Supergrass law leads to wholesale prison sentence cuts – BBC News

Posted October 8th, 2012 in Crown Prosecution Service, evidence, informers, news, sentencing by sally

“New supergrass laws have led to some murderers, gangsters and drug dealers having their prison sentences cut by more than 80%, a BBC Panorama investigation has found.”

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BBC News, 8th October 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Sex abuse allegations against parent should be disclosed in contact proceedings – UK Human Rights Blog

“The Court of Appeal has ordered the the disclosure of serious allegations made against a parent by an anonymous third party in contact proceedings. In doing so, it has demonstrated the correct approach to balancing the many different human rights considerations involved.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 28th September 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Grant Thorowgood jailed for 1980 rape in Slough – BBC News

Posted September 27th, 2012 in DNA, evidence, news, rape, sentencing by sally

“A man has been jailed for raping a woman in her home in 1980 while her two-year-old daughter slept upstairs.”

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BBC News, 26th September 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

A Salutary Lesson on Bad Character – The Devil Is In The Detail – Zenith Chambers

Posted September 25th, 2012 in admissibility, bad character, drug offences, evidence, news by sally

“In a recent Crown Court trial the Prosecution made a Bad Character application alleging that the factual basis of a previous conviction was so similar to the alleged facts of the instant case, that the previous conviction should be admitted. This was propensity with a heavy dollop of similar fact.”

Full story (PDF)

Zenith Chambers, 17th September 2012

Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk

Time to untangle the debate over secret courts – UK Human Rights Blog

“Tomorrow (25 September), Liberal Democrats will debate the Justice and Security Bill and will vote on saying no to the Government’s controversial secret courts proposals. Played in the press as a good opportunity to put clear blue water between the coalition partners, the motion will give a party members a chance to speak out on a Bill which many see as an anathema to the traditional liberal commitment to open, fair and equal access to justice.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 24th September 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Tribunal cannot take additional material into account when deciding whether dismissal was fair – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 25th, 2012 in employment tribunals, evidence, news, unfair dismissal by sally

“A tribunal cannot rely on additional matters not taken into account by an employer when deciding whether a dismissal is fair, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has said.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 24th September 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Teenager jailed for life over fatal schoolboy fight

Posted September 21st, 2012 in evidence, murder, news, offensive weapons, sentencing, video recordings, young offenders by tracey

“A 15-year-old boy has been given a life sentence for killing a schoolboy whose stabbing was recorded on his own mobile phone.”

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The Guardian, 21st September 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

London bomb plotters launch appeal over ‘flawed’ forensic evidence – The Guardian

Posted September 20th, 2012 in abuse of process, appeals, evidence, forensic science, news, terrorism by sally

“Four of the terrorists convicted for the 21 July 2005 bomb plot will launch an attempt to have their sentences quashed following claims by a former senior government scientist that key forensic evidence used to jail the attackers was flawed.”

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The Guardian, 19th September 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

May: police should be tried over Hillsborough – The Independent

Posted September 18th, 2012 in complaints, evidence, news, police, prosecutions, reports, sport by sally

“Police officers should be tried in court over their part in the Hillsborough disaster if evidence suggests they were to blame for some of the deaths, the Home Secretary has said.”

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The Independent, 18th September 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Inquiry into 2005 police shooting of ‘unarmed’ man – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 3rd, 2012 in coroners, evidence, homicide, inquests, inquiries, news, police by tracey

“An inquiry into the death of a 24-year-old who was shot six times by a police officer is due to begin today.”

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Daily Telegraph, 3rd September 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Tony Nicklinson’s family back call to carry on legal fight with new claimant – The Guardian

Posted September 3rd, 2012 in assisted suicide, euthanasia, evidence, news, public interest, Supreme Court by tracey

“Lawyers of man with locked-in syndrome who died after losing legal bid to end his life say much of their evidence was not heard.”

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The Guardian, 1st September 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Abramovich wins biggest private court case in history – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 31st, 2012 in corruption, evidence, news, witnesses by tracey

“Roman Abramovich has won his $6.5bn legal battle with his former mentor and business partner, in the biggest private court case in British legal history.”

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Daily Telegraph, 31st August 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Justice can’t be treated as a business enterprise – The Guardian

“The Freddy Patel case shows how market forces inevitably lead to creeping deregulation if applied to the legal system.”

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The Guardian, 29th August 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Krolik and others v Polish Judicial Authorities – WLR Daily

Posted August 28th, 2012 in appeals, evidence, extradition, human rights, law reports, prisons by tracey

Krolik and others v Polish Judicial Authorities: [2012] EWHC 2357 (Admin);   [2012] WLR (D)  254

“In the light of the presumption that Poland, as a member state of the Council of Europe, was able and willing to fulfil its obligations under the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, in the absence of clear, cogent and compelling evidence to the contrary, a strict approach would in future be adopted in deciding appeals against orders for extradition to Poland under European arrest warrants where the sole issue was whether extradition would constitute a breach of article 3 of the Convention by reason of prison conditions in that state.”

WLR Daily, 17th August 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

IPCC announces external review of inquiry into death of Sean Rigg – The Guardian

Posted August 15th, 2012 in death in custody, evidence, inquests, mental health, news, police, restraint by sally

“The police watchdog is facing fresh criticism after its report into the death of a black man who died in police custody found officers acted ‘reasonably’ and ‘proportionately’, while an inquest jury found unnecessary force had contributed to his demise.”

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The Guardian, 15th August 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Dr Freddy Patel labelled ‘misleading’ over Tomlinson case – BBC News

“A disciplinary panel says the pathologist who conducted the first post-mortem examination on Ian Tomlinson is ‘dishonest’ and ‘liable to bring his profession into disrepute’.”

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BBC News, 13th August 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

An injustice that won’t go away – The Independent

“A 1988 murder led to the conviction of three innocent men. Now ‘Panorama’ looks again at the role of the police.”

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The Independent, 12th August 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Sean Rigg inquest: Inquiry into policeman’s evidence – BBC News

Posted August 3rd, 2012 in complaints, death in custody, evidence, inquests, mental health, news, police by tracey

“The police watchdog is to investigate the evidence given by an officer during an inquest into the death of a schizophrenic man who died in custody.”

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BBC News, 2nd August 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Yolande Waddington: David Burgess sentenced for 1966 murder – BBC News

Posted July 23rd, 2012 in DNA, evidence, murder, news, sentencing by tracey

“A convicted child killer has been sentenced to a minimum of 27 years in jail for the murder of a girl in Berkshire 46 years ago.”

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BBC News, 23rd July 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Trial suspended as bogus interpreter stands in for wife – Daily Telegraph

Posted July 23rd, 2012 in evidence, interpreters, murder, news, sentencing, trials by tracey

“A court descended into farce when a man translating vital evidence revealed he was only there because his wife – the real interpreter – was too busy.”

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Daily Telegraph, 20th July 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk