Home Office ignorant of strain on police after cuts, says watchdog – The Guardian

Posted September 11th, 2018 in budgets, news, police, reports by sally

‘Whitehall’s spending watchdog has accused the Home Office of being ignorant of the strain that police officers are under after funding cuts led to 45,000 job losses.’

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The Guardian, 11th September 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

NHS care regulator says sexual incidents ‘commonplace’ in mental health units – The Guardian

Posted September 11th, 2018 in harassment, health, mental health, news, sexual offences by sally

‘Sexual incidents including harassment, assaults and rapes are “commonplace” in mental health units, mainly carried out by patients, the NHS’s care regulator has reported.’

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The Guardian, 11th September 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Pair who tortured and murdered 74-year-old shopkeeper jailed for life – The Independent

Posted September 11th, 2018 in joint enterprise, kidnapping, murder, news, sentencing, torture by sally

‘Two “cowardly, cruel and callous” men have been jailed for life for torturing and killing an elderly jeweller in a botched £300,000 robbery.’

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The Independent, 11th September 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

MPs who use parliamentary privilege to break court orders undermine the judiciary, says Lord Chief Justice – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 11th, 2018 in injunctions, judges, judiciary, news, parliament, parliamentary privilege by sally

‘MPs who “abuse” parliamentary privilege to break injunctions are eroding confidence in the justice system, the Lord Chief Justice has said. Lord Burnett of Maldon, the head of the judiciary, warned that the phenomenon was part of the “gentle erosion of support” for the courts.’

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Daily Telegraph, 10th September 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

More than 100 pregnant women detained in UK removal centres since major review called for ban – The Independent

Posted September 11th, 2018 in deportation, health, immigration, news, pregnancy, reports, women by sally

‘More than 100 pregnant women have been detained in UK removal centres in the past two years, despite a government-commissioned review recommending the Home Office ban the practice in 2016.’

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The Independent, 10th September 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Litigation Privilege: rationale and scope defined — Guy Mansfield QC – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted September 10th, 2018 in confidentiality, disclosure, fraud, news, privilege by sally

‘The Director of the SFO v ENRC [2018] EWCA Civ 2006. Eurasian Natural Resources Corp, the defendant to the Serious Fraud Office’s application to enforce notices seeking to compel the production of documents, has had a chequered history in the last 10 years since it came to the London market (in January 2014 it delisted and went private). In December 2010, a whistleblower alerted the company by email to serious allegations of corruption, fraud and bribery within its group.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 10th September 2018

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Money can’t buy me love: Court of Appeal overturns non-party costs order – Litigation Futures

Posted September 10th, 2018 in company directors, copyright, costs, insolvency, news by sally

‘A High Court judge was wrong to order a non-party costs order (NPCO) where the respondent had not been warned that the applicant was going to seek one, the Court of Appeal has ruled.’

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Litigation Futures, 10th September 2018

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

EHRC launches legal aid inquiry after damning justice report – Legal Futures

Posted September 10th, 2018 in budgets, equality, Equality and Human Rights Commission, legal aid, news by sally

‘A catalogue of disastrous consequences has followed a reduction in the scope of legal aid, including debt from high lawyers’ fees, possible ill-informed judicial decisions, and knock-on costs for other parts of the public sector, according to new research.’

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Legal Futures, 10th September 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Miscarriage of justice body’s funding cuts criticised as workload grows – The Guardian

Posted September 10th, 2018 in budgets, Criminal Cases Review Commission, miscarriage of justice, news by sally

‘Government funding of the Criminal Cases Review Commission, the last hope for people battling miscarriages of justice, has come under attack as the number applications rises steeply.’

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The Guardian, 9th September 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Victims of major disasters like Hillsborough and Grenfell to receive extra support under new strategy – The Independent

Posted September 10th, 2018 in health & safety, news, victims by sally

‘Victims of major disasters like the Grenfell Tower fire and Hillsborough will be given extra support so their voices can be heard, under plans announced by the government.
It is consulting on the creation of an “independent public advocate”, who would guide bereaved families through the investigative process and inquests, keep them informed and ensure that they receive help.’

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The Independent, 10th September 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Landlords told to remove Grenfell-style cladding or face action – The Guardian

Posted September 10th, 2018 in fire, health & safety, landlord & tenant, news by sally

‘Landlords must remove dangerous, Grenfell Tower-style cladding from their buildings or face enforcement action, the government has warned. The communities secretary, James Brokenshire, has written to about 60 building owners and developers, including some of the UK’s biggest property firms, explaining the actions they must take to avoid penalties.’

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The Guardian, 14th September 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Westminster terror attack: Victims’ inquest to begin – BBC News

Posted September 10th, 2018 in inquests, news, terrorism by sally

‘An inquest into the deaths of the five people killed in the Westminster terror attack is due to start later.’

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BBC News, 10th September 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Met police dropped 30,000 criminal investigations in first 24 hours last year – The Guardian

Posted September 10th, 2018 in budgets, London, news, police, prosecutions, statistics by sally

‘The Metropolitan police are increasingly dropping investigations into serious crimes such as sexual offences, violent attacks and arson within hours of them being reported, the Guardian can reveal.’

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The Guardian, 9th September 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Sexual assaults in women’s prison reignite debate over transgender inmates – The Guardian

Posted September 10th, 2018 in news, prisons, sexual offences, transgender persons by sally

‘A leading prison reformer has said prisoners who have committed violent offences against women should not be able to transfer to women’s prisons if they have not legally changed their gender, after it emerged that a transgender inmate had sexually assaulted fellow prisoners after transferring to a women’s prison.’

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The Guardian, 9th September 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Child arrests plummet by 68% across England and Wales since 2010 – The Independent

Posted September 10th, 2018 in children, news, police, statistics, young offenders, young persons by sally

‘Arrests of children have plummeted by more than two-thirds across England and Wales since 2010 as police work to put fewer young people behind bars, research has found.’

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The Independent, 10th September 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Change to evidential standard could lead to more suicide verdicts – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 7th, 2018 in burden of proof, inquests, news, standard of proof, suicide by sally

‘A recent decision on the evidential standard of proof required for a coroner or jury to return a conclusion of suicide could lead to an increased number of “suicide” conclusions being upheld, and a change in the rules surrounding the burden of proof applied at inquests in the future.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 7th September 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

Finnian Clarke: The Worboys Parole Board Decision: Right Outcome, Wrong Reasons – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted September 7th, 2018 in equality, judicial review, news, parole, sexual offences by sally

‘The decision of the Divisional Court in the matter of R (DSD and NVB) v Parole Board of England and Wales, or the “Worboys Parole Board” case, was described by the Court as “wholly exceptional”, [3]. The Court, comprising Sir Brian Leveson, Mr Justice Jay and Mr Justice Garnham, quashed the decision of the Parole Board to release John Worboys, the “black cab rapist”. However, the “exceptional” nature of the case and its facts led the court into some rather tortured reasoning that undermines the structure and integrity of UK public law substantive review. The decision not to let Worboys, now known as John Radford, onto the streets after 9 years imprisonment likely represented the correct outcome, but the way the court got to this conclusion will make life notably more difficult for Parole Boards in exercising their duties in future. Such an outcome is all the more frustrating since the Divisional Court had a perfectly workable alternative means to securing this outcome: through the use of the “Public Sector Equality Duty” (PSED) found in s.149 of the Equality Act 2010.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 7th September 2018

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Harmony at the price of principle: the impact of Mercato Sports (UK) Limited & McKay v Everton FC [2018] EWHC 1567 (Ch) (“Mercato”) – Sports Law Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers

Posted September 7th, 2018 in agency, arbitration, contract of employment, news, sport, stay of proceedings by sally

‘In July the High Court in Mercato considered the circumstances in which parties, not including the FA, who are subject to the FA Rules, will be bound to arbitrate disputes between them under FA Rule K. The judgment follows, and attempts to reconcile, two decisions of the same Court in 2017 on the same topic: Davies v Nottingham Forest FC [2017] EWHC 2095 (“Davies”) and Bony v Kacou & Ors [2017] EWHC 2146 (Ch) (“Bony”).’

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Sports Law Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers , 6th September 2018

Source: www.sportslawbulletin.org

Anchoring claims to a UK subsidiary – Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers

‘The recent decision of the High Court in Vattenfall AB v Prysmian SpA [2018] EWHC 1694 (Ch) is another example of claimants being allowed to use non-addressee English subsidiaries as anchor defendants for their competition damages claims. It is also another example of the court considering but not actually having to decide the interesting legal points around attribution of liability which potentially arise in such cases.’

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Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers, 7th September 2018

Source: competitionbulletin.com

Firm ordered to deliver new costs bill to Tower Hamlets campaigner – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 7th, 2018 in corruption, costs, elections, fees, news, solicitors by sally

‘A London law firm has been ordered to present a new costs bill to a campaigner who led a legal battle to remove former Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman in the latest action brought by an online fees-challenge service.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 6th September 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk