Law firm “sacked staff member by WhatsApp”, tribunal finds – Legal Futures

‘A small law firm sacked its administrator by sending him a brief WhatsApp message – and then backdated his P45 to support an argument that he was actually fired earlier and so his claim was out of time, an employment tribunal has found.’

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Legal Futures, 22nd May 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Man who ‘confessed’ to raping woman in Facebook message was not prosecuted – The Independent

‘A man who “confessed” on Facebook Messenger to raping a woman in her sleep will not be prosecuted because authorities think there is “no realistic prospect of conviction”, The Independent can reveal.’

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The Independent, 19th May 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

UK government security decisions can be challenged in court, judges rule – The Guardian

‘Government security decisions will in future be open to challenge in the courts after judges ruled that a secretive intelligence tribunal could not be exempt from legal action.’

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The Guardian, 15th May 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Phone and broadband firms to be forced to tell customers if they could be on cheaper deals under new Ofcom rules – Daily Telegraph

‘Broadband, TV, mobile and home phone companies will have to tell customers when their contract is coming to an end and show them the best deals available under new rules unveiled by Ofcom.

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Daily Telegraph, 15th May 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Promoting cyber security for Internet of Things devices – Technology Law Update

‘The roll-out of 5G networks is ramping up with limited services available in parts of the US and South Korea. 2019 will see the launch of 5G in selected cities across the UK. This new, much faster, mobile connectivity will support a proliferation of internet-enabled devices. With expected benefits in terms of reduced latency and much greater capacity, many expect to see a proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices as 5G becomes a reality.’

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Technology Law Update, 10th May 2019

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

Carl Sargeant: texts will not be heard at inquest, high court rules – The Guardian

Posted May 10th, 2019 in coroners, evidence, inquests, news, suicide, telecommunications by sally

‘The former Welsh first minister, Carwyn Jones, has lost a high court attempt to have text messages relating to the behaviour of a minister he sacked heard at his inquest.’

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The Guardian, 9th May 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Anger as man who abused girlfriend is spared prison by judge who told him there are ‘lots more fish in the sea’ – The Independent

‘A man who has been convicted of coercive control has been spared prison after a judge told him to leave his ex-girlfriend alone because there are “lots more fish in the sea”.’

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The Independent, 8th May 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

This week’s round up – Williamson fired over Huawei and the courts return after Easter – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Despite the return of the courts on Monday, it was another relatively light week in terms of decisions in the fields of public law and human rights. However, the High Court decided a number of interesting clinical negligence cases, whilst the Court of Appeal gave judgement in the case of TM (Kenya), R (On the Application Of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2019] EWCA Civ 784.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 7th May 2019

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Why are rape prosecutions falling? – BBC News

‘Recorded rape offences have been rising in England and Wales, but the proportion of offences making it to court has fallen significantly over the past few years.’

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BBC News, 29th April 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Rape cases ‘could fail’ if victims refuse to give police access to phones – The Guardian

‘Victims of rape and serious sexual assault who refuse to give police access to their mobile phone contents could allow suspects to avoid charges, two top officials have said.’

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The Guardian, 29th April 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Retention of crime reports about alleged teenage ‘sexting’ did not breach Article 8 – UK Police Law Blog

‘In R (CL) v Chief Constable of Greater Manchester & Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] EWHC 3333 (Admin), the Divisional Court held that the retention by the police of crime reports which related to sexting incidents in which a schoolboy had allegedly been involved did not breach his rights under Article 8 ECHR.’

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UK Police Law Blog, 9th April 2019

Source: ukpolicelawblog.com

Tribunal unable to impose new Code agreement over occupied site – OUT-LAW.com

‘The Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) has no jurisdiction to impose rights under the Electronic Communications Code (‘the Code’) in favour of an operator of telecommunications equipment, where a third party is currently occupying the land, it has concluded.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 8th April 2019

Source: www.out-law.com

A warning before bringing an appeal to the CAT? Costs after the BCMR decision – Blackstone Chambers

Posted March 15th, 2019 in appeals, competition, costs, news, telecommunications, tribunals by sally

‘The Court of Appeal’s judgment in the recent BCMR costs case is a stark warning to all those considering challenging a regulatory decision in the Competition Appeal Tribunal: even if you win, you may still face a big costs bill. See British Telecommunications plc v Office of Communications [2018] EWCA Civ 2542.’

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Blackstone Chambers, 5th March 2019

Source: www.blackstonechambers.com

Winstone v MGN- 39 Essex Chambers

‘In this article Richard Spearman QC discusses the issues raised in Winstone and Others v MGN Ltd [2019] EWHC (Ch) 265 in which he represented the defendant. The application arose in the Mirror Newspapers Hacking Litigation, and concerned the extent to which materials subject to legal professional privilege remained susceptible to protection after they had been pleaded by claimants.’

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39 Essex Chambers, 28th February 2019

Source: www.39essex.com

BT advert banned for unsubstantiated broadband speed claims – The Independent

Posted February 27th, 2019 in advertising, internet, news, telecommunications by tracey

‘BT has been ordered not to run an ad which claimed that its broadband package featured the “UK’s most powerful WiFi”.’

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The Independent, 27th February 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Supreme Court upholds estate agent contract formed over telephone – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 20th, 2019 in agency, contracts, estate agents, fees, news, remuneration, telecommunications by sally

‘The UK Supreme Court has upheld a contract concluded between a property developer and an estate agent over the telephone, including a disputed element of commission for the agent.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 20th February 2019

Source: www.out-law.com

Councils given new powers to block phone boxes being built – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 14th, 2019 in local government, news, planning, telecommunications by sally

‘New phone boxes will be blocked from being built by councils for first time, following a landmark ruling from the High Court.’

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Daily Telegraph, 12th February 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

O2 rapped by Ofcom for slowing down video streaming – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 6th, 2019 in consumer protection, internet, news, telecommunications, video recordings by tracey

‘One of Britain’s biggest mobile phone operators has been criticised by Ofcom for compressing the quality of pictures and videos on its data network for millions of customers, downgrading their quality against net neutrality rules. The telecoms and broadcasting regulator forced O2, which has 25 million UK users, to make changes to its service that managed its network traffic and affected the quality of videos that users streamed or downloaded.’

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Daily Telegraph, 5th February 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Carol Boardman death driver jailed for 30 weeks – The Guardian

‘A driver who fatally ran over the mother of the Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman has been jailed for 30 weeks.’

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The Guardian, 31st January 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Woman prosecuted for making more than 200 fake calls to 999 – The Independent

Posted January 24th, 2019 in emergency services, fines, medical treatment, news, telecommunications by tracey

‘A woman has been fined for making 200 hoax 999 calls between Christmas and New Year.’

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The Independent, 23rd January 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk