Council prosecution sees property owner fined £18k over Japanese knotweed – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 10th, 2018 in fines, local government, news, nuisance, prosecutions, trees by sally

‘A Bristol property owner has been fined £18,000 for allowing the spread of Japanese knotweed, after what is thought to be one of the first prosecutions nationally using the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to tackle the issue.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 7th December 2018

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Triple child murders: The lodger who destroyed a family – BBC News

Posted December 10th, 2018 in children, murder, news, parole, sentencing by sally

‘In 1973, a 20-year-old man murdered and mutilated his friends’ three young children. No motive has ever been established and he has never expressed regret. Now, 45 years after being jailed, David McGreavy is due to walk the streets again.’

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BBC News, 8th December 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Brexit: UK can unilaterally revoke article 50, says ECJ – The Guardian

‘The UK can unilaterally stop the Brexit process, the European court of justice has said in a ruling that will boost demands for a second EU referendum.’

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The Guardian, 10th December 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Exposing rogue landlords: ‘The deck feels stacked against tenants’ – The Guardian

‘Simon Goodley explains how the Guardian uncovered the secret world of convicted landlords who continue to operate – and exploit – with impunity.’

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The Guardian, 8th December 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Stephen Lawrence murder suspect claimed his notoriety meant he was unable to focus on drugs trial, court hears – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 7th, 2018 in conspiracy, drug offences, drug trafficking, murder, news, racism, sentencing by sally

‘A man named as a suspect in the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence has been sentenced to nine years in prison for his part in a multi-million drugs plot, despite attempts by his defence counsel to use the controversy surrounding the killing as grounds for leniency.’

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Daily Telegraph, 7th December 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Schools bomb hoaxes: Teenager jailed for nationwide threats – BBC News

Posted December 7th, 2018 in bomb hoaxing, children, news, school children, sentencing by sally

‘A teenager who sent thousands of hoax bomb threats to schools and triggered an American airline security scare has been jailed for three years.’

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BBC News, 7th December 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Tribunal refuses to hear preliminary issue in bank payroll tax case – OUT-LAW.com

‘A procedural point on whether HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) had validly given notices of enquiry within the requisite time limits should not be heard separately as a preliminary issue, the First-tier Tax Tribunal (FTT) has decided in a case concerning bank payroll tax (BPT).’

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OUT-LAW.com, 7th December 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

Case Comments: KO (Nigeria) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] UKSC 53 and Rhuppiah v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] UKSC 58 – UKSC Blog

‘ECHR, art 8 prevents someone from being removed from the UK where doing so would have a disproportionate impact on their private life and/or family life. Where a migrant seeks to rely on art 8, it is accordingly necessary for the Home Office, or on appeal the First-tier Tribunal, to conduct a balancing exercise between the individual’s private and family life rights on the one hand and the ‘public interest’ on the other.’

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UKSC Blog, 4th December 2018

Source: ukscblog.com

Leading firm left with court fees budget after late service – Litigation Futures

Posted December 7th, 2018 in budgets, case management, costs, fees, indemnities, law firms, news, sanctions, service by sally

‘A leading national law firm that served its budget late has failed in an application for relief from sanctions only made on the day of the case and costs management conference (CCMC).’

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Litigation Futures, 7th December 2018

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Government-commissioned review recommends legal aid for bereaved families – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The government has announced that it will introduce a new mental health bill following today’s publication of the findings of an independent review into the Mental Health Act 1983. However it is silent on the review’s recommendation that bereaved families should receive non-means tested legal aid – despite already pledging to accept two other recommendations.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 6th December 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Home Office unlawfully removed child asylum seeker from UK, High Court rules – The Independent

‘The Home Office unlawfully removed a child asylum seeker from the UK and has been ordered to arrange his return in a landmark High Court ruling.’

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The Independent, 6th December 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Two Tesco directors cleared of fraud as judge labels case ‘weak’ – The Guardian

Posted December 7th, 2018 in fraud, judges, juries, news, Serious Fraud Office by sally

‘Two former Tesco executives accused of masterminding a fraud that triggered the biggest financial crisis in the supermarket chain’s 100-year history have been cleared after the judge threw out the case stating the prosecution case was “so weak” it should not be before a jury.’

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The Guardian, 6th December 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Sexting’ allegations made against teenage boy will remain on file until he is 100 – despite no conviction – Daily Telegraph

‘Allegations made against a teenage boy that he ‘sexted’ girls at his school could remain on his police file until he is 100 – even though he was never convicted of any offence. The boy, known only as CL, lost a High Court legal bid to force the police to delete the details of the case.’

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Daily Telegraph, 6th December 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Police to stop passing on immigration status of crime victims – The Guardian

Posted December 7th, 2018 in codes of practice, data protection, deportation, immigration, news, police, victims by sally

‘Police will cease to automatically pass information about people suspected of being in the country illegally to deportation authorities if they come forward as victims of crime, according to a new policy hammered out in the wake of the Windrush scandal, the Guardian has learned.’

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The Guardian, 6th December 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

More than 40 drug driving convictions overturned in probe over ‘data manipulation’ at forensics lab – The Independent

‘More than 40 drug driving prosecutions have so far been quashed over the manipulation of data at a forensics laboratory charged with testing samples from across the UK.’

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The Independent, 6th December 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘Catfish’ rapist who blackmailed victims he met online is jailed for 15 years – Daily Telegraph

‘A “predatory sex offender” who was spared jail after blackmailing a girl he met online went on to rape a woman after his rehabilitation course was delayed due to “financial constraints,” a court has heard.’

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Daily Telegraph, 6th December 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Hillsborough police chief to face 95 manslaughter charges after judge rejects bid to halt prosecution – The Independent

‘The former chief superintendent of South Yorkshire Police is to stand trial for the manslaughter of 95 fans at Hillsborough after an attempt to halt the case failed.’

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The Independent, 6th December 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Law Society’s £30m cut of practising fees faces scrutiny – Legal Futures

Posted December 6th, 2018 in fees, Law Society, Legal Services Board, news, solicitors by sally

‘The £30m that the Law Society levies on solicitors for its representative work is to be put under the microscope by the Legal Services Board (LSB) next year.’

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Legal Futures, 6th December 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Police, military and courts lagging decades behind on ethnic diversity – The Guardian

Posted December 6th, 2018 in armed forces, diversity, judiciary, minorities, news, police by sally

‘Some of the groups wielding the most power in British society, such as the police, the judiciary and the military, are decades away from becoming as ethnically diverse as the population they serve, Guardian analysis has found.’

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The Guardian, 5th December 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Court service call centres “improving justice”, says minister – Litigation Futures

Posted December 6th, 2018 in bills, civil justice, courts, criminal justice, judiciary, news by sally

‘Justice minister Lucy Frazer has defended the role of call centres in the justice system during the committee stage of the Courts and Tribunals (Judiciary and Functions of Staff) Bill.’

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Litigation Futures, 6th December 2018

Source: www.litigationfutures.com