Bexleyheath killer Nicola Edgington loses appeal bid – BBC News
“A psychiatric patient who stabbed a woman to death in a London street has lost a bid to appeal against her conviction and sentence.”
BBC News, 8th November 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: mental health
Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust v James and others (Intensive Care Society and another intervening) – WLR Daily
“When an application was made for an order that it would be lawful, as being in the patient’s best interests pursuant to section 1(5) of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, for life sustaining medical treatment to be withheld, the focus had to be on whether it would be in the patient’s best interests to give the treatment, rather than on whether it would be in his best interests to withhold or withdraw it.”
WLR Daily, 30th October 2013
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
More should have been done to protect teenager found hanged, review finds – Daily Telegraph
“A serious case review into the death of Chelsea Clark found examples of substandard care from mental health staff, social and community services workers and the police.”
Daily Telegraph, 5th November 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Hazards with the use of Court-approved Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and Legal aid – Thirty Nine Essex Street
“This paper has been prepared for the information of legal practitioners by the Law Society’s Mental Health and Disability Committee. It sets out our concerns as to the impact of the Civil Legal Aid (Financial Resources and Payment for Services) Regulations 2013 on the entitlement to non-means tested legal aid in DoLs cases where there is court challenge to a DoLS authorisation.”
Full story (PDF)
Thirty Nine Essex Street, November 2013
Source: www.39essex.com
Supreme Court weighs in on patient’s best interests and the meaning of futility – UK Human Rights Blog
“The Supreme Court has given judgment in the first case to come before it under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The sole judgment was given by Lady Hale (Deputy President of the Court), with whom Lord Neuberger, Lord Clarke, Lord Carnwath and Lord Hughes.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 3rd November 2013
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Therapeutic Provision for Parents in Care Proceedings – who should be footing the bill? – Family Law Week
“Matthew Burman, barrister of St Albans Chambers explores the respective legal duties of the NHS and local authorities in securing the provision of psychotherapy for parents in care proceedings.”
Family Law Week, 31st October 2013
Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk
You can’t be disabled when you’re dead – a footnote to R (Antoniou) – UK Human Rights Blog
“A somewhat curious additional point arises out of the case of R (Antoniou) – see my earlier post for the main issue – in which the court decided that Article 2 ECHR does not require an independent investigation into deaths in state detention prior to a coroner’s inquest. There was therefore no obligation to ensure that there was an independent investigation into the suicide, or death resulting from self-harm, of a mentally ill person detained under Section 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983. There is such an investigation when a prisoner commits suicide. The Claimant thought this smacked of discrimination against the mentally disabled. The Court disagreed – on the somewhat surprising ground that you can’t be disabled once you’re dead.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 31st October 2013
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Respondent) v James (Appellant) – Supreme Court
Supreme Court, 30th October 2013
Hazel Bailey death: Husband jailed for walking stick killing – BBC News
“A 74-year-old man suffering from dementia who brutally beat his wife to death with a walking stick in a row over the heating has been jailed.”
BBC News, 29th October 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Honeymoon murder suspect Shrien Dewani wins extradition hearing – The Independent
“Honeymoon murder suspect Shrien Dewani has won a further hearing in his legal battle against extradition. A panel of three High Court judges – headed by the Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas – ruled today there are outstanding legal issues the court must decide.”
The Independent, 22nd October 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Inquest finds police failings over killings of woman and toddler son – The Guardian
“Police failings ‘more than minimally’ contributed to the deaths of a pregnant mother and child who were stabbed to death by the woman’s former partner days after she went to the police for help, an inquest jury has ruled.”
The Guardian, 22nd October 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Coroners inquest enough to satisfy Article 2 in mental health suicide case – UK Human Rights Blog
“R (Antoniou) v (1) Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust; (2) Secretary of State for Health; (3) NHS England [2013] EWHC 3055 (Admin).Where a patient, detained in hospital under Section 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983, takes their own life, Article 2 imposes procedural obligations on the State to investigate the circumstances of the death. These obligations are fulfilled by a coroner’s inquest. Unlike in prison and police station deaths, there need not be any independent investigation system prior to the inquest stage, and nor does Article 2 require one.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 22nd October 2013
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Young mother’s suicide ‘could have been prevented’ – Daily Telegraph
“The NHS has admitted liability for the death of a new mother suffering severe post-natal depression after she was allowed to leave a hospital unsupervised despite warnings she was at ‘very high risk’ of suicide.”
Daily Telegraph, 17th October 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Big Issue stabbings: Homeless man detained for life – BBC News
“A homeless man who admitted killing two Big Issue sellers in a knife attack in Birmingham has been detained for life.”
BBC News, 15th October 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Landmark Supreme Court cases on deprivations of liberty to start next week – Local Government Lawyer
“A panel of seven justices at the Supreme Court will next week hear two landmark cases on deprivations of liberty.”
Local Government Lawyer, 15th October 2013
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Truth about dangerous mental patients let out to kill – Daily Telegraph
“The NHS trust that left a dangerous schizophrenic to kill a Birmingham schoolgirl allowed six other patients to kill people last year alone, The Telegraph has learnt.”
Daily Telegraph, 5th October 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Crime victims with mental illness ignored, research suggests – BBC News
“People with mental illnesses are three times more likely to be victims of crime than the general population, new research suggests.”
BBC News, 7th October 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Send Yorkshire Ripper back to jail’: Expert says Broadmoor ‘out of step’ and too keen to hold on to celebrity patients – The Independent
“Broadmoor, the high-security psychiatric hospital, where some of Britain’s most notorious offenders are treated, has been criticised as an ‘expensive anachronism’ which holds on to ‘celebrity’ patients when they should be back in prison, according to one of the country’s most respected psychiatrists.”
The Independent, 6th October 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Psychiatric patient released from prison stabbed schoolgirl to death on bus – Daily Telegraph
“A paranoid schizophrenic stabbed a schoolgirl to death just weeks after being released from prison without any supervision.”
Daily Telegraph, 2nd October 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
General Medical Council to investigate ‘culture of fear’ after doctor suicides – The Independent
“The General Medical Council (GMC) is to re-examine the cases of a number of doctors who committed suicide while being investigated for their fitness to practise.”
The Independent, 30th September 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
