Here comes the judge – the maverick aiming to tame Britain’s raucous press – The Guardian

Posted May 16th, 2014 in complaints, freedom of expression, judges, media, news by sally

‘Lawyers and fellow judges have queued up to sing the praises of Sir Alan Moses, inaugural chair of the new press regulator.’

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The Guardian, 16th May 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The Killing of Blair Peach – London Review of Books

Posted May 16th, 2014 in coroners, demonstrations, inquests, news, police, reports by sally

‘‘As a campaign meeting, it must have been one of the biggest yet, a hundred National Front supporters, three and a half thousand police and thousands of Asian demonstrators.’ This was the way News at Ten began its report of the clashes in Southall on 23 April 1979, midway through the general election campaign that would end with the victory of Margaret Thatcher. The report contained footage of police officers arresting middle-aged men in turbans, women sitting down in the road and demonstrators with their heads swaddled in bandages. The final images showed around twenty NF supporters, all men, giving Nazi salutes as they went into Southall Town Hall.’

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London Review of Books, 22nd May 2014

Source: www.lrb.co.uk

High Court issues proportionality ruling – Litigation Futures

Posted May 16th, 2014 in civil procedure rules, costs, news, personal injuries, proportionality by sally

‘A costs judge is entitled to consider if individual items of costs claimed are proportionate and necessary even if the costs of the litigation overall appear proportionate, the High Court has decided in the first ruling on the issue.’

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Litigation Futures, 16th May 2014

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Eastenders in Supreme Court: A1P1 filling in the gaps – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Not Albert Square, but it could be. The Crown Prosecution Service suspect two individuals of a massive duty/VAT fraud in their cash and carry businesses. The CPS go to the Crown Court (in the absence of the individuals) and get an order to appoint a receiver (i.e. a paid manager) to run the affairs of companies (Eastenders) in which the individuals are involved, as well as a restraint order against the individuals. Both receivership and restraint orders are set aside some months later by the Court of Appeal, on the basis that the HMRC investigator’s statements were largely “broad and unsupported assertions”. Problem: by then the receiver had run up £772,547 in fees.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 15th May 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Are international students deterred by the UK’s immigration policy? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted May 16th, 2014 in education, immigration, news, select committees, statistics, universities by sally

‘The Government has been called upon to rethink immigration policy and remove non-EU students from net migration figures in a report published by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee. The Committee looked specifically at the number of international students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and whether the UK’s immigration policy has any impact on these numbers. It concludes the Government is simultaneously committed to reducing net migration and attracting increasing numbers of international students, a contradiction which could be removed by excluding students from net migration figures.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 15th May 2014

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Burglars face tougher punishments if children are in raided house – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 16th, 2014 in burglary, children, news, sentencing, victims by sally

‘Damian Green, the justice minister, says courts should take account of new statements by children and young people setting out how burglary affects them.’

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Daily Telegraph, 15th May 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Marlon King jailed for 18 months for dangerous driving – BBC News

Posted May 16th, 2014 in dangerous driving, news, sentencing by sally

‘An ex-Premier League footballer who caused a pile-up while eating ice cream at the wheel has been jailed for 18 months for dangerous driving.’

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BBC News, 15th May 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

General Medical Council calls for law change after two surgeons escape ban following pregnant woman’s death – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 16th, 2014 in disciplinary procedures, doctors, news, tribunals by sally

‘The seriousness of the incident and subsequent “tragic death” of the mother-of-three warranted the suspension of both doctors’ licence to practise, says head of GMC.’

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Daily Telegraph, 15th May 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Hertfordshire placenta smoothies firm ban over ‘health risk’ – BBC News

Posted May 16th, 2014 in food, health, human tissue, news by sally

‘A company cannot process raw placentas for new mothers to eat, after a judge ruled it posed a “health risk”.’

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BBC News, 16th May 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Alarm as sexual conviction rate falls six points despite drive for improvements – The Guardian

Posted May 16th, 2014 in news, police, prosecutions, sexual offences, statistics by sally

‘The conviction rate for sex offences has fallen sharply in England and Wales despite drives by the police and prosecutors to put more rape and other sexual assault cases before the courts.’

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The Guardian, 15th May 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Merrill Academy teacher Leigh White banned for life – BBC News

‘A teacher who kissed and cuddled a pupil has been banned from the profession for life.’

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BBC News, 14th May 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Judges criticise impact of legal aid cuts – The Guardian

‘There has been a large increase in unrepresented claimants, outbreaks of courtroom violence, extra litigation and increased costs, according to senior judges who have criticised the impact of legal aid cuts in the family courts.’

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The Guardian, 14th May 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Recent Statutory Instruments – legislation.gov.uk

Posted May 14th, 2014 in legislation by sally

The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (Commencement No. 3) Order 2014

The Urban Development Corporations in England (Area and Constitution) Order 2014

The Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (Specified Proceedings) (Amendment) Order 2014

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

BAILII: Recent Decisions

Posted May 14th, 2014 in law reports by sally

Court of Appeal (Civil Division)

S (Children, W & T), Re [2014] EWCA Civ 638 (14 May 2014)

JKX Oil & Gas Plc & Ors v Eclairs Group Ltd [2014] EWCA Civ 640 (13 May 2014)

High Court (Administrative Court)

Waryoba, R (On the Application Of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2014] EWHC 1496 (Admin) (13 May 2014)

High Court (Chancery Division)

The Registrar of Companies v Swarbrick & Ors (Administrators of Gardenprime Ltd) [2014] EWHC 1466 (Ch) (13 May 2014)

Source: www.bailii.org

R (on the application of Fitzroy George) (Respondent) v The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Appellant) – Supreme Court

R (on the application of Fitzroy George) (Respondent) v The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Appellant) [2014] UKSC 28 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 14th May 2014

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

What can we learn from drug courts? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘Why were drug courts set up?

The introduction of drug courts in the UK has followed a slightly different trajectory to other jurisdictions, where drug courts filled an important gap in the range of community-based sanctions available to the courts to deal with drug-related crime.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 13th May 2014

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Letting agents ‘will have to publish their fees in full’ – BBC News

Posted May 14th, 2014 in bills, consumer protection, fees, landlord & tenant, news, regulations, rent by sally

‘The government has said letting agents in England face a new obligation to display full details of their fees both on their websites and in their offices.’

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BBC News, 14th May 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Andrew Le Sueur: Imagining judges in a written UK Constitution – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘The tide of interest (among those who care about these things) in the idea of a written, codified constitution for the United Kingdom rises and falls. At the moment the tide is quite high, but certainly not high enough to flow into the estuaries of government policy making.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 14th May 2014

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

Legal complaint filed against GCHQ ‘hacking’ – BBC News

‘Privacy campaigners are seeking to stop GCHQ using “unlawful hacking” to help its surveillance efforts.’

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BBC News, 13th May 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Man convicted of grooming teenage girls online escapes jail – The Independent

Posted May 14th, 2014 in child abuse, internet, news, rehabilitation, sentencing, sexual grooming by sally

‘A man who groomed girls as young as 12 on social networking sites and watched them strip on Skype has escaped a jail sentence. MPs and charities branded the sentence “appalling”. The case has been referred to Attorney General Dominic Grieve.’

Full story

The Independent, 14th May 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk