The Niqaab issue is too important to be left to liberal instinct – UK Human Rights Blog

“Yesterday, before His Honour Judge Peter Murphy ruled that a female Muslim defendant in a criminal trial must remove her face-covering veil (niqaab) whilst giving evidence, Home Office Minister Jeremy Brown said he was ‘instinctively uneasy’ about restricting religious freedoms, but that there should be a national debate over banning the burka.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 17th September 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Wearing veil should be the woman’s choice, says Theresa May – The Guardian

Posted September 18th, 2013 in courts, evidence, freedom of expression, Islam, news, religious discrimination, women by sally

“The government should not tell women what to wear, the home secretary has said, amid ongoing debate over the use of full-face veils.”

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The Guardian, 17th September 2013

Source: www.guardian.com

Conman ‘addicted’ to taking money from women he met on dating sites – The Independent

Posted September 18th, 2013 in fraud, internet, news, sentencing, theft, women by sally

“A conman with an ‘addiction’ to swindling money from vulnerable women on dating websites has been jailed for four years.”

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The Independent, 17th September 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Analysis: The niqab judgement explained – BBC News

Posted September 17th, 2013 in courts, identification, Islam, news, witnesses, women by sally

“Last week I blogged on a very modern multicultural dilemma at Blackfriars Crown Court – where a judge had to rule on whether a defendant could appear in the dock wearing a niqab, a type of Muslim veil that conceals the whole face, other than the eyes.”

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BBC News, 16th September 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Veil exposes courtroom quandary – BBC News

Posted September 13th, 2013 in courts, identification, Islam, news, pleadings, precedent, women by sally

“Sitting in Blackfriars Crown Court in south London, I watched a very modern, multicultural dilemma. Back in August, a Muslim woman was due to appear, accused of intimidating a witness. The woman, whom the BBC isn’t naming for legal reasons, was expected to enter a plea. But Judge Peter Murphy said he could not hear that plea because he could not identify her: she was wearing a niqab, the type of black face covering worn by some Muslim women that only leaves their eyes visible.”

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BBC News, 12th September 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Fall in solicitor applications to bench ‘matter of concern’ says Judge – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 2nd, 2013 in diversity, judiciary, minorities, news, solicitors, women by sally

“The outgoing lord chief justice has called for action to reverse a decline in the number of solicitors applying for judicial posts. In his last annual report, published today, Lord Judge says ‘it is a matter of concern’ that there has been a decrease in the proportion of successful candidates with a professional background of solicitor.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 30th August 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Muslim woman must remove burka in court, judge insists – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 23rd, 2013 in courts, identification, Islam, news, women by sally

“A judge has refused to let a Muslim woman in a full-length burka enter a plea until she shows her face to the court.”

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Daily Telegraph, 23rd August 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Helping Female Offenders Keep Their Home – Criminal Law and Justice Weekly

Posted July 29th, 2013 in charities, community service, homelessness, housing, news, women by sally

“Harriet Stranks on one charity’s work to tackle re-offending and homelessness among women released from prison.”

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Criminal Law and Justice Weekly, 20th July 2013

Source: www.criminallawandjustice.co.uk

Renault’s YouTube ad banned for ‘portraying women as sexual objects’ – The Guardian

Posted July 17th, 2013 in advertising, complaints, news, ombudsmen, women by sally

“The advertising watchdog has banned a Renault advert featuring scantily-clad dancers, ruling that it objectified women.”

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The Guardian, 17th July 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Choice of Sir John Thomas as lord chief justice sees tradition prevail – The Guardian

Posted July 16th, 2013 in judges, judicial appointments commission, judiciary, news, women by sally

“Non-selection of Lady Justice Hallett shows panel was not swayed by idea that it would be good to have a woman at the top.”

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The Guardian, 15th July 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Women offenders ‘afterthought’ in rehabilitation plans – BBC News

“Women offenders are being ignored in plans to overhaul rehabilitation services, a committee of MPs has said.”

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BBC News, 15th July 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Too many women prisoners, MPs say – The Independent

“The Government is ignoring the needs of women offenders with its probation reforms, a group of MPs has warned.”

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The Independent, 15th July 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Women being imprisoned unnecessarily, reformers say – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 10th, 2013 in imprisonment, magistrates, news, sentencing, women by sally

“Magistrates’ courts are sending fewer women to prison than in previous years but some courts are four times more likely to jail women than others, according to figures obtained by the Howard League for Penal Reform.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 9th July 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Treatment of women in British courts varies widely – The Guardian

Posted July 9th, 2013 in bills, criminal justice, detention, magistrates, news, sentencing, women by sally

“Some magistrates’ courts are four times more likely to send women to prison than others, according to figures obtained by the Howard League for Penal Reform.”

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The Guardian, 9th July 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Judicial Appointments Commission performance in improving judicial diversity regarding women and BAME candidates: evidence pack – Judicial Appointments Commission

“This evidence-pack reports on the diversity of recommendations made by the JAC along gender and ethnicity for the court and tribunal judiciary. It compares this diversity against different standards, including the eligible pool and recommendations made prior to the formation of the JAC. It also looks at the change in diversity among the sitting judiciary since the formation of the JAC and shows how much work there is left to do before we have a truly representative judiciary.”

Evidence pack (Powerpoint)

Judicial Appointments Commission, 13th June 2013

Source: www.jac.judiciary.gov.uk

The sexual behaviour of undercover police fits the definition of rape – The Guardian

Posted June 28th, 2013 in consent, deceit, investigatory powers, news, police, rape, women by sally

“The case law shows that undercover police officers who slept with protesters are on dangerous legal ground.”

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The Guardian, 28th June 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Riežniece v Zemkopības ministrija and another – WLR Daily

Posted June 25th, 2013 in EC law, employment, law reports, parental rights, sex discrimination, women by sally

Riežniece v Zemkopības ministrija and another (Case C-7/12); [2013] WLR (D) 247

“In circumstances where a much higher number of women than men took parental leave, Council Directive 76/207/EEC of 9 February 1976 (as amended) and the Framework Agreement on Parental Leave, contained in the Annex to Council Direction 96/34/EC precluded a situation where (1) as part of an assessment of workers in the context of abolishment of officials’ posts due to national economic difficulties, a worker who had taken parental leave was assessed in his or her absence on the basis of assessment principles and criteria which placed the worker who had taken leave in a less favourable position compared to workers who did not take parental leave; and (2) a female worker who had been transferred to another post at the end of her parental leave following that assessment was dismissed due to the abolishment of that new post, where it was not impossible for the employer to allow her to return to her former post or where the work assigned to her was not equivalent or similar and consistent with her employment contract or employment relationship because, at the time of the transfer, the employer was informed that the new post was due to be abolished.”

WLR Daily, 20th June 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

UNISON applies for judicial review of employment tribunal fees – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 25th, 2013 in employment tribunals, judicial review, news, trade unions, tribunals, women by sally

“UNISON has applied to the High Court for a judicial review of the Ministry of Justice’s decision to introduce employment tribunal fees from the end of next month, it has announced.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 25th June 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Lady Hale becomes most senior female judge in British legal history – The Guardian

Posted June 24th, 2013 in diversity, judges, news, Supreme Court, women by sally

“Lady Hale has become the most senior female judge in British legal history with her appointment as deputy president of the UK’s supreme court.”

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The Guardian, 24th June 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Help us unmask more violent men, police urge women after low take-up of ‘Clare’s Law’ scheme – The Independent

Posted June 24th, 2013 in domestic violence, news, pilot schemes, police, statistics, women by sally

“Women worried about potentially violent partners are being urged to contact the police following the low take-up of a scheme designed to reveal the histories of domestic abusers.”

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The Independent, 24th June 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk