Jailed Marine A’s senior officers ‘missed warning signs’ – BBC News
‘Senior officers missed signs that the unit of a now-jailed marine was suffering from exhaustion, a Royal Navy review has found.’
BBC News, 14th December 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: mental health
Police ‘could help prevent’ 400 deaths after custody – BBC News
‘Four hundred people killed themselves shortly after being released from police custody in England and Wales in the last seven years, a report says.’
BBC News, 10th December 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Russell Square stabbings: Zakaria Bulhan ‘fit to stand trial’ – BBC News
‘A man charged with murdering a US tourist and wounding five other people in a knife attack in central London has been deemed fit to stand trial.’
BBC News, 8th December 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Marine’s conviction for killing Afghan insurgent could be quashed – The Guardian
‘A former Royal Marine serving a life sentence for murdering a wounded Afghan insurgent faces the “real possibility” of having his conviction quashed following the presentation of new evidence, an independent review has found.’
The Guardian, 6th December 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
CQC to investigate as mental health detentions hit 10-year high – The Guardian
‘The health and social care watchdog is to launch an investigation after government figures revealed the number of detentions for mental health treatment had risen to its highest level in at least a decade.’
The Guardian, 30th November 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Our prisons are overflowing with immature and vulnerable men – The Guardian
‘Young men don’t mature psychologically until their mid-20s. Condemning so many to the toxic environment of our jails is a recipe for reoffending and suicide.’
The Guardian, 1st December 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Man jailed for 10 months finds himself still in prison 11 years later – The Independent
‘The Imprisonment for Public Protection scheme was scrapped in 2012 after it emerged it was being used more widely than intended.’
The Independent, 19th November 2016
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Ban use of police cells for people in mental health crisis, MPs told – The Guardian
‘People suffering a mental health crisis should never be held in police cells as they find it terrifying and become even more unwell, ministers will be told.’
The Guardian, 16th November 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Regina v Wilcocks – WLR Daily
‘The defendant was charged with murder. He admitted that he had strangled his partner, but denied murder on the ground that he had suffered a loss of control and that he had a personality disorder such as to give rise to a defence of diminished responsibility. He was convicted of murder. He applied for permission to appeal against conviction on the grounds that the trial judge had: (i) been wrong to decide that the burden of proof in relation to diminished responsibilty lay on the defendant under section 2 of the Homicide Act 1957, as amended, notwithstanding article 6 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms; (ii) misdirected the jury in relation to the words “general capacity for tolerance or self-restraint” in section 54(3) of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009; and (3) failed to give the jury guidance on the meaning of the word “substantially” in section 2(1)(b) of the 1957 Act.’
WLR Daily, 3rd November 2016
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
A non-binary outcome – Nearly Legal
‘This is a cautionary tale for DJs and DDJs hearing Equality Act defences. In Birmingham CC v Stephenson [2016] EWCA Civ 1029 (not on Bailii yet, but we have seen a transcript), the Court of Appeal considered whether a possession order granted in respect of an introductory tenancy was wrongly granted where an Akerman-Livingstone Equality Act style defence was raised (alongside an Article 8 defence). Mr Stephenson had been responsible for noise nuisance from his (uncarpeted) flat. He suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, the symptoms of which are alleviated but not completely cured by medication.’
Nearly Legal, 1st November 2016
Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk
Treating criminals with anti-psychotic drugs could prevent 1,500 crimes a year, study suggests – Daily Telegraph
‘Prescribing anti-psychotic medication to violent criminals when they leave prison could prevent around 1,500 serious crimes in Britain each year, a new study suggests. Although medicating prisoners on their release is controversial, the University of Oxford believes that it could dramatically cut the risk of violent offending.’
Daily Telegraph, 1st November 2016
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Coroner says health services ‘missed opportunities’ before journalist’s suicide – The Guardian
‘Daily Mail advice columnist Sally Brampton killed herself after health professionals “missed opportunities” to help her, an inquest has heard.’
The Guardian, 25th October 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Serious case review launched over teenaged Spalding killers – BBC News
‘Review to examine if signs of deviant behaviour were missed in boy and girl, now 15, who killed Elizabeth and Katie Edwards.’
The Guardian, 19th October 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Review of 10 killings uncovers failings at NHS mental health trust that ‘severely underestimated’ risk posed by patients – Daily Telegraph
‘A review of 10 killings – including that of a pensioner who was stabbed after a collision between two cars – has uncovered failings at a mental health trust.’
Daily Telegraph, 18th October 2016
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Police say they are becoming emergency mental health services – The Guardian
‘Police say they are being relied on as an emergency mental health service and that cuts in psychiatric provision are probably to blame, the Guardian has learned.
The Guardian, 9th October 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Care home residents deprived of liberty in record numbers – The Guardian
‘Record numbers of care home residents are being deprived of their liberty by being put in straps, locked in or given behaviour-controlling drugs, fuelling fears that some are being mistreated.’
The Guardian, 28th September 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
James Fox father ‘disappointed’ with lawful killing ruling – BBC News
‘A mentally ill man who was shot dead by Met Police officers at his home was lawfully killed, an inquest has concluded.’
BBC News, 23rd September 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Vulnerability, ‘significantly’ and equality duties – Nearly Legal
‘This was another in a number of county court judgments on section 204 Housing Act 1996 appeals which turned on the question of vulnerability after the Supreme Court decision in Hotak. In this appeal, the particular issues were whether the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) had been complied with, and then the approach to ‘significantly more vulnerable’.’
Nearly Legal, 25th September 2016
Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk
Staff were ‘desensitised’ to self-harm at psychiatric hospital where boy, 15, died – Daily Telegraph
‘Staff working for one of England’s largest mental health trusts had become “desensitised” to the level of self-harm at a psychiatric hospital, a coroner has said as she ruled that “neglect” contributed to the death of a 15-year-old boy.’
Daily Telegraph, 22nd September 2016
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
