Category: news

‘Linda O’Brien died on 9 May 2020 having fallen from the window of her flat. Alan McMahon, her former partner, was inside at the time. A five-year restraining order prohibited him from contacting her or entering her building. A month earlier, on 7 April 2020, four Merseyside Police officers attended the flat after a neighbour reported screaming. They found McMahon there. None was aware of the restraining order, and each later accepted that, had they known of it, they would have arrested him. What the PNC showed that night was never established. No evidence about it was before either court, though the Court of Appeal considered there was reason to suspect the order was there to be seen [12] [49].’

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2 Hare Court, 13th October 2026

Source: www.2harecourt.com

‘Appeals against the decisions of regulators, whether pursued by the professional or by the regulating body, are unpredictable affairs. Given the near-infinite variety of factual circumstances, it is difficult to lay down legal rules. So tribunal decisions on facts are “virtually unassailable” [Southall], but that should not be taken to mean “practically impossible” [Byrne] and appeal courts will “correct material errors of fact and law” [Jagjivan]. Whereas decisions on sanction attract respect with “particular force” [Fatnani], although “there may be matters such as dishonesty or sexual misconduct where the court is likely to feel that it can assess what is needed …” [Jagjivan again].’

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2 Hare Court, 13th October 2026

Source: www.2harecourt.com

‘The Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has published the Government response to its Third Report of Session 2026–27, Protecting built heritage (HC 144).’

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Law & Religion UK, 16th October 2026

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

‘Mr Rahman was referred to the GDC following a complaint by a dental nurse in 2023. The subsequent investigation uncovered a pattern of inappropriate, racial and sexual conduct towards mainly female staff and patients. The Committee found most of the alleged conduct proved but considered the majority of the sexual remarks were not sexually motivated. The Committee accepted an alternative explanation that the remarks were intended to be provocative or to “get a rise out of” someone, or were made with the intention of asserting authority, as opposed to them being sexually motivated. It imposed a six-month suspension.’

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2 Hare Court, 13th October 2026

Source: www.2harecourt.com

‘Passengers who play loud music on buses in England could be fined up to £100 under an attempt by the government to crack down on antisocial behaviour.’

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BBC News, 19th October 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘A teenage hitman who travelled from Norway to the UK with the intention of carrying out a murder on behalf of an Iran-backed international crime gang has been jailed for 20 years.’

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The Guardian, 16th October 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘The dispute arose from a defaulted loan facility to a company in Mr Gusinski’s New Media Group and a subsequent LCIA arbitration in 2018 against five guarantor companies. GSC acted for the guarantors in the arbitration and Barbara Dohmann KC appeared as leading counsel. In a claim brought in 2021, the Bank alleged that GSC and Mr Samuels had joined an unlawful means conspiracy orchestrated by their client, Mr Gusinski, to delay and ultimately avoid repaying the Bank. The Bank alleged that they did so principally by (i) advancing an allegedly unarguable Defence and Cross-Claim in the arbitration; and (ii) making representations on instructions to the arbitral tribunal about the availability of a US$5.2 million judgment sum held in GSC’s client account. The Bank also claimed that submissions made in support of a staged payment award had given it a proprietary interest in US$4.75 million of that judgment sum and on that basis also brought claims for breach of trust, knowing receipt and dishonest assistance.’

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Blackstone Chambers, 8th October 2026

Source: www.blackstonechambers.com

‘In this episode, Naina and Sir Jeffrey explore the notion of the rule of law, what it means to Sir Jeffrey personally, and the extent to which it is universal. They discuss the ideas that have shaped his thinking on this topic and chart the start of his journey into this area, from his early experiences in South Africa into academia. Their conversation offers a fascinating insight into Sir Jeffrey’s evolving thinking on this fundamental principle of public law.’

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Blackstone Chambers, 15th October 2026

Source: www.blackstonechambers.com

‘It is well-known that in the case of R (UNISON) v Lord Chancellor [2017] UKSC 51, the Supreme Court ruled that general language in primary legislation should not be taken to authorise the adoption of secondary legislation which interferes with fundamental common law rights.’

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Administrative Court Blog, 15th October 2026

Source: administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com

‘A business power couple have lost a four-year boundary battle over a 48cm “sliver” of land after trying to force their neighbours to demolish the kitchen wall of their £600,000 house.’

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The Independent, 16th October 2026

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘Suppose a general counsel wants the total liability exposure on every client contract signed in the past three years, or a law firm wants to review a client’s entire real estate portfolio for risk in the leases.

Not long ago, that meant a multi-week project. Today, first-pass answer can arrive in minutes. Connectors built on open standards like the model context protocol (MCP) now let AI agents query governed document stores directly, so a question that once triggered a lengthy, in-depth project gets answered instantly.’

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Legal Futures, 15th October 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘The Metropolitan Police has been ordered to re-examine a complaint from Graham Linehan after a police watchdog found that it was handled inadequately.’

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The Independent, 15th October 2026

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘The new rules, published on Thursday [15th October], mean single-sex wards, toilets and changing rooms will be used by people based on their biological sex, not their gender identity.’

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The Guardian, 15th October 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘This report sets out a vision of what a justice system should be in the twenty-first century. The main focus is on civil and administrative justice, namely disputes among people, or between people and businesses or the state, including consumer, family, housing, property and employment disputes.’

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Nuffield Foundation, 15th October 2026

Source: www.nuffieldfoundation.org

‘A Serious Fraud Office incentive scheme for corporate whistleblowers proposed by the government – something former director Nick Ephgrave pushed for during his tenure – has prompted mixed responses from the legal profession. Though many seem intrigued by the concept of US-style rewards for reporting economic crime, others have questions.’

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Law Society Gazette, 16th October 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘Schoolchildren could be taught how to treat severe bleeding following stabbings or car crashes if a proposed new law successfully passes through Parliament.’

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The Independent, 16th October 2026

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘A squatter living in an iconic London music venue has won a damages payout for “harassment” after the owner began demolishing the building while he was asleep in bed inside.’

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The Independent, 16th October 2026

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘A high-level United Kingdom appeals court has set a date to hear Jamaica’s petition for legal advice on its claim for slavery reparations from the UK, the Jamaican government has said.’

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The Guardian, 16th October 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘The Met need to move away from criminalising women involved in street sex work in the wake of the Simon Levy case, officers have told the BBC.’

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BBC News, 16th October 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Survivors of sexual violence could wrongly be denied recognition as victims of human trafficking under credibility tests in a new UK law, the independent anti-slavery commissioner has warned.’

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The Guardian, 16th October 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com