Rise in convictions of badger cruelty as RSPCA accused of using law to get to hunts – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 15th, 2013 in animal cruelty, hunting, licensing, news, prosecutions, statistics, video recordings by sally

“Badger cruelty prosecutions have almost doubled in five years, according to new figures, as the RSPCA is accused of using the law to target huntsmen.”

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Daily Telegraph, 14th April 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Put away the measuring tape – it’s time for greater codification – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted April 15th, 2013 in Law Commission, legislation, news, taxation by sally

“Ever since I was a law student, it has been an annual ritual of the newspapers to buy a copy of the Tolley Tax Handbook and measure how much fatter the tax laws have become. Red tape seems inevitable, regulation grows by half an inch or so each year and business bemoans this lack of simplicity. So why does no-one ask the same thing of statutes and case law? Couldn’t this all be simplified by codification?”

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 12th April 2013

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Bankers’ ‘honesty test’: nearly all pass City regulator’s check – The Guardian

Posted April 15th, 2013 in banking, criminal records, financial regulation, news, ombudsmen by sally

“Just 30 out of 227,000 people have failed the City regulator’s ‘fit and proper’ test to take on some of the most risky jobs in British banks since the onset of the financial crisis.”

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The Guardian, 12th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Whistleblowing charity seeks evidence on effectiveness of current law – OUT-LAW.com

“The national whistleblowing charity has begun a public consultation exercise to help it establish whether the current law and legal protections are fit for purpose.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 15th April 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Restrictions on terror suspect student relaxed by court – BBC News

“Restrictions on a terror suspect who is studying at a London university should be relaxed, the High Court has ruled.”

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BBC News, 13th April 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Appeal court extends jail term of man who filmed rape on iPad – The Guardian

Posted April 15th, 2013 in appeals, deportation, news, rape, sentencing, video recordings by sally

“Appeal judges have almost doubled the jail sentence of a man who filmed himself raping a woman on his iPad.”

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The Guardian, 12th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Psychiatric Asbos’ were an error says key advisor – The Independent

Posted April 15th, 2013 in medical treatment, mental health, news by sally

“Controversial powers to treat mental health patients in the community while seriously curtailing their freedoms have been criticised by one of their strongest supporters.”

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The Independent, 14th April 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Sally Bercow faces first high court hearing in Twitter libel battle – The Guardian

Posted April 15th, 2013 in child abuse, damages, defamation, internet, news by sally

“Sally Bercow, the wife of the Commons speaker, faces her first high court hearing next week as part of the libel battle with Lord McAlpine over an allegedly defamatory Twitter message.”

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The Guardian, 12th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

No Sky TV, no Xbox: prisoners’ perks to be axed as Chris Grayling gets tough on jails – The Independent

Posted April 15th, 2013 in news, prisons by sally

“Thousands of prisoners could lose their automatic access to gym equipment, games consoles and other perks under plans for a tough new regime in Britain’s jails.”

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The Independent, 14th April 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Prosecuting sexual assault: ‘Raped all over again’ – The Guardian

Posted April 15th, 2013 in cross-examination, news, prosecutions, rape, sexual offences, suicide, trials, witnesses by sally

“Frances Andrade’s experience in the witness box left her feeling violated. Within days she had killed herself. Is it time we changed the way we prosecute sexual assault?”

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The Guardian, 13th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

After Leveson: Stephen Sedley on press regulation – London Review of Books

Posted April 12th, 2013 in charters, freedom of expression, licensing, media, news by sally

“The Privy Council, which will now be responsible for issuing a royal charter setting up a panel to vet the independence of a new press regulator, started licensing books in 1538. In 1557 a royal charter gave the members of the Stationers’ Company a monopoly of printing. In 1588 the anti-episcopal Marprelate Tracts (one of whose authors, John Penry, was executed for publishing them) provoked a system of press licensing which survived in one form or another, though with diminishing effect, until the last decade of the 17th century.”

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London Review of Books, 11th April 2013

Source: www.lrb.co.uk

Man jailed for slashing women in Hounslow – BBC News

Posted April 12th, 2013 in grievous bodily harm, news, sentencing, wounding by sally

“A man who slashed two women in separate random attacks in west London has been jailed for 18 years.”

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BBC News, 12th April 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Data protection law is in danger of lagging behind technological change – The Guardian

Posted April 12th, 2013 in anonymity, data protection, news, privacy by sally

“Data processing practices are evolving faster than the law can adapt to them, according to a senior British lawyer at an international law firm specialising in data protection.”

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The Guardian, 12th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

High Court backs ban against teacher who condemned ‘homosexual lifestyle’ – The Independent

“The High Court has upheld a classroom ban on a Christian school teacher who condemned the ‘homosexual lifestyle’ in front of pupils.”

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The Independent, 12th April 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Adult TV star had curfew tag removed as it would interfere with work – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 12th, 2013 in community service, electronic monitoring, news, parole by sally

“An adult TV chat show has overturned a court order forcing her to wear an electronic tag after claiming it would put her out of work.”

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Daily Telegraph, 12th April 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Planning policy versus the UN rights of the child – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted April 12th, 2013 in children, environmental protection, human rights, news, planning, travellers by sally

“As the judge explicitly recognised, this case raised the clash of two principles – how to resolve the policy-driven field of planning with the rights of family under Article 8 ECHR and of the child under Article 3 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 11th April 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Law firms cannot be held liable for disbursement costs, rules CoA – The Lawyer

Posted April 12th, 2013 in champerty, costs, fees, news, solicitors by sally

“Firms cannot automatically be held liable for costs when they have funded a claimant’s disbursements in a failed claim, the Court of Appeal has ruled.”

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The Lawyer, 11th April 2013

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Sapper Mark Smith death: Coroner calls for inquiry – BBC News

Posted April 12th, 2013 in armed forces, evidence, inquests, inquiries, news by sally

“A coroner has called for an inquiry to look at ‘systemic failures’ in an investigation into the death of a Kent soldier in Afghanistan.”

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BBC News, 11th April 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Defamation bill faces fresh attack from Conservatives – The Guardian

Posted April 12th, 2013 in bills, defamation, economic loss, freedom of expression, news by sally

“The defamation bill, which was last month threatened with obliteration after a political row over Leveson press reforms, is once again under attack, but this time by the Tories who want to get rid of two key sections.”

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The Guardian, 11th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Legal Services Board pledges to work better with regulators – Legal Week

Posted April 12th, 2013 in complaints, consumer protection, Legal Services Board, news by sally

“The Legal Services Board (LSB) has restated its intention to work better with industry regulators following a series of criticisms by bodies including the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and the Bar Standards Board (BSB).”

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Legal Week, 12th April 2013

Source: www.legalweek.com