Category: public interest

AAA v Associated Newspapers Ltd – WLR Daily

Posted May 23rd, 2013 in appeals, confidentiality, damages, freedom of expression, injunctions, law reports, media, paternity, privacy, public interest by sally

AAA v Associated Newspapers Ltd [2013] EWCA Civ 554; [2013] WLR (D) 189

“Where a judge at first instance had carried out the careful balancing exercise required in respect of an individual’s right of privacy and a publisher’s right of freedom of expression, an appellate court should not intervene unless the judge had erred in principle, or reached a conclusion which was plainly wrong or outside the ambit of conclusions that could reasonably be reached.”

WLR Daily, 20th May 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Public has right to know Boris Johnson fathered child during affair, court rules – The Guardian

Posted May 21st, 2013 in appeals, injunctions, media, news, paternity, privacy, public interest by sally

“The public has a right to know that Boris Johnson had an extramarital affair with a woman who later gave birth to their daughter, the appeal court has ruled.”

Full story

The Guardian, 21st May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Workfare placements must be made public, tribunal rules – The Guardian

Posted May 20th, 2013 in benefits, disclosure, employment, government departments, news, public interest, tribunals by sally

“The Department for Work and Pensions has lost a major court battle to keep the locations of thousands of workfare placements secret.”

Full story

The Guardian, 19th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

We should have anonymity for people who have been arrested but not charged, says Theresa May – The Independent

Posted May 16th, 2013 in anonymity, freedom of expression, ministers' powers and duties, news, police, public interest by sally

“Criminal suspects who have been arrested should not normally be named until they are charged, the Home Secretary has said.”

Full story

The Independent, 16th May 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Stephen Lawrence judges: why we threw out David Norris appeal plea – The Guardian

Posted May 15th, 2013 in appeals, judges, murder, news, public interest, racism by sally

“Appeal court justices say conviction was ‘unarguable’ for racist murder of London teenager in 1993.”

Full story

The Guardian, 15th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Does the need for sensation justify the public’s right to be informed? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted May 14th, 2013 in anonymity, media, news, public interest, victims by sally

“The need for sensation alone has placed Jimmy Tarbuck’s name in the press for being questioned regarding an alleged sexual offence dating back to the 1970s. Jimmy Tarbuck is one of a seemingly never-ending stream of household names being questioned regarding historic sexual offences. Jimmy Tarbuck has merely been questioned. We do not know what the evidence is against him but we know it is insufficient at present to sustain a criminal charge. Why then are we even aware of this story?”

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 13th May 2013

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Whistleblowing – what’s in the public interest? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted May 14th, 2013 in employment, legislation, news, public interest, whistleblowers by sally

“Hardly a day goes by without whistleblowing being in the news. Just last month, two police officers were suspended in Cumbria for leaking information to the press about the expenses of an elected Police Commissioner. Last month, the Robert Francis Inquiry published its findings in to the high mortality rates at Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust, which found a culture of fear and silence throughout the organisation which discouraged staff from raising concerns about patient safety. According to research of the University of Greenwich, 80% of the public feel that whistleblowers should be protected. It seems like we are all agreed that we need more whistleblowers and that they should be protected. But why do we continue to hear about whistleblowers being victimised? As we have seen from the Cumbrian example, should police officers be suspended for raising concerns about the expenses of an elected official? When is whistleblowing in the public interest?”

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 13th May 2013

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

CPS publishes Guidance on Charging Offences arising from Driving Incidents following public consultation – Crown Prosecution service

Posted May 13th, 2013 in consultations, Crown Prosecution Service, press releases, prosecutions, public interest, road traffic offences by tracey

“The Crown Prosecution Service has today published its Guidance on Charging Offences arising from Driving Incidents. The two most significant changes from previous guidance concern drivers in emergencies and deaths where the victim is a close friend or relative of the driver.”

Full press release

Crown Prosecution Service, 9th May 2013

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Lord Falconer to press on assisted dying law – BBC News

Posted May 8th, 2013 in assisted suicide, bills, medical ethics, medical treatment, news, public interest by sally

“Parliament is to be asked to consider the case for legalising assisted dying for terminally ill patients who have less than six months to live.”

Full story

BBC News, 7th May 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Defamation Act becomes law, establishes new statutory defences against libel – OUT-LAW.com

Posted April 30th, 2013 in bills, defamation, defences, legislation, news, public interest by sally

“Changes to libel laws in England and Wales have been implemented after the Defamation Bill received Royal Assent late last week.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 29th April 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Strasbourg ties itself in knots over advertising ban – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted April 24th, 2013 in advertising, animal cruelty, competition, human rights, news, public interest by sally

“In what was a profoundly sad day for democracy, on 22 April 2013 the European Court of Human Rights found in favour of the UK government in a landmark test case concerning a TV advertisement produced by ADI in 2005, and subsequently banned under the Communications Act 2003.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 23rd April 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

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

Posted April 15th, 2013 in bills, compensation, consultations, disclosure, news, public interest, whistleblowers by sally

“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.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 15th April 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

That’s Life magazine censured for paying murderer’s sister for her story – The Guardian

Posted April 8th, 2013 in complaints, murder, news, public interest, publishing by sally

“Women’s weekly That’s Life has been censured by the Press Complaints Commission for paying the sister of a murderer for her story.”

Full story

The Guardian, 5th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Craig Prescott: The Union, Constitutional Change and Constitutional Conventions (and English Regionalism?) – UK Constitutional Law Group

Posted April 3rd, 2013 in constitutional law, constitutional reform, devolution, news, public interest, reports by sally

“Last week, the House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee published their report, Do We Need A Constitutional Convention For the UK? (HC 2012-13 371). It is an interesting document, mainly because its very existence shows that the idea of a constitutional convention is becoming more mainstream within Westminster. But the report raises many questions, not all of which are fully answered. The central thrust of the report is that considering the raft of changes made to the constitution since 1997, particularly devolution, ‘it is time to conduct a comprehensive review so that the Union can work well in the future’ (para 111), and that this review should take the form of a ‘constitutional convention to look at the formal constitutional structure of the UK’.”

Full story

UK Constitutional Law Group, 3rd April 2013

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

SAS sniper Danny Nightingale retrial to be challenged – BBC News

Posted April 3rd, 2013 in armed forces, firearms, news, public interest, retrials by sally

“Lawyers for an SAS sniper are to challenge whether it is in the public interest to retry him for illegally possessing a pistol and ammunition.”

Full story

BBC News, 2nd April 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Sky News reporter cleared over canoe man email hacking – The Guardian

Posted March 19th, 2013 in electronic mail, interception, media, news, public interest by tracey

“Sky News correspondent Gerard Tubb will not face prosecution for hacking the email account of ‘canoe man’ John Darwin, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has announced.”

Full story

The Guardian, 18th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Update from the Chairman – The Bar Council

Posted March 18th, 2013 in barristers, consultations, fees, legal aid, news, public interest by sally

“These are remarkably difficult times for all the publicly-funded Bar. Whilst there is great concern and unrest at the criminal Bar, civil and family practitioners will see entire practice areas removed from the scope of legal aid in just a few weeks. The Bar Council has to watch and protect the interests of all practitioners.”

Full story

The Bar Council, 15th March 2013

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

The case for the prosecution: independence and the public interest – Speech by the Attorney General

Posted March 15th, 2013 in Crown Prosecution Service, police, prosecutions, public interest, speeches by tracey

“Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC MP considers some options for reform of prosecution policy. Originally given at Queen Mary University of London School of Law, 13th March 2013.”

Full speech

Attorney-General’s Office, 13th March 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/ago

Bar Council calls for proportionate regulation in response to LSBs Business Plan – The Bar Council

Posted March 6th, 2013 in budgets, legal aid, news, public interest, regulations by sally

“The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has called for proportionate and financially responsible regulation in its response to the Legal Services Board’s (LSB) draft business plan for 2013-14.”

Full story

The Bar Council, 4th March 2013

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Open up family court hearings, says senior judge – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 4th, 2013 in children, family courts, freedom of expression, injunctions, media, news, public interest by sally

“A senior judge has made an important ruling in favour of transparency in the family courts.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 2nd March 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk