Sam Hallam and Victor Nealon denied compensation by Court of Appeal – BBC News

Posted April 12th, 2016 in appeals, compensation, DNA, evidence, miscarriage of justice, news by sally

‘Two men who served long sentences before their convictions were overturned have lost the latest round of their legal fight for compensation.’

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BBC News, 11th April 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Inheritance tax should be scrapped – it’s unpopular and barely raises any money

Posted April 12th, 2016 in inheritance tax, news, tax avoidance, tax evasion, taxation by sally

‘Inheritance tax is a losing issue for the left and the right, despite raising a mere quarter of 1 per cent of GDP.’

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The Independent, 11th April 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Four cleared in Royal Agricultural University rape case – BBC News

Posted April 12th, 2016 in news, prosecutions, rape, universities by sally

‘Four men accused of rape after a university’s summer ball have been cleared after the case against them was dropped.’

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BBC News, 11th April 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Cosmetic treatment industry given strict rules to protect vulnerable – The Guardian

‘Doctors carrying out cosmetic treatments must avoid two-for-one offers and allow a minimum two-week cooling-off period before surgery or risk being struck off, under long-awaited guidance to protect patients who may be vulnerable.’

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The Guardian, 12th April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

EVENT: IALS – Judgecraft and the Emotions

Posted April 8th, 2016 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘In this unusual event, two judges – one from the UK, one from Germany – reflect on their professional experiences and, in particular, the emotional dimension to their work. Their informal conversation will consider the emotional and ethical challenges of their role, and their own take on topics such as judicial diversity, court modernisation initiatives and the role of the media in the pursuit of justice.’

Date: 21st April 2016, 6.00-7.30pm

Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies – 17 Russell Square Charles Clore House, London WC1B 5DR

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

EVENT: British Academy – Penal power: Its forms, functions and foundations

Posted April 8th, 2016 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘This lecture will analyze the forms of penal power, the social uses to which they are put, and their connection to political institutions and social processes. Drawing examples from America’s penal system, the sociology of punishment has not adequately understood the relations between penal power and other forms of state power; or the place of criminal punishment in larger systems of social control and social integration. Rather than see the US case as an aberration, this lecture will argue that American penality helps us refine some of our basic assumptions about the place of punishment in modern societies.’

Date: 7th June 2016, 6.00-7.15pm

Location: The British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH

Charge: Free

More information can be found here.

EVENT: LSE – From Oscar Pistorius to Reality TV: the implications of using the courtroom as a television studio

Posted April 8th, 2016 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘The Judicial Images Network Project was established in 2014 to bring together scholars and across disciplines and continents to explore issues surrounding the production, regulation and consumption of judicial images. Directed by Professors Leslie Moran and Linda Mulcahy this lecture is the final event in a series of three. The event will feature two speakers with extensive experience of the issues that arise from televised trials. The Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa Dikgang Moseneke will discuss the experience of, and issues arising from, the televising of the trial of Oscar Pistorious. Ruth Herz will reflect on her experience as a judge who took part in a popular German courtroom based reality TV show. Chaired by the Master of the Rolls this event will examine the ethical implications of allowing cameras into courts and whether and how the presence of cameras impacts on the dynamics of the trial.’

Date: 13th April 2016, 6.30-8.00pm

Location: Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building

Charge: Free

More information can be found here.

NHS Christian worker loses appeal after ‘giving book to Muslim colleague’ – BBC News

‘A Christian health worker in the NHS has lost her appeal against a ruling which suspended her for giving a religious book to a Muslim colleague.’

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BBC News, 7th April 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

A judge’s sentence is not for entertainment – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 8th, 2016 in judiciary, media, news, public interest, reporting restrictions, sentencing by sally

‘Being appointed a judge is like going to school, one of our distinguished judges noted when he was first appointed. You have to sit in one place every day, all day. You have to listen to people addressing you, to take notes, and hand in your homework at the end.’

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Daily Telegraph, 7th April 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Information rights judgment reveals Charles’ views on the Queen – Panopticon

‘The Royal Family has been the subject of a good deal of information rights litigation. The most famous is of course the Evans saga, about the ‘advocacy correspondence’ of Prince Charles. There have also been cases about (to name just a few subjects) the cost of police protection for the Royal Family, whether or not the Duchy of Lancaster is a public authority, royal wills and alleged heirs to the throne, as well as – most recently – whether the Duke or Duchy of Cornwall is a public authority for the purposes of the Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs). The most recent judgment focuses on Her Majesty the Queen herself, and reveals the views of Charles (J).’

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Panopticon, 7th April 2016

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Linking to copyright infringing material should not constitute copyright infringement itself, says EU court advisor – OUT-LAW.com

Posted April 8th, 2016 in copyright, EC law, internet, news by sally

‘The act of posting a link to a website that features “freely accessible” copyright infringing content should not itself be classed as an act of copyright infringement, an advisor to the EU’s highest court has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 7th April 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

Secret court hearing to rule on Foreign Office’s evaluation of human rights – The Guardian

‘A three-year battle by the Foreign Office (FCO) to keep secret how diplomatic issues colour its human rights decisions reached its climax on Thursday, in a court case that was itself largely held in secret at the insistence of the security services.’

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The Guardian, 7th April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Angela Wrightson case: Can children be natural born killers? – BBC News

Posted April 8th, 2016 in children, families, mental health, murder, news, sentencing by sally

‘Two teenage girls have been detained for torturing and murdering a vulnerable woman in north-east England. But when a child deliberately kills, what is to blame? Is it possible some children are simply bad? Or are there other factors at play?’

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BBC News, 8th April 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

From domestic violence to coercive control – OUP Blog

Posted April 8th, 2016 in domestic violence, human rights, news, sex discrimination, women by sally

‘When a major obstacle is removed to our progress, idealist intellectuals like myself rejoice. I was introduced to one such obstacle in the early l970s, when a woman hiding from her abusive husband in our home told us “violence wasn’t the worst part.” Like the millions of other victimized women we have served in the ensuing years, she understood that the prevailing equation of partner abuse with domestic violence has little relation to her lived experience of oppression.’

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OUP Blog, 8th April 2016

Source: http://blog.oup.com

Youth the one mitigating factor for teenage girls who killed – The Guardian

Posted April 8th, 2016 in anonymity, mental health, murder, news, sentencing, young offenders by sally

‘The 15-year-olds were given the equivalent of an adult life sentence and could be detained indefinitely.’

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The Guardian, 7th April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Guidance on coasting schools – Education Law Blog

‘In all of the excitement about the proposals in the White Paper for all schools to become academies, there has been little discussion about the Guidance for local authorities and RSCs on Schools causing concern – Intervening in failing, underperforming and coasting schools. Alongside this guidance, the Government has published its response to the consultation exercise, which includes a useful summary of the amendments that the Government made to the Bill during its Parliamentary passage.’

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Education Law Blog, 7th April 2016

Source: www.education11kbw.com

Dangerous drivers should not be allowed to choose trial by jury – The Guardian

Posted April 8th, 2016 in dangerous driving, judges, juries, news, trials by sally

‘It might seem an unlikely thing for a QC to advocate – but this is about justice: jurors are too ready to acquit drivers who cause death or injury to pedestrians and cyclists.’

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The Guardian, 8th April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Court lenient over seven-day delay in filing costs budget – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 7th, 2016 in appeals, budgets, costs, delay, law firms, news by sally

‘A firm which filed its costs budget seven days late due to a change in fee-earner has been granted relief from sanctions on appeal.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 5th April 2016

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Libor trial: former Barclays bankers were ‘driven by money’ – The Guardian

Posted April 7th, 2016 in banking, conspiracy, fraud, interest, news by sally

‘Five former Barclays bankers accused of conspiring to rig Libor interest rates were “driven by money” and their offence “is no different from stealing,” a court has been told.’

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The Guardian, 5th April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The Duke and Duchy of Cornwall and the EIRs – Panopticon

‘The Duchy of Cornwall was established by Edward III in 1337 for his son. There is a landed estate (the Duchy) and a title (the Duke). Edward III was no doubt unconcerned about any legal duties that may attach to the Duchy; he had bigger fish to fry. In the 21st century, however, at least one knotty question of legal duty has surfaced.’

Full story

Panopticon, 5th April 2016

Source: www.panopticonblog.com