Domestic abuse victims in England and Wales to be given more time to report assaults – Ministry of Justice

‘Under the changes, victims of domestic abuse will be allowed more time to report incidents of common assault or battery against them. Currently, prosecutions must commence within six months of the offence.’

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Ministry of Justice, 4th January 2022

Source: www.gov.uk

Judge slashes QC’s £110k brief fee for case that settled before trial – Legal Futures

Posted January 7th, 2022 in accidents, barristers, costs, fees, news, personal injuries, sport by tracey

‘A costs judge has slashed the £110,000 brief fee sought by a claimant when his case settled nearly three weeks ahead of trial and before the QC had started preparing for it.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 7th January 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Home Office to introduce scientific methods for assessing the age of asylum seekers – Home Office

Posted January 7th, 2022 in asylum, children, government departments, immigration, news by tracey

‘The Home Secretary has announced that the Home Office is establishing a new Scientific Advisory Committee to provide advice on ways of checking how old an asylum seeker is.’

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Home Office, 5th January 2022

Source: www.gov.uk

Speech by Dame Victoria Sharp DBE: The Challenges and Opportunities Created by Digital Evidence in Criminal Cases – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

‘Dame Victoria Sharp DBE, the President of the Queen’s Bench Division, has given a speech to the National Criminal Justice Conference.’

Full speech

Courts and tribunals Judiciary, 5th January 2022

Source: www.judiciary.uk

Road rage driver who rammed moped jailed after pillion passenger’s death – The Independent

Posted January 7th, 2022 in dangerous driving, homicide, imprisonment, news, sentencing by tracey

‘A car driver in a rage who chased a moped through the streets before ramming the vehicle and fatally injuring its pillion passenger has been jailed.’

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The Independent, 6th January 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Man handed life sentence for attacking girlfriend and killing her unborn baby – The Independent

‘A man has been handed a life sentence for attacking his girlfriend and killing her unborn child.’

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The Independent, 6th January 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Salford police chase: Banned driver jailed for dangerous driving – BBC News

Posted January 7th, 2022 in dangerous driving, imprisonment, news, sentencing, theft by tracey

‘A banned driver who sped at up to 100mph (161km/h) in a stolen car while being pursued by police has been jailed.’

Full Story

BBC News, 7th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

New scheme aims to resettle 20,000 Afghans in UK – BBC News

Posted January 7th, 2022 in Afghanistan, asylum, government departments, immigration, news, refugees by tracey

‘The government has launched a new scheme to help 20,000 Afghans fleeing their country to resettle in the UK.’

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BBC News, 6th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Van driver who hid £16.5m of drugs in catering supplies jailed for 10 years – The Independent

Posted January 7th, 2022 in drug offences, drug trafficking, imprisonment, news, offensive weapons, sentencing by tracey

‘A van driver who attempted to smuggle £16.5 million worth of heroin and cocaine by hiding it within catering supplies has been jailed for 10 years.’

Full Story

The Independent, 6th January 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Television producer cleared of deliberately causing car to crash into his bike – The Independent

Posted January 7th, 2022 in accidents, dangerous driving, news, personal injuries by tracey

‘A television producer has been cleared of deliberately causing a car to crash into the back of his bike in a case described as “unique and bizarre” by his celebrity lawyer.’

Full Story

The Independent, 6th January 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Colston Four acquittal raises doubts about 10-year jail term proposal – The Guardian

‘The acquittal of the Colston Four raises questions about new laws imposing 10-year jail terms for the toppling of statues, legal experts have said.’

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The Guardian, 6th January 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK faces legal action for approving firm accused of using forced labour as PPE supplier – The Guardian

‘The UK government is facing legal action over its decision to keep using a Malaysian company accused of using forced labour as a supplier of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the NHS.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 6th January 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Nationality and Borders Bill: Why is it causing protests? – BBC news

‘Terrorists, war criminals, spies – that’s who the government says it’s targeting as part of a shake-up of immigration law. Under the Nationality and Borders Bill being debated in the House of Lords, if the British government wants to remove someone’s citizenship it will no longer need to tell them.’

Full Story

BBC News, 7th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Hillsborough Law would ‘level scales of justice’, says mayor – BBC News

‘A Hillsborough Law is needed to ensure fairer treatment for bereaved families, Liverpool City Region’s mayor has said.
Steve Rotheram and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the government needs to “level the scales of justice”.
They are calling for measures recommended in a 2017 report, based on the experiences of Hillsborough families, to be enshrined in law.’

Full Story

BBC News, 7th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Karolina Szopa: Condemning the Persecuted: Nationality and Borders Bill (2021) and Its Compatibility with International Law – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted January 6th, 2022 in bills, immigration, international law, news, treaties by sally

‘In light of the ongoing migration issues, the UK’s government set out to reform the immigration system to make it fairer and more efficient, while aiming to tackle people smuggling and prevent unsafe routes to asylum. The Nationality and Borders Bill 2021, currently awaiting a second reading in the House of Lords, was introduced in July 2021 as a potential solution.’

Full Story

UK Constitutional Law Association, 6th January 2022

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Advocates use ‘with respect’ in court as “marker of disrespect” – Legal Futures

Posted January 6th, 2022 in advocacy, barristers, brexit, legal language, news by sally

‘Advocates can use the word “respect” as “an implicit marker of disrespect” when addressing opposing counsel in court, academics have found.’

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Legal Futures, 6th January 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Brook House Inquiry: Phase 1 Hearings Reviewed – Appin Mackay-Champion – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted January 6th, 2022 in detention, human rights, immigration, inquiries, news by sally

‘The Brook House inquiry has recently concluded its first phase of hearings which took place between November 23 and December 10, 2021 at the International Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC). Brook House is an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) beside Gatwick Airport, originally managed by the private security company G4S. The inquiry was set up to investigate the actions and circumstances surrounding the “mistreatment” of male detainees at Brook House between April 1 to August 31 2017, and specifically, examining whether the treatment experienced was contrary to Article 3 ECHR (the right not to be subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment). This followed the damning footage filmed by an undercover reporter in Brook House during the “relevant period”, and broadcast on the BBC Panorama Programme “Undercover: Britain’s Immigration Secrets” which aired on September 4, 2017.’

Full Story

UK Human Rights Blog, 6th January 2022

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Jurors see the bigger picture: activists who were cleared in court – The Guardian

Posted January 6th, 2022 in criminal damage, demonstrations, juries, news by sally

‘Cases have included climate, environment, human rights and anti-war protests where damage to property was not denied.’

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The Guardian, 6th January 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Lord Ahmed: Former peer guilty of child sex offences – BBC News

Posted January 6th, 2022 in attempts, child abuse, news, rape, sexual offences by sally

‘A former Labour peer has been found guilty of sexual offences against two children in the 1970s.’

Full Story

BBC News, 5th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Top UK law firm fined record sum for breaching money-laundering rules – The Guardian

Posted January 6th, 2022 in fines, law firms, money laundering, news by sally

‘Mishcon de Reya, one of the UK’s most prestigious law firms, has been fined a record amount for committing “serious breaches” of money-laundering rules.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 6th January 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com