Murdered mum Natasha Trevis ‘not listened to’, report finds – BBC News

Posted December 15th, 2014 in complaints, domestic violence, murder, news, police, reports, sentencing, social services by tracey

‘A mother of three murdered by her “controlling” partner was “not listened to or heard” by the authorities, a report has found.’

Full story

BBC News, 15th December 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The Lord Chief Justice’s Report 2014 – Judiciary of England and Wales

‘The Lord Chief Justice has today laid his annual report before Parliament. His report looks back at the past 12 months and explains how the judiciary have administered justice across all jurisdictions by focusing on key priorities.’

Full report

Judiciary of England and Wales, 15th December 2014

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

MoJ commissions new report into accessibility of legal services – LegalVoice

Posted December 11th, 2014 in legal aid, legal services, Ministry of Justice, news, reports by sally

‘Following the recent publication of a report on litigants in person in private family law (reported here), the Lord Chancellor has commissioned a review of accessibility and affordability of legal services.’

Full story

LegalVoice, 10th December 2014

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

‘Better than nothing… helpful… mad as a bag of frogs’: judges on McKenzie Friends –

Posted December 5th, 2014 in family courts, litigants in person, McKenzie friends, news, reports by sally

‘A new report on litigants in person in private family law cases has added to concerns over the value and legitimacy of McKenzie Friends in the legal services market. The report, commissioned and published by the Ministry of Justice, into litigants in person in the family courts (here) found the Legal Services Consumer Panel’s recommendation that professional McKenzie Friends be recognised as a legitimate part of the market (reported here) ‘somewhat surprising’.’

Full story

LegalVoice, 4th December 2014

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

NAO questions whether legal aid reforms have delivered better value for money – Free Movement

Posted December 5th, 2014 in budgets, legal aid, news, reports by sally

‘On 20 November 2014, the National Audit Office – the independent Parliamentary body responsible for scrutinising the way in which the government spends public money – published a report on the implementation of the post-2010 civil legal aid reforms. Its central conclusion is an unsurprising one: while spending on civil legal aid has been reduced significantly, the Ministry of Justice failed properly to consider the wider impact of the reforms before implementing them.’

Full story

Free Movement, 5th December 2014

Source: www.freemovement.org.uk

Rights to light – making the law more transparent – Law Commission

Posted December 4th, 2014 in human rights, Law Commission, news, planning, reports by sally

‘In a report published today, the Law Commission is recommending reforms to the law governing rights to light that will strike a balance between the interests of landowners and the law’s recognition of the need for appropriate development.’

Full story

Law Commission, 4th December 2014

Source: www.lawcommission.justice.gov.uk

Child abduction changes – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 4th, 2014 in child abduction, detention, false imprisonment, kidnapping, news, reports, sentencing by sally

‘Proposed amendments to child abduction legislation will have a far-reaching impact on family law, write Joanna Farrands and Helen Habershon.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 1st December 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Lawyers and their Regulators: What Next? – Nicholas Lavender QC, Chairman of the Bar Council

Lawyers and their Regulators: What Next? (PDF)

Nicholas Lavender QC, Chairman of the Bar Council

The Bar Council, 24th November 2014

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Better late than never: MoJ finally publishes report on litigants in person – Legal Futures

Posted December 1st, 2014 in litigants in person, Ministry of Justice, news, reports by tracey

‘The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has finally published a report it commissioned on litigants in person (LiPs) – more than a year after it was submitted. The report examined the experiences of LiPs in private law family cases before the legal aid cuts in April 2013, to assess their impact and help shape future policy.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 28th November 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Implementation of Bar Tribunal arrangements “progressing well” – Bar Standards Board

Posted December 1st, 2014 in barristers, press releases, reports, tribunals by tracey

‘A Bar Standards Board (BSB) annual report into the arrangements relating to the operation of the independent Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service (BTAS) has found no significant issues to report and improvements in the service being sustained.’

Full press release

Bar Standards Board, 28th November 2014

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

High Court judge rejects challenge to 400-home planning consent, despite planning officer’s mistaken advice – OUT-LAW.com

Posted November 27th, 2014 in judicial review, local government, news, planning, reports by sally

‘A High Court judge has refused to quash a decision to grant planning consent for 400 homes within the Surrey countryside, after deciding that a council was not misled by a planning officer’s mistaken advice.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 26th November 2014

Source: www.out-law.com

Inquiry into paedophile William Vahey finds serious failures at school – The Guardian

Posted November 27th, 2014 in complaints, education, inquiries, news, reports, sexual offences, teachers by sally

‘The headmaster of an elite London school where the US paedophile William Vahey abused more than 60 boys dismissed a complaint about his worrying conduct on a field trip as “unfair pressure” by “vindictive parents”, an independent report in to his criminality has revealed.’

Full story

The Guardian, 26th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Drive to end Winterbourne View-style care going backwards, official report shows – Daily Telegraph

‘Report commissioned by NHS calls for closure of all Winterbourne View-style institutions for disabled patients but Chief Nursing Officer insists complexity of cases leading to slow progress.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 26th November 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Simplification of Criminal Law: Kidnapping and Related Offences – Law Commission

Posted November 20th, 2014 in child abduction, false imprisonment, kidnapping, Law Commission, reports by tracey

‘A report recommending reforms to the law relating to kidnapping, false imprisonment and child abduction.’

Full report

Law Commission, 20th November 2014

Source: www.justice.gov.uk/lawcommission

CPS decide no criminal charges should be brought following investigation into police actions in relation to the Kevin Nunes murder trial – Crown Prosecution Service

‘Operation Kalmia 2 was an investigation to determine whether any offences had been committed in connection with Staffordshire Police’s handling of disclosure of unused material in a prosecution (relating to the death of Kevin Nunes), which resulted in the convictions for murder in the subsequent criminal proceedings being quashed by the Court of Appeal. Following an investigation led by Chief Constable of Derbyshire Mick Creedon and managed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was asked to consider allegations in relation to two matters relating to the handling of the murder trial.’

Full press release

Crown Prosecution Service, 19th November 2014

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Legal aid cuts ‘not thought through early enough’ – BBC News

Posted November 20th, 2014 in family courts, legal aid, legal representation, news, reports by tracey

‘The government did not “think through” its legal aid cuts early enough and “does not know” whether people in need of aid are getting it, a report says. The National Audit Office said £300m a year would eventually be saved but other impacts of changes were unknown.’

Full story

BBC News, 20th November 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

NHS ombudsman ‘failing families’ – BBC News

Posted November 18th, 2014 in complaints, health, news, ombudsmen, reports by sally

‘The NHS ombudsman – the independent service that investigates patients’ complaints – is “wholly ineffective and failing families”, warns a charity.’

Full story

BBC News, 18th November 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Police failing to record quarter of all sexual offences, says watchdog – The Independent

Posted November 18th, 2014 in crime, news, police, rape, reports, sexual offences by sally

‘Police officers fail to record a quarter of sexual offences – including rapes – and one-third of violent attacks, a damning report by the police watchdog has concluded.’

Full story

The Independent, 18th November 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Jail those convicted of illegal blood sports, campaigners say – The Guardian

Posted November 18th, 2014 in hunting, imprisonment, news, penalties, reports, sentencing by sally

‘Hunters should face prison sentences for illegal blood sports, be banned from sending dogs underground and prevented from escaping prosecution by claiming that kills are accidental, according to animal welfare campaigners.’

Full story

The Guardian, 18th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Too many prisoners jailed unnecessarily, says review head – The Guardian

‘The unnecessary jailing of too many people in England and Wales is leaving resources stretched and vulnerable inmates unsupervised, the head of a review into prison suicides has said.’

Full story

The Guardian, 14th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk