soar despite attempts at crackdown – Daily Telegraph
‘One in five people receives an unsolicited, nuisance call every day in a practice fuelled by “ambulance-chasing lawyers,” a report has warned. The compensation culture, which is driven by claims management companies, has soared, despite government attempts to crack down on the practice.’
Daily Telegraph, 21st March 2016
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
MP Simon Danczuk admits wrongly claiming £11,000 expenses – BBC News
‘MP Simon Danczuk has been ordered to repay thousands of pounds after admitting an expenses claims “error”.’
BBC News, 18th March 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
