Fiancée fights for her right to a Scientology wedding in landmark legal bid to overturn ‘unfair’ marriage laws in England and Wales – The Independent

Posted October 25th, 2012 in belief discrimination, equality, marriage, news by sally

“Scientologists have launched a landmark legal bid to overturn marriage laws in England and Wales. Followers of the controversial new religion believe it is unfair that Protestants, Catholics, Quakers, Jews and Non-Conformists are allowed to have state sanctioned marriages in their religious buildings whilst other faiths are not.”

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The Independent, 24th October 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Prisoner votes row will lose the government respect – The Guardian

Posted October 25th, 2012 in attorney general, elections, human rights, news, prisons by sally

“Cameron’s depressing announcement means the UK’s reputation will suffer – and it was a snub to his attorney general.”

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The Guardian, 24th October 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Blow to Sarah’s Law as judges rule paedophiles’ human rights should be considered – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 25th, 2012 in criminal records, disclosure, human rights, judgments, news, sexual offences by sally

“A High Court ruling said paedophiles should be allowed to make representations before their details are revealed to members of the public.”

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Daily Telegraph, 24th October 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Disclosure of sex offender information – new high court judgment – Panopticon

Posted October 25th, 2012 in criminal records, disclosure, human rights, judgments, news, sexual offences by sally

“The High Court has today handed down an important judgment on the legality of the Government’s Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme (CSOD): X(South Yorkshire) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2012] EWHC 2954 (Admin). CSOD is a non statutory scheme which police forces nationally have been free to adopt since 2010. It enables members of the public to ask the police to provide details of a person who has some form of contact with children with a view to ascertaining whether that person had convictions for sexual offences against children or whether there is other relevant information about him or her which ought to be made available.”

Full story

Panopticon, 24th October 2012

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Reginald Davies convicted of sex abuse dating back 63 years – The Guardian

Posted October 25th, 2012 in child abuse, extradition, news, rape, sexual offences by sally

“An elderly man has been convicted of the rape and sexual abuse of four young girls in south Wales up to 63 years ago, in one of the oldest historic cases of sex offences ever to be prosecuted in this country.”

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The Guardian, 24th October 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

I won’t give prisoners the vote, says David Cameron – The Guardian

Posted October 24th, 2012 in elections, news, prisons by sally

“Prime minister at odds with attorney general as he tells MPs prisoners will never get the vote under his government.”

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The Guardian, 24th October 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Change law that puts children in jail for minor offences, says report – The Guardian

Posted October 24th, 2012 in children, death in custody, imprisonment, news, young offenders by sally

“Minor offences by children should be treated as a public health issue and not as crimes, according to a new report revealing failings in the justice system have cost 190 lives in a decade.”

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The Guardian, 24th October 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

DPP to launch urgent investigation into failure to prosecute Jimmy Savile over child abuse allegations – The Independent

Posted October 24th, 2012 in child abuse, Crown Prosecution Service, news, prosecutions, sexual offences by sally

“Mr Starmer will examine why the Crown Prosecution Service failed to act on evidence about Savile’s activities passed to it in 2009 by Surrey Police.”

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The Independent, 24th October 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Victoria station killing: man convicted over Sofyen Belamouadden death – The Guardian

Posted October 24th, 2012 in conspiracy, grievous bodily harm, homicide, news, young offenders by sally

“The last teenager to stand trial for the murder of a 15-year-old boy who was hunted down at a central London railway station has been convicted of his killing.”

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The Guardian, 24th October 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Women who worked for Birmingham council win equal pay court fight – The Guardian

Posted October 24th, 2012 in appeals, equal pay, local government, news, women by sally

“Scores of women who worked for a local authority have won an equal pay compensation fight at the UK’s highest court.”

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The Guardian, 24th October 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New tool to fight economic crime – Ministry of Justice

Posted October 24th, 2012 in bribery, fraud, money laundering, news, prosecutions by sally

“A new measure announced today [23 October] will help prosecutors combat corporate offending including fraud, money laundering and bribery – which cost the UK billions of pounds each year.”

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Ministry of Justice, 23rd October 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Only smarties have the answer – collective cabinet responsibility and the sale of Rowntree Mackintosh – Panopticon

Posted October 24th, 2012 in freedom of information, government departments, news, takeovers by sally

“The question of whether the convention on collective cabinet responsibility operates, in effect, as a trump card in the FOIA context has been considered in a number of tribunal cases (see further for example the Lamb case concerning a request for disclosure of the Iraq war cabinet minutes and the Cabinet Office case concerning cabinet discussions over the Westland takeover (‘the Westland case’)). Last week, in Cabinet Office v IC, the First-Tier Tribunal handed down a decision in which it reconfirmed the principle that the convention, whilst undoubtedly an important consideration in the FOIA context, does not create any absolute bar against disclosure.”

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Panopticon, 23rd October 2012

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Community sentences to deliver proper punishment – Ministry of Justice

Posted October 24th, 2012 in community service, compensation, news, punishment by sally

“The Government today publishes the new legislation, in the Crime and Courts Bill, that will mean adult community sentences will now contain a punitive element.”

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Ministry of Justice, 23rd October 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Solicitor General: Keynote speech to World Bribery and Corruption Compliance Forum – Attorney General’s Office

Posted October 24th, 2012 in bribery, corruption, news, prosecutions by sally

Solicitor General: Keynote speech to World Bribery and Corruption Compliance Forum

Attorney General’s Office, 23rd October 2012

Source: www.attorneygeneral.gov.uk

Urgent action call over child deaths in custody – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 24th, 2012 in children, death in custody, news, young persons by sally

“Two national charities have called for an urgent independent review of ‘systemic failings’ that have led to the deaths of 200 imprisoned children and young people over the past decade.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 24th October 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Greater police prosecution powers to cut costs and deliver swifter justice – Home Office

Posted October 24th, 2012 in news, pilot schemes, police, prosecutions by sally

“Police prosecution powers are being extended in a bureaucracy busting change to the law announced today [23 October] by Home Secretary Theresa May.”

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Home Office, 23rd October 2012

Source: www.homeoffice.gov.uk

‘Courtroom chaos’: Government accused of endangering justice by using cut-price courtroom interpreters – The Independent

Posted October 24th, 2012 in contracting out, courts, interpreters, news by sally

“Britain’s leading translators today accused the government of endangering justice with a cut-price private contract for courtroom interpreters, which is ‘dangerous to the interests of public safety.'”

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The Independent, 23rd October 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Compensation for Savile’s victims – BBC Law in Action

Posted October 24th, 2012 in child abuse, compensation, news, sexual offences by sally

“Victims of abuse by Jimmy Savile may soon submit compensation claims to the courts. So what will they have to prove and what defences will be available to Savile’s former employers – such as the BBC, hospitals and prisons? Appeal Court judge, Sir Stanley Burnton, tells Joshua Rozenberg what is likely to happen.”

Listen

BBC Law in Action, 23rd October 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

More appeals over police complaints handling, says IPCC – BBC News

Posted October 24th, 2012 in appeals, complaints, news, police, statistics by sally

“There has been a rise in the number of people unhappy with how police in England and Wales handled complaints.”

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BBC News, 24th October 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Prince Charles and the curious case of the Black Spider Letters – UK Human Rights Blog

“Litigation relating to information rights can sometimes seem very dry and obscure, entailing lengthy analysis of the merits of public authorities disclosing or withholding information which is highly specialised or obtuse, and of little real interest to the general population. But this case – the case of the ‘Black Spider Letters’ – really is a fascinating one, involving an examination not just of the legislative provisions relating to the disclosure of information, but also a consideration of the existence and extent of constitutional conventions pertaining to the role of the monarchy in government. At the same time, it has the potential to generate such controversy as to make for perfect tabloid fodder. It has been the subject of international news coverage. And it’s not over yet.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 23rd October

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com