Call to cut UK youth custody rate – BBC News

Posted September 3rd, 2009 in children, imprisonment, news by sally

“UK authorities should mimic radical measures from overseas to cut youth crime and the number of children in prison, a report has urged.”

Full story

BBC News, 3rd September 2009

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ministers under fire for locking up immigrant children – The Guardian

Posted September 1st, 2009 in children, immigration, imprisonment, news by sally

“Ministers were facing accusations today that hundreds of children are being held unnecessarily in immigration detention centres as official figures revealed, for the first time, that 470 minors were being detained with their families.”

Full story

The Guardian, 30th August 2009

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New pledge to support young victims of crime – Ministry of Justice

Posted August 25th, 2009 in children, crime, news, victims by sally

“A pioneering government programme to support young victims of crime as well as helping them to keep themselves safe will be rolled out nationwide, Justice Minister Bridget Prentice announced today.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 24th August 2009

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Child, nine, carried out sexual assault – The Independent

Posted August 24th, 2009 in children, criminal responsibility, news, sexual offences by sally

“A sexual assault by a nine-year-old was one of 32 recorded offences involving under 10s last year, a police force revealed today.”

Full story

The Independent, 24th August 2009

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Nurse Susan Pope sacked from school after smacking son loses appeal against dismissal – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 20th, 2009 in children, corporal punishment, education, news, unfair dismissal by sally

“Susan Pope, the nurse sacked from a leading public school after smacking her son in her own home, has lost her claim for unfair dismissal.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 19th August 2009

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

New laws could mean children disappear from TV, say broadcasters – The Times

Posted August 17th, 2009 in children, media, news by sally

“Children could disappear from our television screens if the Government decides to press ahead with plans to tighten regulations covering their appearance in entertainment, broadcasters claim.”

Full story

The Times, 15th August 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

One third of all children in jails are ‘wrongly imprisoned’ – The Independent

Posted August 14th, 2009 in children, news, prisons by sally

“More than a third of children sent to prison last year were wrongly jailed, a report into child custody rates says.”

Full story

The Independent, 13th August 2009

Source: www.independent.co.uk

More than 300 children a day added to DNA database – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 12th, 2009 in children, data protection, DNA, news by sally

“More than 300 children a day are being put on to the DNA database, fuelling fresh fears over the growth of the ‘Big Brother’ state.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 12th August 2009

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

More than 100 children a day convicted of criminal offences – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 6th, 2009 in children, crime, news, young offenders by sally

“More than 360,000 children have been convicted of crimes since Labour came to power.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 5th August 2009

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Teenage volunteers face prosecution unless they register with anti-paedophile database – Daily Telegraph

Posted July 31st, 2009 in children, criminal records, news, vetting by sally

“Guidance for the controversial Independent Safeguarding Authority states that youths who want to help vulnerable groups will have to be vetted ‘in time for their 16th birthday to avoid committing an offence’.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 31st July 2009

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Sir Mark Potter rules on media and celebrity cases in family courts – The Times

Posted July 16th, 2009 in children, family courts, media, news by sally

“Cases in the family courts involving celebrities’ children should be treated in the same way as those involving anyone else’s children, the senior family courts judge said yesterday.”

Full  story

The Times, 16th July 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Teacher admits child porn charges – BBC News

Posted July 10th, 2009 in children, internet, news, pornography, sentencing by sally

“A teacher has admitted having more than 130 indecent images of children on his computer.”

Full story

BBC News, 10th July 2009

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Youth conditional caution code of practice – consultation response – Ministry of Justice

Posted July 9th, 2009 in cautions, children, codes of practice, press releases, young offenders by sally

“A consultation paper inviting views on the draft code of practice for Youth Conditional Cautions for 16 and 17 year olds that is planned to be piloted during 2009.”

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 8th July 2009

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Children to Tell Parliament What Cuts in Legal Representation Mean for their Chances in the Family Justice System – The Bar Council

Posted July 8th, 2009 in children, family courts, legal aid, press releases by sally

“Parliamentarians, family barristers and children’s charities will today continue their discussions on vulnerable children and the law.  At a meeting in Parliament, chaired by Lord Thomas of Gresford QC, speakers from the Family Law Bar Association, Association of Lawyers for Children and the NSPCC, among others, will consider the dramatic impact that proposed cuts to family legal aid will have on vulnerable children and families.”

Full press release

The Bar Council, 7th July 2009

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Jail for woman, 21, who groomed schoolgirl – The Independent

Posted July 8th, 2009 in children, news, sentencing, sexual grooming, sexual offences by sally

“A woman was jailed for 20 months yesterday for what is believed to be the first case of an adult female grooming a schoolgirl for sex.”

Full story

The Independent, 8th July 2009

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Child witnesses ‘wait too long’ – BBC News

Posted July 3rd, 2009 in children, delay, news, witnesses by sally

“Young witnesses in sex abuse or violence cases are being forced to wait more than a year to give evidence in England and Wales, a report has said.”

Full story

BBC News, 3rd July 2009

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Child porn inquiry faces legal challenge – The Independent

Posted July 3rd, 2009 in children, miscarriage of justice, news, pornography by sally

“One of Britain’s biggest online paedophile investigations will be challenged in the Court of Appeal following allegations that hundreds of men may have been wrongly convicted in a ‘huge miscarriage of justice’, it was reported today.”

Full story

The Independent, 3rd July 2009

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Sarcastic, rude: is this the way to question child witnesses? – The Times

Posted July 2nd, 2009 in children, cross-examination, news, witnesses by sally

“The cross-examination of the four- year-old girl in the Baby Peter-related rape trial raised uncomfortable questions about how the justice system treats child witnesses.”

Full story

The Times, 2nd July 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Lords asked to alter law to protect children forced into prostitution – The Guardian

Posted July 1st, 2009 in children, news, prostitution by sally

“Children forced to work as prostitutes are being deterred from seeking help because of the threat of prosecution, according to a coalition of youth justice groups. Decriminalising the offence of soliciting for those aged under 18 would recognise that they are victims of abuse and aid detectives’ efforts to combat enforced trafficking of foreign children into the UK, the charities claimed. An attempt to alter the law will made in the House of Lords tomorrow, when peers will be urged to support an amendment during the committee stage of the policing and crime bill.”

Full story

The Guardian, 1st July 2009

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

AS (Somalia) v Secretary of State for the Home Department – Times Law Reports

Posted June 23rd, 2009 in appeals, children, immigration, law reports by sally

AS (Somalia) v Secretary of State for the Home Department

House of Lords

“The statutory provision that on hearing an appeal against a refusal of entry clearance the adjudicator or tribunal could have regard only to the circumstances appertaining at the time of the decision to refuse and could have no regard to any subsequent change in the applicant’s circumstances, was not incompatible with article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, even though its effect could lead to delay in bringing a family together in the United Kingdom.”

The Times, 22nd June 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk