Policing cuts put public safety at risk, warns Met chief – Daily Telegraph

‘The head of the Metropolitan Police has warned that large cuts to police budgets and other services will put public safety at risk.’

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Daily Telegraph, 14th December 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Managing mental health issues – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted December 11th, 2014 in employment, equality, health, mental health, news, sick leave by sally

‘In 2006, it was estimated that 35% of all GP consultations involved a mental health problem and by 2011 stress had become the most common cause of long-term sickness absence for both manual and non-manual workers. If these figures are not reason enough for employers to address their employees’ mental health issues, there are plenty more statistics that may convince them:

It is estimated that three in ten people will experience a mental health problem in any one year, and this figure is likely to increase.
Work-related stress costs Britain 10.4 million working days per annum, with a disconcerting 91 million days per year lost to mental health problems generally.
The Centre for Mental Health estimates that the total cost of mental health problems at work is over £30 billion a year.
When working long hours, more than a quarter of employees feel depressed (27%), one third feel anxious (34%) and more than half feel irritable (58%).’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 11th December 2014

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Statement from the Director of Public Prosecutions on Eleanor de Freitas – CPS News Brief

‘Eleanor de Freitas’ tragic death was just days before she was due to stand trial for perverting the course of justice. The pending inquest will deal with the circumstances surrounding her death and I do not want to interfere with that process. However the case has understandably raised questions about private prosecutions in these types of cases and why the CPS took over and continued this particular case.’

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CPS News Brief, 9th December 2014

Source: http://blog.cps.gov.uk

CPS ‘right’ to pursue De Freitas case after rape allegation – BBC News

‘The UK’s top prosecutor has defended pursuing a woman who killed herself days before appearing in court accused of making a false rape allegation.’

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BBC News, 9th December 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Tragedy of Latvian migrant who buried her baby alive after police decided they couldn’t help her – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 8th, 2014 in birth, homelessness, infanticide, mental health, news, prostitution by sally

‘A hearing at the Old Bailey hears Elita Amantova, 39, was living off berries and bread left out for the birds before she gave birth.’

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Daily Telegraph, 5th December 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Why do we ignore the mental health aspects of crime? – BBC News

‘When 16-year-old Will Cornick admitted murdering the schoolteacher Ann Maguire, the reaction was one of shock and bewilderment.’

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BBC News, 3rd December 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Regina v Brennan – WLR Daily

Regina v Brennan [2014] EWCA Crim 2387; [2014] WLR (D) 502

‘Where, on a charge of murder, there was uncontradicted expert evidence to the effect that a defence of diminished responsibility was made out and the defendant applied at the close of evidence for the case of murder to be withdrawn, the judge should not leave the case of murder to the jury simply because the Crown wanted it to be left to the jury, but should evaluate whether a properly directed jury could properly convict of murder.’

WLR Daily, 21st November 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Drive to end Winterbourne View-style care going backwards, official report shows – Daily Telegraph

‘Report commissioned by NHS calls for closure of all Winterbourne View-style institutions for disabled patients but Chief Nursing Officer insists complexity of cases leading to slow progress.’

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Daily Telegraph, 26th November 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

DD v Secretary of State for the Home Department – WLR Daily

DD v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2014] EWHC 3820 (Admin); [2014 ] WLR (D) 495

‘A judgment as to whether article 3 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms had been breached in a case of alleged inhuman or degrading treatment was reached not simply by reference to the impact of the treatment complained of on the individual, but by also having regard to the necessity and proportionality of the underlying treatment, and the possible alternatives, in the manner of its execution.’

WLR Daily, 20th November 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Have we lost sight of J.S. Mill’s concept of the right to liberty? Article 5 in the Court of Protection – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Mostyn J has pulled no punches in rejecting an application for a declaration that an incapacitated person, being looked after in her own home, has been deprived of her liberty contrary to Article 5. There is a very full account of the judgment on the Mental Capacity Law and Policy blog so I will keep this summary short.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 21st November 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Conduct and disability – Employment Law Blog

Posted November 21st, 2014 in assault, disability discrimination, mental health, news, unfair dismissal by tracey

‘Was there gross misconduct? If there was, did it justify dismissal? Those were issues before Judge Eady QC in Burdett v Aviva Employment Services Ltd, UKEAT/0439/13/JOJ, a case concerned with both unfair dismissal and discrimination arising from disability. The employee had committed assaults in the workplace. However, this was because of his disability. He suffered from a paranoid schizophrenic illness. The ET was judged to have been in error in finding gross misconduct. They had failed to engage with the question of blameworthiness. The ET was also found to have been in error in assuming that dismissal will necessarily fall within the range of reasonable responses in a gross misconduct case.’

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Employment Law Blog, 20th November 2014

Source: www.employment11kbw.com

Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council v KW and others – WLR Daily

Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council v KW and others: [2014] EWCOP 45; [2014] WLR (D) 493

‘Article 5 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms was not engaged where a person, often elderly, who was both physically and mentally disabled to a severe extent, was being looked after in her own home and where the arrangements had been made and paid for by a local authority rather than by the person’s own, or family, funds.’

WLR Daily, 18th November 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Mental health NHS trusts ranked for risk of poor care – BBC News

Posted November 21st, 2014 in hospitals, mental health, news, quality assurance by tracey

‘Health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has ranked almost every mental health NHS trust in England in terms of risk of providing poor care.’

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BBC News, 20th November 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Tania Clarence sentenced: Husband of depressed New Malden mother who killed children criticises medics for ‘pressuring family to submit to operations’ – The Independent

Posted November 19th, 2014 in disabled persons, families, homicide, mental health, news, sentencing by sally

‘The husband of a depressed mother who killed her three young disabled children has criticised medical professionals for the “constant pressure” placed on the family to “submit the children to operations and other interventions”.’

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The Independent, 18th November 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Errors, damn errors, and statistics: Ajilore v Hackney LBC – NearlyLegal

Posted November 18th, 2014 in appeals, homelessness, housing, local government, mental health, news, statistics, suicide by sally

‘With the Supreme Court set to look at priority need this December, Ajilore v Hackney [2014] EWCA Civ 1273 may prove to be a brief footnote in the evolution of the bloated Pereira test. But, at least for the next four weeks, it tells us something about the construction of the “ordinary homeless person” against which, post Johnson v Solihull [2013] EWCA Civ 752, applicants for homeless assistance are assessed.’

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NearlyLegal, 16th November 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Yarl’s Wood: Undercover tour of detention centre with dreadful reputation for its treatment of asylum seekers – The Independent

‘The Detention Centre in Bedfordshire – privately run, but publicly funded – has a dreadful reputation for its treatment of asylum seekers. Cole Moreton found a way inside to see if its notoriety is deserved.’

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The Independent, 16th November 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Too many prisoners jailed unnecessarily, says review head – The Guardian

‘The unnecessary jailing of too many people in England and Wales is leaving resources stretched and vulnerable inmates unsupervised, the head of a review into prison suicides has said.’

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The Guardian, 14th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Too many inmates ‘jailed needlessly’, says review chief – BBC News

Posted November 14th, 2014 in death in custody, mental health, news, prisons, statistics, suicide by tracey

‘Too many people are being jailed unnecessarily, the head of a review into prison suicides has said.Lord Harris claimed resources were being weakened, leaving vulnerable inmates unsupervised. It comes as the parents of a man who killed himself at a young offenders institution criticised authorities.’

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BBC News, 14th November 2014

Source: www.bbc.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

Brian Philip Telchadder (Appellant) v Wickland Holdings Limited (Respondent) – Supreme Court

Brian Philip Telchadder (Appellant) v Wickland Holdings Limited (Respondent) [2014] UKSC 57 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 5th November 2014

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt