Private detectives given jail terms for ‘blagging’ – BBC News

Posted February 27th, 2012 in confidentiality, fraud, interception, news, privacy, sentencing by tracey

“Four private detectives have been given jail terms for conspiring to defraud people by ‘blagging’ personal information via persuasive phone calls.”

Full story

BBC News, 27th February 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Flachglas Torgau GmbH v Federal Republic of Germany – WLR Daily

Flachglas Torgau GmbH v Federal Republic of Germany: (Case C-204/09);  [2012] WLR (D)  45

“The option given to member states pursuant to the first sentence of the second sub-paragraph of article 2(2) of Parliament and Council Directive 2003/4/EC of not regarding ‘bodies or institutions acting in a … legislative capacity’ as ‘public authorities’ responsible for guaranteeing access to environmental information, could be applied to ministries to the extent that they participated in the legislative process, in particular by tabling draft laws or giving opinions.”

WLR Daily, 14th February 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Channel 4’s Dispatches wins high court battle to screen Viagogo investigation – The Guardian

Posted February 24th, 2012 in confidentiality, injunctions, media, news by tracey

“Channel 4’s Dispatches has won a legal battle with the ticketing giant Viagogo over an undercover investigation into alleged ‘hidden practices’ at the online retailer.”

Full story

The Guardian, 23rd February 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Caterpillar Logistics Service (UK) Ltd v de Crean – WLR Daily

Posted February 23rd, 2012 in appeals, confidentiality, employment, injunctions, law reports by sally

Caterpillar Logistics Service (UK) Ltd v de Crean [2012] EWCA Civ 156; [2012] WLR (D) 40

“The court had power under section 37 of the Senior Courts Act 1981 to grant barring-out relief, but if it could ever be granted to an employer against an employee it could only be in the most exceptional circumstances.”

WLR Daily, 21st February 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Times contempt challenge thrown out in Strasbourg – UK Human Rights Blog

“The European Court of Human Rights has rejected as ‘inadmissible’ Times Newspaper’s challenge to its 2009 conviction for contempt of court. The decision, which was made by six judges, is a good example of an early stage ‘strike-out’ by the Court which is nonetheless a substantial, reasoned decision (see our posts on the ‘UK loses 3 out of 4 cases at the court’ controversy).”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 8th February 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Bar Council – Private Legal Advice Must be Protected – The Bar Council

Posted February 3rd, 2012 in barristers, confidentiality, investigatory powers, news, police, privilege by sally

“Following a report published today by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) on the use of undercover police officers, the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has urged the Government to protect the fundamental right of citizens to hold private conversations with their lawyers.”

Full story

The Bar Council, 2nd February 2012

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Doctors advised against gagging order contracts – The Guardian

“Doctors are being instructed by the General Medical Council never to sign a contract with their employer containing a gagging clause that would prevent them from revealing dodgy or substandard practice.”

Full story

The Guardian, 26th January 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Care Quality Commission puts gagging orders on six employees – The Guardian

“A health watchdog with responsibility for protecting NHS whistleblowers has asked at least six employees to sign confidentiality agreements that stop them from criticising the organisation publicly.”

Full story

The Guardian, 24th January 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Prince Charles to challenge ruling set to lift secrecy about his estate – The Guardian

“Prince Charles is to challenge a judicial ruling that threatens to expose the environmental impact of the private estate that provides his £17m-a-year income.”

Full story

The Guardian, 28th November 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Iraq Inquiry report delayed over wrangle with government over secret documents – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 17th, 2011 in confidentiality, documents, inquiries, Iraq, news, reports by tracey

“The Iraq Inquiry has put back its report by at least six months due to a wrangle with the Government over the release of secret documents.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 17th November 2011

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Some news is good news – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted October 26th, 2011 in confidentiality, freedom of expression, media, news, privacy by sally

“The need for a free press has been proved over and over again by the revelation of major public scandals which would not otherwise have come to light. The disclosure by the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian of dishonest expenses claims by members of parliament and the hacking of telephones and emails are two egregious examples.”

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 25th October 2011

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Let’s free the Official Secrets Act from its cold war freeze – The Guardian

Posted September 23rd, 2011 in confidentiality, media, news, official secrets act, police by tracey

“The aborted attempt by the Metropolitan police to force the Guardian to disclose confidential sources and other journalistic material raises important issues about press freedom and the way Operation Weeting is being conducted.”

Full story

The Guardian, 22nd September 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Met police drop action against the Guardian over hacking sources – The Guardian

Posted September 21st, 2011 in confidentiality, interception, media, news, official secrets act, police by michael

“The Metropolitan police has dropped its attempt to force the Guardian to reveal confidential sources for stories relating to the phone-hacking scandal.”

Full story

The Guardian, 20th September 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

NoW publisher sued for £100,000 over alleged breach of anonymity agreement – The Guardian

Posted August 5th, 2011 in anonymity, confidentiality, freedom of expression, media, news by sally

“News Group Newspapers, former publisher of the defunct News of the World, is being sued for £100,000 by a prison warden’s brother who claims that a senior executive at the newspaper confirmed to police he was the source of leaked stories about the Soham killer Ian Huntley.”

Full story

The Guardian, 5th August 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ex-director given permanent ban on revealing confidential information – OUT-LAW.com

Posted April 6th, 2011 in company directors, confidentiality, injunctions, news, patents by sally

“A businessman has been ordered never to improperly reveal confidential information belonging to a company where he used to be a director.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 5th April 2011

Source: www.out-law.com

Standard Life Assurance Ltd and another v Topland Col Ltd and others – WLR Daily

Standard Life Assurance Ltd and another v Topland Col Ltd and others [2010] EWHC 1781 (Ch); [2011] WLR (D) 92

“The disclosure of information by a person to the Serious Fraud Office (‘SFO’) pursuant to the latter’s statutory powers under the Criminal Justice Act 1987 did not give rise to any implied undertaking to any court not to use the documents other than for the purposes of a prosecution, actual or potential, or any undertaking to the court not to provide them to any person other than through one of the gateways under section 3 of the Act.”

WLR Daily, judgment reissued 14th March 2011

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Please note that once a case has been reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Mother who hid baby from husband loses fight to keep her secret – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 18th, 2011 in adoption, concealing birth, confidentiality, news, parental rights by sally

“A mother who kept her baby a secret from her husband has been told she can not have the boy adopted after judges refused to back ‘a great lie’.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 18th March 2011

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Courts ‘will reject test secrecy’ – BBC News

Posted February 25th, 2011 in confidentiality, forensic science, news by sally

“There is a serious mismatch between the government’s aim to commercialise forensic science and the requirement of courts for openness, according to a top forensic expert.”

Full story

BBC News, 25th February 2011

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Crisis of identity: why English law needs to protect our personalities – The Guardian

Posted February 24th, 2011 in confidentiality, defamation, freedom of expression, media, news by sally

“Portrayals of real people in docudramas and novels have made millions for authors and film-makers. But what of their subjects?”

Full story

The Guardian, 23rd February 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Desmond v Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police – WLR Daily

Posted January 14th, 2011 in confidentiality, criminal records, duty of care, human rights, law reports, police by sally

Desmond v Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police [2011] EWCA Civ 3; [2011] WLR (D) 1

“In considering whether the chief officer’s statutory obligation under s 115(7) of the Police Act 1997 to provide information to the Criminal Records Bureau on a request for an Enhanced Criminal Record Certificate (ECRC) had been carried out in a manner which, exceptionally where the relationship between claimant and defendant arose in a statutory context, gave rise to a breach of the common law duty of care towards the claimant, an important factor was the existence of other remedies such as a claim under art 8 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.”

WLR Daily, 13th January 2011

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.