The assisted dying debate – BBC News

Posted May 27th, 2015 in assisted suicide, bills, euthanasia, news, parliament, statistics by sally

‘Nearly 300 Britons have travelled to Zurich to die with the help of the Swiss suicide group Dignitas.’

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BBC News, 26th May 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Does the Human Rights Act prevent us deporting serious criminals? – Free Movement

Posted May 26th, 2015 in deportation, human rights, immigration, news, reports, statistics, treaties by sally

‘It is very widely believed that the Human Rights Act stops the UK from deporting foreign criminals whence they came. To a limited extent, there is some truth in this. Some appeals against deportation decisions do succeed on human rights grounds. Not many, though, and none succeed because of the Human Rights Act as distinct from the European Convention on Human Rights. Other appeals against deportation succeed under EU law or the Refugee Convention.’

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Free Movement, 26th May 2015

Source: www.freemovement.org.uk

Internet troll conviction rates soar in a decade, figures reveal – The Independent

Posted May 26th, 2015 in crime, electronic mail, internet, malicious communications, news, statistics by sally

‘Convictions for crimes under a law used to prosecute internet trolls have increased nearly eight-fold in a decade, official figures reveal. Last year, 1,209 people were found guilty of offences under Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 compared with 143 in 2004.’

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The Independent, 24th May 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Inside the secret court that helps victims of drug abuse keep their families together – The Guardian

‘Seven years ago, the Family Drug and Alcohol Court began in London: now it is being extended to England and Wales.’

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The Guardian, 17th May 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Man found guilty in Southampton slavery case – The Guardian

‘A man has escaped a jail sentence despite being convicted for using “degrading, controlling and bullying” behaviour to force another man to work for him.’

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The Guardian, 16th May 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Women in prison equals children without mothers, say justice groups – The Independent

‘12,000 women are sentenced each year in the UK – leaving about 20,000 children without mothers, according to Women in Prison’

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The Independent, 16th May 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

5,000 disabled adults sexually abused in past two years, NSPCC says – The Guardian

‘Almost 5,000 disabled adults have been sexually abused in England in the past two years, figures have shown.’

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The Guardian, 18th May 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Adoption rates in freefall after court ruling leaves children languishing in unsuitable homes – The Independent

Posted May 13th, 2015 in adoption, children, families, local government, news, statistics by tracey

‘The number of children being put forward for adoption has plummeted over the past year following a series of court rulings that have left local authorities frightened of removing them from birth families.’

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The Independent, 12th May 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Student sues Oxford over handling of rape complaints – The Guardian

Posted May 8th, 2015 in complaints, harassment, news, rape, sexual offences, statistics, universities, women by tracey

‘A former Oxford student is launching a legal challenge against the university’s policy on investigating complaints of rape and sexual assault. Elizabeth Ramey, who has chosen to waive her right to anonymity, reported an alleged assault in 2011. There was a police investigation but no prosecution followed because of evidential problems.’

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The Guardian, 7th May 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Pupillages fall as work at bar shrinks – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 1st, 2015 in barristers, news, pupillage, statistics by tracey

‘The downward trend in the number of bar pupillages is continuing, reflecting a fall in the availability of work, statistics released by the bar’s regulator suggest.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 29th April 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Murder numbers at 38-year low but sex offences up 32% – BBC News

Posted April 23rd, 2015 in crime, homicide, murder, news, police, statistics by sally

‘The number of murders and manslaughter cases in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level for 38 years, police figures suggest.’

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BBC News, 23rd April 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Life Expectancy, Expert Evidence, the Strauss Tables and the Relevance of the Quality of Care: Detailed Consideration by the High Court – Zenith PI Blog

‘This Blog has already looked at the case of Robshaw -v- United Lincolnshire Hospital NHS Trust [2015] EWHC 923 (QB) in the context of judicial consideration of the basic principles of the law of damages. However the judgment of Mr Justice Foskett also contains some important observations in relation to life expectancy. In particular the approach to be taken when dealing with evidence from experts and statistical analysis.’

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Zenith PI Blog, 12th April 2015

Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com

Dog walkers who don’t clean up their pet’s mess to face £100 fine – The Independent

‘Under a new law designed to tackle Britain’s dog poo problem, owners caught without a poop scooping bag will be fined £100.’

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The Independent, 12th April 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Abolition of paper car tax disc: Why are drivers being fined and having vehicles towed away? – The Independent

Posted April 13th, 2015 in fines, internet, news, statistics, vehicle excise duty by sally

‘Thousands more new car owners are being hit with fines and having their cars clamped and towed away since major changes were made to the tax disc system.’

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The Independent, 13th April 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Access to justice a greater concern than free healthcare – poll – The Guardian

‘The public is more concerned about access to justice than free healthcare, according to a poll commissioned by lawyers campaigning to reverse cuts to legal aid.’

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The Guardian, 13th April 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Reported child sexual abuse has risen 60% in last four years, figures show

Posted April 9th, 2015 in child abuse, crime, news, police, sexual grooming, sexual offences, statistics by sally

‘There has been a 60% increase in child sexual abuse reported to the police over the past four years, according to official figures which make public for the first time the scale of the problem in England and Wales.’

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The Guardian, 9th April 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

More fines for unsolicited calls or texts likely, says ICO, as new rules come into force – OUT-LAW.com

‘Changes to the rules governing when the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) can fine companies for making unsolicited telephone calls or sending unsolicited text messages will help the UK’s privacy watchdog to “make more fines stick”, it has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 7th April 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Paralegals could damage solicitor ‘brand’ – survey – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Paralegals who qualify as solicitors without completing a formal training contract could damage the solicitor ‘brand’, according to a survey by Leeds Law Society.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 31st March 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Lord Woolf: 25 years on from Strangeways, prisons are still in crisis – The Guardian

‘Harry Woolf, the former chief justice who wrote the report on the 1991 Strangeways prison riot, says its lessons haven’t been learned.’

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The Guardian, 1st April 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

LSB: regulators better on diversity but barristers still coy about backgrounds – Legal Futures

Posted March 27th, 2015 in barristers, diversity, news, statistics by sally

‘More than 80% of barristers have declined to disclose information about their socio-economic backgrounds when asked to do so by their professional regulator, it has emerged.’

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Legal Futures, 27th March 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk