Councils face ban on issuing fines to people who leave bins out on wrong day – The Guardian

Posted January 16th, 2012 in consultations, fines, local government, news, waste by sally

“Householders will no longer face fines for making ‘innocent mistakes’ when putting out their bins under plans being announced by the government this week.”

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The Guardian, 15th January 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Network Rail faces prosecution over Grayrigg disaster – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 16th, 2012 in health & safety, news, prosecutions, railways by sally

“Network Rail is to be prosecuted over the 2007 Grayrigg derailment in which a woman was killed and 86 people injured.”

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Daily Telegraph, 13th January 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Judge publicly reprimanded over driving ban – The Guardian

Posted January 16th, 2012 in judges, news, professional conduct, road traffic offences by sally

“One of Britain’s most senior appeal court judges has been publicly reprimanded for receiving a driving ban and failing to inform judicial authorities that he was facing traffic offences.”

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The Guardian, 13th January 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Eddie Gilfoyle’s case demands immediate action – The Guardian

Posted January 13th, 2012 in domestic violence, miscarriage of justice, murder, news by sally

“New evidence in this case means the CCRC should refer it to the court of appeal as soon as possible.”

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The Guardian, 13th January 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Cricketer Mervyn Westfield pleads guilty to spot fixing in county match – The Guardian

Posted January 13th, 2012 in fraud, gambling, news, sport by sally

“A former Essex County cricketer has become the first English player to be involved in on-field corruption.”

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The Guardian, 12th January 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

UK businessman loses extradition fight over Iran arms sales charges – The Guardian

Posted January 13th, 2012 in conspiracy, customs and excise, extradition, news, weapons by sally

“A retired British businessman has lost his appeal against extradition to the US to stand trial for allegedly plotting to export missile components to Iran.”

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The Guardian, 13th January 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Chris Huhne takes solar subsidy cuts ruling to the court of appeal – The Guardian

Posted January 13th, 2012 in appeals, energy, news by sally

“The government went to the court of appeal on Friday in an urgent attempt to overturn a high court ruling that has hit its plans to cut subsidies for solar panels on homes.”

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The Guardian, 13th January 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Bailiff rules tightened in first step of reform – Ministry of Justice

Posted January 13th, 2012 in bailiffs, news by sally

“Updated National Standards to define acceptable behaviour for bailiffs were today unveiled by Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly.”

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Ministry of Justice, 13th January 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Injunction 4 sex pics on mob – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted January 13th, 2012 in injunctions, internet, news, photography, privacy, telecommunications by sally

“If you lose your mobile phone with highly confidential and private information on it, all may not be lost. The unscrupulous finder may be prevented from blurting its contents all over the web, even if the identity of that person is unknown to you or the court. It requires considerable input of computer expertise, but it is possible, as this case (cleverly taken in the Technology and Construction Court) illustrates.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 12th Janaury 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Justice reform – new data published – Ministry of Justice

Posted January 13th, 2012 in civil justice, criminal justice, news, statistics by sally

“A new set of court statistics published today supports the case for a comprehensive reform programme across the justice system.”

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Ministry of Justice, 12th January 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Monkey cruelty pair Lee Powell and Julie Ann Jones in pet ban – BBC News

Posted January 13th, 2012 in animal cruelty, community service, news, sentencing by sally

“A couple who sold a crippled monkey as a pet instead of taking it to a vet for treatment have been permanently banned from keeping animals.”

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BBC News, 12th January 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Serial rapist Michael Roberts given four life sentences – The Independent

Posted January 13th, 2012 in news, rape, sentencing by sally

“A brutal rapist who terrorised elderly women in a suburb for more than a decade was told today he will live out his days behind bars.”

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The Independent, 12th January 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

A civil litigator’s take on the criminal courts – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted January 13th, 2012 in adjournment, barristers, criminal procedure, news by sally

“In the course of our civil litigation practices, some of us venture from time-to-time into the criminal litigation world on behalf of existing clients who face criminal sanction for some alleged transgression. Very often this type of work is pushed over to a firm undertaking criminal law as a full time practice. Sometimes, however, clients additionally demand the personal attention of their solicitor to ensure some oversight as to what is happening.”

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 12th January 2012

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Exposed: Taxman’s ‘illegal’ war against Britain’s small businesses – The Independent

Posted January 13th, 2012 in fines, HM Revenue & Customs, news, taxation, tribunals by sally

“Tax Tribunal rules HMRC is waiting months before alerting firms returns are late so that fines stack up.”

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The Independent, 13th January 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

UK loses 3 out of 4 European human rights cases? More like 1 in 50, actually – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted January 13th, 2012 in human rights, news, statistics by sally

“It is rightly said that 95% of statistics are made up. Today’s (12 January) Daily Mail front page headline contained a typically exuberant statistical claim: Europe’s war on British justice: UK loses three out of four human rights cases, damning report reveals. According to journalist James Slack ‘Unelected Euro judges’ are mounting a ‘relentless attack on British laws laid down over centuries by Parliament’.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 12th January 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Unlawful restraint widespread in child jails for a decade, says judge – The Guardian

“The unlawful use of restraint was widespread in privately run child jails in Britain for at least a decade, a high court judge has ruled for the first time.”

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The Guardian, 12th January 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Daily Mail pays Neil Morrissey damages over false binge-drinking story – The Guardian

Posted January 12th, 2012 in damages, defamation, news by sally

“Men Behaving Badly actor Neil Morrissey has received an apology and ‘substantial’ damages from the Daily Mail over an article that falsely claimed he was banned from a French bar for “rowdy, drunken” behaviour.”

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The Guardian, 12th January 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Babar Ahmad ruling is a victory for freedom of expression – The Guardian

Posted January 12th, 2012 in BBC, extradition, freedom of expression, news, public interest by sally

“The justice secretary certainly acted unlawfully in refusing to allow the BBC to interview Babar Ahmad, a British prisoner wanted in the US on terrorism charges, as the high court has found. But once the judgment came out, Ken Clarke showed none of the stubbornness associated with previous prisons ministers, telling the court that he would not be seeking to appeal.”

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The Guardian, 12th January 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Referral fees in spotlight as MPs slam cost of whiplash claims – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 12th, 2012 in fees, insurance, news, personal injuries by sally

“MPs today call for the bar to be raised if claimants are to receive compensation for whiplash injuries following motor accidents.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 12th January 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Do we need the Obscene Publications Acts? – Legal Week

Posted January 12th, 2012 in legislation, news, obscenity, publishing by sally

“The Obscene Publications Act 1959 s.1 commences by defining the test of obscenity:

‘For the purposes of this Act an article shall be deemed to be obscene if its effect or (where the article comprises two or more distinct items) the effect of any one of its items is, if taken as a whole, such as to tend to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it. ‘Article’ means any description of article containing or embodying matter to be read or looked at or both, any sound record, and any film or other record of a picture or pictures.'”

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Legal Week, 12th January 2012

Source: www.legalweek.com