Senior Met officer to review Lords corruption claims – The Guardian

Posted January 30th, 2009 in news, parliament, peerages & dignities by sally

“John Yates, the Scotland Yard assistant commissioner who headed the ‘cash for honours’  inquiry, is to review whether four Labour peers should face a police inquiry, it was announced yesterday.”

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The Guardian, 30th January 2009

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Legal threat to councils over rape victims – The Guardian

Posted January 30th, 2009 in local government, news, rape, victims by sally

“More than 100 councils will today be threatened with legal action over their failure to provide rape crisis centres and domestic violence support services, with a strongly worded warning issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.”

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The Guardian, 30th January 2009

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Bruising battle looms over release of records – The Times

Posted January 30th, 2009 in news, public records by sally

“The proposal to halve from 30 to 15 years the period before government records are publicly released is both welcome and overdue. But this is only part of the answer to the question of what, and when, the public should know about how decisions are taken on their behalf, as is recognised in yesterday’s independent review by a panel including Paul Dacre, Editor of the Daily Mail, who was chairman; Professor Sir David Cannadine, the historian; and Sir Joe Pilling, a retired Permanent Secretary.”

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The Times, 30th January 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

‘Written tests are no guide to your ability to be a judge’ – The Times

Posted January 29th, 2009 in examinations, judicial appointments commission, judicial review, news by sally

“A judge has taken the unprecedented step of launching legal action because he failed to be shortlisted for a judicial post after sitting a new written test. David Page, 58, who has sat as a £102,000-a-year full-time immigration judge since 2002, was insulted and shocked to find that he was ruled out after two 40-minute written papers.”

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The Times, 29th January 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Inquests without a jury: the Government needs to think again – The Times

Posted January 29th, 2009 in inquests, juries, news by sally

“The Coroners and Justice Bill, which had its second reading in the House of Commons on Monday, allows the Secretary of State for Justice to specify that an inquest should take place without a jury to prevent ‘harm to the public interest’. The Government has failed to justify such a broad discretion to remove an important safeguard against abuse of power.”

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The Times, 29th January 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Two Pacific Continental Securities executives banned by FSA – The Times

Posted January 29th, 2009 in financial regulation, news by sally

“Two executives of Pacific Continental Securities, a notorious stockbroking firm that fleeced more than 8,000 savers, were banned from the City yesterday. Steven Griggs, the former chief executive, and Charles Weston, the former finance director, were also heavily fined by the Financial Services Authority.”

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The Times, 29th January 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Ban on possession of extreme images comes into force – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 29th, 2009 in news, pornography by sally

“It has become illegal in most of the UK to own extreme pornographic images. A new law came into force making it a criminal offence to possess the images in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. A similar law is proposed in Scotland.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 29th January 2009

Source: www.out-law.com

All criteria must be met for exemptions from disability hiring law, says EAT – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 29th, 2009 in disability discrimination, employment, news by sally

“If a company that is recruiting is to be exempt from making provisions for disabled applicants it must fulfil all the criteria laid down in law and not just some of them, the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) has said”

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OUT-LAW.com, 29th January 2009

Source: www.out-law.com

Facebook message teenager found guilty of murder – The Independent

Posted January 29th, 2009 in murder, news, young offenders by sally

“A teenager who posted a message on Facebook saying he felt ‘like killin some1’  hours before stabbing a man to death in a crowded bar was convicted of murder today.”

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The Independent, 28th January 2009

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Inmates ‘with nothing to lose’ threaten jails – The Times

Posted January 29th, 2009 in news, prisons by sally

“A growing number of prisoners serving long sentences who have ‘nothing to lose’ is a threat to the control and stability of the jail system, the prisons watchdog warns. Dame Anne Owers, the chief inspector of prisons, also said that there was a growing use of force to control the most pressurised jails in England and Wales.”

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The Times, 29th January 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Teenage girl who attacked three paramedics walks free from court – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 29th, 2009 in assault, news, sentencing, young offenders by sally

“The 16-year-old, from Somerset, was given a community rehabilitation order for three counts of assault at Yeovil Magistrates’ Court.”

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Daily Telegraph, 28th January 2009

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Rule on secret Government documents could be relaxed – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 29th, 2009 in news, public records by sally

“Secret Government documents could be released earlier when a report is published into whether the 30-year-rule should be relaxed.”

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Daily Telegraph, 29th January 2009

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Women killed after inflatable artwork’s safety system failed in wind, court told – The Guardian

Posted January 29th, 2009 in health & safety, homicide, negligence, news by sally

“Amateurish safety precautions led to a huge inflatable artwork tearing free and twisting into the air in a strong gust of wind, killing two women inside, a court heard yesterday.”

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The Guardian, 29th January 2009

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

£20 broadband charge to fight online music and film piracy – The Times

Posted January 29th, 2009 in copyright, internet, news by sally

“An additional charge for broadband use will be proposed by ministers today as part of a plan to stamp out music and film piracy. Lord Carter of Barnes, the Communications Minister, will propose the creation of a quango, paid for by a charge that could amount to £20 a year per broadband connection. The idea will be at the heart of the Digital Britain Green Paper to be unveiled by ministers, which includes plans to create jobs by boosting broadband take-up.”

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The Times, 29th January 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Somerset care home manager charged with murdering three residents – The Times

Posted January 29th, 2009 in care homes, murder, news by sally

“A registered nurse has been charged with murdering three elderly residents in the Somerset care home that she ran with her husband for ten years.”

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The Times, 29th January 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Parallel importer jailed for up to nine months in Microsoft case – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 28th, 2009 in news, parallel imports, sentencing by sally

“A software distributor faces nine months in jail for selling ‘grey’ imported copies of Microsoft software. Sales firm ITAC’s founder Barry Omesuh must pay £2.5 million in damages to the software giant.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 28th January 2009

Source: www.out-law.com

Responding to human rights judgments – Ministry of Justice

Posted January 28th, 2009 in human rights, news by sally

“Government response to the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ 31st Report of Session 2007-08.”

Full response

Ministry of Justice, 27th January 2009

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Blogger who didn’t delete comment cannot sue over it, says High Court – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 28th, 2009 in defamation, internet, news by sally

“A man who was criticised in the comments section of his own blog cannot sue for defamation because he did not delete the comment when he discovered it, the High Court has said. The Court said that the man consented to the comment’s publication.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 27th January 2009

Source: www.out-law.com

Virgin Atlantic loses design rights and patent claims over flatbed seats – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 28th, 2009 in airlines, news, patents by sally

“Airline Virgin Atlantic has lost its claim that a rival airline’s seat infringed its intellectual property rights. Virgin Atlantic’s patent design rights were not infringed by a design produced by Virgin’s seat design contractor for a rival, the High Court said.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 27th January 2009

Source: www.out-law.com

Two men jailed after pub murder – BBC News

Posted January 28th, 2009 in murder, news, sentencing by sally

“A man has been sentenced to life for shooting dead a father-of-two in a pub.”

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BBC News, 27th January 2009

Source: www.bbc.co.uk