RSPCA will keep powers to prosecute animal abusers, Government rules – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 7th, 2017 in animal cruelty, charities, news, private prosecutions, sentencing by sally

‘The RSPCA will be allowed to continue animal cruelty prosecutions, a report published today has revealed, as MPs’ calls for the charity to be stripped of its powers have been ignored by the Government.’

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Daily Telegraph, 7th February 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Claims of child-on-child sexual offences soar in England and Wales – The Guardian

‘Allegations of children committing sexual offences against other children have risen 78% in England and Wales in four years, prompting renewed calls for compulsory education on sexual consent and healthy relationships.’

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The Guardian, 3rd February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New Acts – legislation.gov.uk

Posted February 2nd, 2017 in banking, charities, children, legislation by tracey

Small Charitable Donations and Childcare Payments Act 2017

Savings (Government Contributions) Act 2017

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

Jehovah’s Witnesses charity drops attempts to block abuse inquiry – The Guardian

‘he UK’s main Jehovah’s Witnesses charity has dropped efforts to block an investigation into how it handled allegations of sexual abuse, including of children, after a legal fight lasting more than two years.’

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The Guardian, 2r3d January 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New Acts – legislation.gov.uk

Posted January 17th, 2017 in banking, charities, legislation by tracey

Small Charitable Donations and Childcare Payments Act 2017

Savings (Government Contributions) Act 2017

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

Chief druid wins right to take English Heritage to court over Stonehenge parking charges – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 11th, 2017 in charities, human rights, news, parking by sally

‘A senior druid has won the right to take a charity to court over “pay-to-pray” parking charges for the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge, claiming it should be free.’

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Daily Telegraph, 10th January 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Almshouses, tenancies and Article 14 – Nearly Legal

Posted January 4th, 2017 in appeals, charities, human rights, landlord & tenant, news by tracey

‘This post is my Christmas gift to land law students everywhere in the UK. It is a discussion of the very important Court of Appeal decision in Watts v Stewart [2016] EWCA Civ 1247, which concerned whether charitable providers of accommodation (in this case, almshouses, but, in principle, the issue in the case is broader) are exceptions to the Street v Mountford mantra that exclusive possession for a fixed term at a rent = tenancy.’

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Nearly Legal, 29th December 2016

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Watchdogs release damning reports on Marie Stopes abortion clinics – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 21st, 2016 in abortion, charities, consent, health, learning difficulties, news, reports by tracey

‘Staff at Britain’s biggest abortion provider tried to give a vulnerable woman a termination even though she did not understand what was going on, a damning report has found.’

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Daily Telegraph, 20th December 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Jedi order fails in attempt to register as religious group – The Guardian

Posted December 20th, 2016 in charities, freedom of expression, news by sally

‘A Star Wars-inspired organisation has failed to use the force of its arguments to convince the charity watchdog that it should be considered a religious organisation.’

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The Guardian, 19th December 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Richard Clayton QC: New Directions for Article 10: Strasbourg Reverses the Supreme Court in Kennedy – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘The Supreme Court decision in Kennedy v Charity Commission was striking from many points of view. Mr Kennedy was a journalist frustrated by the way the Commission handled his allegations concerning George Galloway MP’s controversial Iraq charity, the Miriam Appeal. He applied for disclosure of documents under the Freedom of Information Act, arguing that a prohibition from disclosure under s 32 should be interpreted compatibly with Article 10, as required by s 3 of the HRA. However, the Supreme Court declined to follow the recent ECtHR case law, holding that Article 10 did not encompass a right of access to information, deprecating the parties’ failure to rely upon the common law right to information and disagreeing over the question of whether proportionality should replace Wednesbury unreasonableness: see my previous post on this here.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 13th December 2016

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

Charity bequests shouldn’t have special status, Supreme Court hears – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 13th, 2016 in appeals, charities, news, Supreme Court, wills by sally

‘Charities should be treated no differently from any other beneficiary of a will when resolving disputes, seven Supreme Court judges heard today in a long running legal battle over a £468,000 bequest to animal charities. In Ilott v The Blue Cross and Others, the court is considing an appeal by three animal charities case against a Court of Appeal ruling setting aside a will on the grounds that it did not make reasonable provision for the testator’s daughter.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 12th December 2016

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Supreme Court to hear ‘unfair wills’ test case – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 12th, 2016 in appeals, charities, news, Supreme Court, wills by sally

‘The Supreme Court will today hear a case that should clarify the law on challenging wills on the grounds that they do not make reasonable provision. Animal charities are appealing a Court of Appeal decision in July last year in favour of Heather Ilott, who had been excluded from her mother Melita Jackson’s will.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 12th December 2016

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Charities fined over ‘wealth screening’ data breaches – BBC News

Posted December 7th, 2016 in charities, data protection, fines, news by tracey

‘Two charities have been fined over data protection breaches after secretly screening donors so they could be targeted for more money.’

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BBC News, 6th December 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ilott v Mitson: A storm in a Teacup? – Zenith Chambers

Posted November 9th, 2016 in appeals, charities, news, wills by sally

‘With Ilott due to be heard in the Supreme Court on 12th December 2016[1], Nicola Phillipson considers the impact the case has had upon claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 (“the Act”) and wonders whether the importance of the various decisions has in fact been overblown?’

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Zenith Chambers, 31st October 2016

Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk

NSPCC rejects plan for ‘mandatory reporting’ of suspected child abuse – The Guardian

Posted November 7th, 2016 in charities, child abuse, news, victims by sally

‘Plans to compel professionals to report their concerns that children are being abused have been rejected by the UK’s leading child protection charity, provoking fury from a victim support group.’

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The Guardian, 5th November 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

13,000 British paedophiles request help to stop looking at child sex abuse images in one year – The Independent

‘More than 13,000 people have sought help to stop them from viewing indecent images of children in the past year, according to a leading charity.’

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The Independent, 13th October 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

What does the Sunday Mirror allege Keith Vaz did – and is it illegal? – The Guardian

‘Is it against the law to buy sex or to offer to pay for cocaine? And are poppers legal?’

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The Guardian, 5th September 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Slavery reports rise fivefold, Salvation Army says – BBC News

‘The Salvation Army says it has seen nearly a fivefold rise in the number of slavery victims it has helped in England and Wales since 2012.’

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BBC News, 22nd August 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Monkey selfie: Animal charity Peta challenges ruling – BBC News

Posted August 15th, 2016 in animals, charities, copyright, intellectual property, news by sally

‘An animal charity has appealed against a court decision which ruled a monkey could not own the copyright to a selfie photograph it took.’

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BBC News, 12th August 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Jehovah’s Witnesses under pressure over handling of sexual abuse claims – The Guardian

‘The Jehovah’s Witnesses organisation is under increasing pressure to address its handling of sexual abuse allegations as it faces legal setbacks, bills of over £1m and a fight to prevent the Charity Commission examining its records of abuse claims.’

Full story

The Guardian, 12th August 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk