Metropolitan Police corruption suspensions near 50 over two years – BBC News

‘Nearly 50 Metropolitan police officers and 26 staff members have been suspended for alleged corruption in the past two years, figures show.’

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BBC News, 3rd March 2015

Source:www.bbc.co.uk

Jimmy Savile scandal: Anger as no one is blamed for allowing abuse in hospitals – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 27th, 2015 in child abuse, disabled persons, hospitals, news, reports, sexual offences by tracey

‘Jimmy Savile’s victims have reacted with anger after a series of reports into his decades of abuse failed to apportion blame to any senior NHS managers. More than 40 hospitals, including Stoke Mandeville – where Savile abused at least 60 victims during a 24-year reign of terror – have investigated how the entertainer was allowed to get away with his crimes for so long. But victims branded the findings a “whitewash”, after NHS bosses claimed they had no idea what was going on.’

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Daily Telegraph, 26th February 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Jimmy Savile NHS investigations: lessons learned – Department of Health

Posted February 27th, 2015 in child abuse, disabled persons, hospitals, reports, sexual offences by tracey

‘The Secretary of State for Health asked former barrister Kate Lampard to produce a ‘lessons learned’ report, drawing on the findings from all published investigations and emerging themes.’

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Department of Health, 26th February 2015

Source: www.gov.uk/government/publications

Jimmy Savile: Stoke Mandeville abuse report to be published – The Guardian

Posted February 26th, 2015 in child abuse, hospitals, news, reports, sexual offences by sally

‘A key report into the sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile of patients at Stoke Mandeville hospital is to be published on Thursday.’

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The Guardian, 26th February 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Juliet Wells: Reforming Electoral Law: a Comment on the Law Commission’s Joint Consultation Paper – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted February 25th, 2015 in constitutional law, elections, Law Commission, news, reports by sally

‘Electoral policy is constantly on the march. Given that the rules prescribing the voting systems to be used in different elections, the extent of the franchise, constituency boundaries, and eligibility to stand play a major part in shaping government and the broader exercise of public power by those within it, it is hardly surprising that macro-electoral policy regularly appears as the subject of vigorous political debates. There are, indeed, no less than seven Bills (including Private Members’ Bills) currently before Parliament relating to significant aspects of the voting system in the UK – including the Recall of MPs Bill, the Voting Age (Comprehensive Reduction) Bill, the Voting (Civic Obligation) Bill, and the Overseas Voters Bill. Other key issues at the forefront of public discussion include proposed changes to the voting system itself, especially in an era of party proliferation, and the suggested inclusion of ‘None of the Above’ as an option on ballot papers, as one response to entrenched (and seemingly increasing) popular disengagement from politics.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 25th February 2015

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

PPI problems still the cause of most complaints to financial ombudsman – The Guardian

Posted February 24th, 2015 in banking, complaints, financial regulation, insurance, news, reports by sally

‘Complaints about payment protection insurance (PPI) are still making up two-thirds of all the cases being dealt with by the financial ombudsman, which named Lloyds and Barclays as Britain’s two “most complained-about” financial firms.’

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The Guardian, 24th February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Sir Cliff Richard’s privacy was ‘violated’ by police deal with BBC, report claims – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 24th, 2015 in BBC, freedom of information, media, news, police, privacy, reports by sally

‘A damning report has alleged that ‘incompetent’ police chiefs violated Sir Cliff Richard’s privacy by disclosing details of a raid on his home to the BBC’

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Daily Telegraph, 23rd February 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

‘Victims’ law’ proposals from Labour panel – BBC News

‘There needs to be a “cultural shift” in the way victims of crime in England and Wales are treated, a panel of criminal justice experts has said.’

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BBC News, 24th February 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Legal aid cuts exposing domestic abuse victims to court ordeal, says report – The Guardian

‘Victims of domestic abuse increasingly face being cross-examined by their attackers because legal aid cuts make it difficult to qualify for courtroom representation, according to research by Citizens Advice.’

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The Guardian, 19th February 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Online courts: type “J” for “Judge” – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted February 19th, 2015 in courts, dispute resolution, internet, news, reports, small claims by sally

‘Whenever I read stories about IT and the courts system I often get a funny sense of déjà vu (or perhaps copy and paste) but this week I read something that was more genuinely radical.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 18th February 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Twitter joke trial law is being used to win easy convictions and must be scrapped, report claims – The Independent

‘The law used to prosecute a man for joking on Twitter about blowing up a snowbound airport should be scrapped since it is used to get easy convictions, according to a report out today.’

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The Independent, 19th February 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Boy, seven, died despite 18 opportunities for social services to act – The Guardian

Posted February 19th, 2015 in child abuse, children, homicide, news, reports, social services by sally

‘A seven-year-old boy died after the authorities failed for four years to take action despite 18 opportunities to step in, a Serious Case Review has found.’

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The Guardian, 18th February 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Whistleblowing: ‘It’s still not safe for us to speak out’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 12th, 2015 in doctors, health, news, nurses, quality assurance, reports, whistleblowers by sally

‘Whistle-blowers say Sir Robert Francis’s report fails to offer enough protection to staff to who speak out and will not encourage others to come forward.’

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Daily Telegraph, 11th February 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Driverless cars legal review – only one step on the journey – Technology Law Update

Posted February 12th, 2015 in codes of practice, consultations, news, reports, road safety, road traffic by sally

‘The UK government has reported on its major review of the legal framework for the next stage for driverless cars. In The Pathway to Driverless Cars the Department for Transport sets out government thinking on what needs to change to support testing soon to be rolled out on British roads, and to pave the way for increasing autonomy into the future.’

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Technology Law Update, 11th February 2015

Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk

New code to govern driverless car testing in the UK – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 12th, 2015 in codes of practice, computer programs, news, reports, road safety, road traffic by sally

”Driverless’ cars being tested on public roads in the UK will need to be fitted with data recorders, the government has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 11th February 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Imprisonment ‘turns young offenders into sex criminals’ – The Independent

Posted February 10th, 2015 in imprisonment, news, prisons, reports, sexual offences, young offenders by sally

‘Plans for Europe’s largest juvenile prison were criticised last night after a new report claimed that jailing children increased the chances of them becoming sex offenders in adulthood.’

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The Independent, 10th February 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Police will need judge’s permission to access journalists’ phone and email records – The Guardian

‘Police will be forced to seek the permission of a judge if they want to retrieve the phone and email records of journalists, after the prime minister’s snooping watchdog found that 19 police forces made more than 600 applications to uncover confidential sources in the past three years.’

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The Guardian, 4th February 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Iraq inquiry: Chilcot admits he cannot set publication date – The Guardian

Posted February 5th, 2015 in inquiries, Iraq, news, publishing, reports by sally

‘Sir John Chilcot, the chairman of the Iraq war inquiry, said on Wednesday that he was unable to set a date for the publication of his report as it emerged that some witnesses have received papers from the inquiry running into hundreds of pages.’

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The Guardian, 4th February 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

High cost of Court of Protection cases “a matter of serious concern”: report – Local Government Lawyer

Posted February 4th, 2015 in costs, Court of Protection, local government, news, reports by sally

‘The high cost of welfare cases in the Court of Protection is “a matter of serious concern” and – alongside the lengthy duration of such proceedings – requires urgent investigation, researchers at Cardiff University have said.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 3rd February 2015

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Children held at Campsfield House immigration centre – BBC News

Posted February 3rd, 2015 in children, detention, immigration, news, reports by tracey

‘Three children were detained at a UK immigration centre despite a government commitment to end the practice, the HM Inspectorate of Prisons has found.’

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BBC News, 3rd February 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk