Let’s face it: use of automated facial recognition technology by the police – UK Police Law Blog

‘The case of R (Bridges) v Chief Constable of South Wales Police & Information Commissioner [2020] EWCA Civ 1058 (handed down on 11 August 2020) was an appeal from what is said to have been the first claim brought before a court anywhere on planet earth concerning the use by police of automated facial recognition (“AFR”) technology. There could be nothing wrong with posting scores of police officers with eidetic memories to look out for up to a 800 wanted persons at public gatherings. So why not use a powerful computer, capable of matching 50 faces a second with a database of (under) 800 suspects, to do this job much more cheaply and instantaneously, flagging any matches to a human operator for final assessment? According to the Court of Appeal in Bridges, this system constitutes an interference with Article 8 rights which is not such as is in accordance with the law, but which (critically) would be proportionate if a sufficiently narrow local policy were framed.’

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UK Police Law Blog, 11th August 2020

Source: ukpolicelawblog.com

Council must pay costs of redacting documents for journalist – Litigation Futures

Posted August 12th, 2020 in costs, disclosure, documents, local government, media, news by sally

‘A local authority must cover the costs of redacting court documents which are being disclosed to a freelance journalist, the High Court has ruled.’

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Litigation Futures, 12th August 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

South Wales police lose landmark facial recognition case – The Guardian

‘Campaigners are calling for South Wales police and other forces to stop using facial recognition technology after the court of appeal ruled that its use breached privacy rights and broke equalities law.’

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The Guardian, 11th August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Carl Smythe guilty of Liskeard car park stab murder – BBC News

Posted August 12th, 2020 in alcohol abuse, murder, news by sally

‘A man has been found guilty of murder after stabbing a 20-year-old to death in a car park following a fight in a pub.’

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BBC News, 11th August 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Is it an error of law to consider the requirements of s6 EQA in a sequential order? No, says the EAT in Khorochilova v Euro Rep Ltd UKEAT/0266/19/DA – 3PB

‘Following her summary dismissal for gross misconduct, the Claimant brought various claims against her former employer, including a claim of disability discrimination. A preliminary hearing was listed in July 2017 to determine whether she was disabled at the material time. The Claimant identified her disability as ‘Mixed Personality Disorder’, which she said, made her ‘somewhat obsessive’ and a bit of a ‘perfectionist’. She relied upon a report prepared by a Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Schuff, which had been prepared at some point in 2010. Dr Schuff declined to diagnose the Claimant as having a multiple personality disorder but described her as suffering with ‘problematic personality traits’. There was no reference to mixed personality disorder within the Claimant’s GP records until after she was dismissed.’

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3PB, 3rd August 2020

Source: www.3pb.co.uk

Prosecution strategies in AR cases (1) – Counsel

‘A two-part series from Laura Hoyano and John Riley modelling investigation and prosecution strategies in cases of abusive relationship offending. Part one of this worked case example shows the typical challenges, tactics to surmount them, and the need for innovative thinking.’

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Counsel, August 2020

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

MPs urge action on lawyers who facilitate “aggressive tax avoidance” – Legal Futures

‘The lawyers and others who devise and market ineffective tax avoidance schemes are often breaking the law and a few legislative tweaks will make it easier to prosecute them, MPs have claimed.’

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Legal Futures, 11th August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Met closure of Stephen Lawrence case will deny his family justice – The Guardian

Posted August 12th, 2020 in bereavement, families, inquiries, murder, news, police, racism by sally

‘​Convicting all of the suspects in the racist gang of five or six people that killed Stephen Lawrence would have delivered justice for his family, and some measure of redemption for the Metropolitan police. Scotland Yard’s decision to close the case means neither will get what they longed for.’

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The Guardian, 11th August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

New rules may force online political adverts in UK to carry labels – The Guardian

Posted August 12th, 2020 in advertising, internet, news, political parties by sally

‘Online political advertisements could require labels for the first time under plans unveiled by the government, in an effort to inject more transparency into digital campaigning.’

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The Guardian, 12th August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Novichok inquest to examine possible responsibility of Russian state for the death of Dawn Sturgess – 2 Hare Court

‘The poisoning of the former Russian double agent, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury in March 2018 was a truly shocking event. It was another throwback to the Cold War with the nerve agent, Novichok, playing the deadly role assumed by radioactive polonium in the 2006 assassination of Alexander Litvinenko in London.’

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2 Hare Court, 6th August 2020

Source: www.2harecourt.com

POCA disclosure orders, notices and overseas recipients (Faerman v SFO): James Fletcher for Lexis Nexis – 5SAH

‘Although the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) did not bring to the court’s attention a Supreme Court decision (that held a notice issued under a disclosure order could not be sent to someone outside the jurisdiction) that did not invalidate the disclosure order itself and the non-disclosure was not sufficient to merit the discharge of the disclosure order.’

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5SAH, 30th July 2020

Source: www.5sah.co.uk