High Court: not “in best interests” of officer who used cocaine to sue police for psychiatric injury – Litigation Futures

‘A High Court judge has said it was not in the “best interests” of a former undercover police officer who used cocaine “on more than one occasion” to sue his police force for psychiatric injury.’

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Litigation Futures, 12th January 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.co.uk

Failures by social services led to death of baby – The Guardian

Posted December 17th, 2014 in children, drug abuse, drug offences, families, news, pregnancy, social services by sally

‘A vulnerable baby died in Sunderland after being left in the care of her drug-addicted mother following multiple failures by social services, a review has found.’

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The Guardian, 16th December 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Supreme Court to hear challenge to key test on homelessness and vulnerability – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Supreme Court will next week hear three cases where homeless applicants for housing assistance are seeking to challenge the Pereira test of vulnerability.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th December 2014

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

IPCC to examine post-prison monitoring of cannibalistic murderer – The Guardian

Posted November 10th, 2014 in complaints, drug abuse, mental health, murder, news, police by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice is to investigate whether a man reported to have murdered a woman in an act of cannibalism was properly managed after his release from prison.’

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The Guardian, 9th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Sophie Jones methadone death: Father found guilty – BBC News

Posted November 7th, 2014 in child cruelty, drug abuse, homicide, news by tracey

‘The father of a two-year-old girl who died after drinking a heroin substitute has been found guilty of manslaughter.’

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BBC News, 6th November 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Family Drug and Alcohol Court: A Practitioners’ and Judge’s Perspectives – Family Law Week

Posted November 4th, 2014 in alcohol abuse, care orders, courts, drug abuse, family courts, news, rehabilitation by sally

‘Sarah Jennings & Esther Lieu, 3PB, with District Judge Julie Exton look at the Family Drug and Alcohol Court.’

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Family Law Week, 31st October 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Punitive drug law enforcement failing, says Home Office study – The Guardian

Posted October 30th, 2014 in crime, drug abuse, drug offences, enforcement, evidence, health, news, reports by sally

‘There is no evidence that tough enforcement of the drug laws on personal possession leads to lower levels of drug use, according to the government’s first evidence-based study.’

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The Guardian, 30th October 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Prison inspector warns of ‘widening cracks’ in system – BBC News

Posted October 22nd, 2014 in drug abuse, news, prisons, reports, suicide by sally

‘There has been a “rapid deterioration” in prison safety in England and Wales, the prisons inspector has warned.’

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BBC News, 21st October 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Essex police apologise for failing to investigate drug-related death – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 1st, 2014 in damages, drug abuse, human rights, negligence, news, police by tracey

‘A grieving family has used human rights law to force police chiefs to admit they failed to investigate the unexplained death of their son properly.’

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Daily Telegraph, 30th September 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Abolishing prison sentences for drug users: sensible or a step too far? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted August 12th, 2014 in drug abuse, health, imprisonment, news, rehabilitation, sentencing by sally

‘Nick Clegg announced last week that a pledge to abolish prison sentences for the possession of drugs for personal use will form part of the Liberal Democrat’s manifesto for the next election. The manifesto commitment would include a promise to move the drug policy lead from the Home Office to the Department of Health, and would seek to divert users into treatment for their addiction, community sentences, or to civil penalties that do not attract a criminal record. The plans would even extend to the possession of Class A substances such as heroin and crack cocaine. This is a controversial proposal, but does it have merit?’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 11th August 2014

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Exclusive: Heroin addicts to be given free foil to help them kick their habit – The Independent

Posted August 8th, 2014 in drug abuse, health, news, rehabilitation by sally

‘Heroin addicts are to be given free foil – to heat up the drug – in an effort to help them kick the habit and cut the risk of contracting disease, the Government will announce tomorrow.’

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The Independent, 7th August 2014

Source: www.independent.uk

Fair or foul: sport and the law – Henderson Chambers

‘The question is: how does one earn a living in sport? By skill? Hand-eye coordination? Fancy footwork? Fast reactions? By luck? By cheating – and getting away with it? Or none of these. As far as we are concerned, the living is earned in the law. The law by, with, to and from all aspects of sport because a legal principle from every page of every textbook will apply somewhere in the entire spectrum of sports activities on and off the field. Think of the law that applies to staff, betting,merchandising of team brands, the corrections of misdemeanours and their effects, ownership of buildings, copyright issues. If I just do a list, it will go on forever. I do not have “a little list.” Mine is endless and what I propose to do is to follow, if not the rules, then the pattern of sport by touching on a topic haphazardly then running back, in an intellectual sort of way, to the other side of the court before starting again on a different tack. There are so many sporting metaphors to mix.’

Full story (PDF)

Henderson Chambers, 8th July 2014

Source: www.hendersonchambers.co.uk

Teenager jailed for life for beating engineer to death in unprovoked cocaine-fuelled attack – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 5th, 2014 in drug abuse, murder, news, sentencing, young offenders by sally

‘Teenager is jailed after he beat an engineer to death while his friend filmed attack on her iPhone.’

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Daily Telegraph, 4th August 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Home Office’s lost child abuse files: a victim’s story – The Guardian

‘When it emerged last week that 114 files containing allegations of child sex abuse had disappeared from the Home Office, survivors began to ask questions about whether their abuse had been deliberately covered up or ignored by the authorities.’

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The Guardian, 11th July 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Judge jails ‘worst car thief he has ever seen’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted June 24th, 2014 in drug abuse, news, recidivists, sentencing, theft by sally

‘Ian Liversidge, 47, jumped into a grandmother’s Nissan Micra and sped off as she was getting her granddaughter out of the vehicle, before hitting a taxi.’

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Daily Telegraph, 23rd June 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Woman who took selfies next to dead body cleared of murder – The Guardian

Posted June 24th, 2014 in drug abuse, fraud, murder, news, photography, sentencing, theft by sally

‘A man has been jailed for life after he was found guilty of murdering a former teacher, but a woman who took selfies next to the corpse has been cleared.’


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The Guardian, 23rd June 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Thousands of mothers have multiple babies removed – BBC News

‘Thousands of mothers over the past seven years have had successive children removed by family courts in England, the BBC has learned.’

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BBC News, 23rd June 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Khat ban: Why is it being made illegal? – BBC News

Posted June 23rd, 2014 in drug abuse, drug offences, families, mental health, news, sale of goods by sally

‘The leafy plant khat, which acts as a stimulant when chewed, is about to become a banned class C drug in the UK. But how big a problem is it and why are ministers making it illegal?’

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BBC News, 21st June 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Why are special courts that can help drug users at risk of being scrapped? – The Guardian

Posted June 10th, 2014 in courts, crime, drug abuse, magistrates, news by sally

‘Launched as a pilot programme a decade ago, dedicated drug courts were widely promoted as one of the best hopes of halting addiction-fuelled crime. According to supporters, however, specialist courts are now in danger of being disbanded through lack of official support. The West London drugs court, in Hammersmith, sits only half a day a week and is no longer staffed exclusively by specially trained magistrates.’

Full story

The Guardian, 10th June 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

What is Crime?: The Limits Of Criminalisation Conference – Speech by Senior Presiding Judge, Lord Justice Gross

Posted April 29th, 2014 in crime, drug abuse, health, judges, news, speeches, terrorism by sally

What is Crime?: The Limits Of Criminalisation Conference (PDF)

Speech by Senior Presiding Judge, Lord Justice Gross

Judiciary of England and Wales, 31st March 2014

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk