New Sentencing Code to help prevent unlawful sentences being handed out – Law Commission

Posted November 22nd, 2018 in Law Commission, press releases, sentencing, statute law revision by sally

‘A new Sentencing Code will reduce the number of unlawful sentences being handed out and save £250 million over ten years, the Law Commission has announced today. When they sentence offenders, judges have to contend with more than 1,300 pages of law filled with outdated and inaccessible language. This law is contained in over 65 different Acts of Parliament, and has no coherent structure. This makes it difficult for judges to identify and apply the law they need, which can slow the process of sentencing and lead to mistakes.’

Full press release

Law Commission, 22nd November 2018

Source: www.lawcom.gov.uk/

Jails are failing to get a grip on violence and drugs, says chief inspector – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 22nd, 2018 in drug abuse, news, prisons, reports, self-harm, suicide, violence by sally

‘Britain’s jails are failing to get a grip on record levels of violence, suicides, self-harm and drug-taking which are all getting worse, the chief inspector of prisons warned yesterday.’

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Daily Telegraph, 22nd November 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Price cap plan to clamp down on high rent-to-own fees – The Guardian

Posted November 22nd, 2018 in consumer credit, consumer protection, fees, financial regulation, interest, news by sally

‘The City watchdog has proposed a price cap on rent-to-own companies in a clampdown on “excessive charges” expected to save 300,000 vulnerable customers up to £22.7m a year.’

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The Guardian, 22nd November 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Grenfell Tower: Fraudster who claimed more than £100,000 meant for survivors jailed for six years – The Independent

Posted November 22nd, 2018 in fire, fraud, guilty pleas, news, sentencing, victims by sally

‘A fraudster who claimed more than £100,000 meant for Grenfell Tower victims has been jailed for six years.’

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The Independent, 21st November 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Payout over schoolboys’ sex assaults on girl, 6 – BBC News

Posted November 22nd, 2018 in assault, compensation, local government, news, school children, sexual offences by sally

‘The parents of a girl sexually assaulted at the age of six by boys in her school playground have won compensation from the local authority.’

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BBC News, 21st November 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Facebook to lodge appeal against ICO’s £500,000 fine – The Guardian

Posted November 22nd, 2018 in appeals, data protection, fines, internet, news by sally

‘Facebook is lodging an appeal against the record fine of £500,000 levied against it by the Information Commissioner’s Office in the UK, arguing that the penalty “challenges some of the basic principles of how people should be allowed to share information online”.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 21st November 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

BAILII: Recent Decisions

Posted November 21st, 2018 in law reports by sally

High Court (Administrative Court)

Dixon v Crown Prosecution Service [2018] EWHC 3154 (Admin) (20 November 2018)

High Court (Queen’s Bench Division)

Payroller Ltd & Ors v Little Panda Consultants Ltd & Ors [2018] EWHC 3161 (QB) (20 November 2018)

Ardron v Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust [2018] EWHC 3157 (QB) (20 November 2018)

Source: www.bailii.org

Peers criticise growing use of ‘Henry VIII’ powers by successive governments – Local Government Lawyer

Posted November 21st, 2018 in constitutional law, legislation, news, parliament, select committees by sally

‘Peers have hit out at the Government’s escalating use of so-called “Henry VIII powers”, describing the practice as “constitutionally objectional”. In a report the House of Lords Constitution Committee criticised the seeking of broad delegated powers that permit the determination as well as the implementation of policy, and in particular the use of such powers to create criminal offences and establish public bodies.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 20th November 2018

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Review of the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 – Home Office

Posted November 21st, 2018 in drug abuse, drug offences, drug trafficking, enforcement, health, internet, legislation, press releases by sally

‘This review sought to measure changes in outcomes before and after the implementation of the Act, to provide an indication of whether its aims are being achieved.’

Full press release

Home Office, 19th November 2018

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Speech by Lord Justice Irwin : Personal Injury Bar Association Annual Lecture – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted November 21st, 2018 in compensation, damages, personal injuries, speeches by sally

‘Speech by Lord Justice Irwin : Personal Injury Bar Association Annual Lecture.’

Full speech

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 16th November 2018

Source: www.judiciary.uk

The Bar Council presents: The Different Faces of the Bar – The Bar Council

Posted November 21st, 2018 in barristers, diversity, equality, legal profession, news by sally

‘In the first event of its kind, the Secret Barrister, Chris Daw QC, and two of the Bar Council’s #IAmTheBar Social Mobility Advocates, Rachel Spearing and Natasha Shotunde, will come together for a live-streamed panel discussion on social mobility and access to the Bar.’

Full Story

The Bar Council, 19th November 2018

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Family lawyers told to draft court orders on the day – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 21st, 2018 in delay, drafting, family courts, news by sally

‘Family lawyers will be expected to come to court with their laptops and draft orders on the day as part of a policy drafted to reduce delays caused by growing workloads and dwindling staff resources. The court orders policy came into force at London’s Central Family Court last week.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 20th November 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Litigants in Person – an inherent problem with the justice system – Family Law Week

Posted November 21st, 2018 in budgets, legal aid, legal representation, litigants in person, news, statistics by sally

‘Matthew Richardson, barrister at Coram chambers considers the fundamental problem with re-shaping our justice system around a huge increase in litigants in person, caused by the removal of legal aid provision from most cases.’

Full Story

Family Law Week, 9th November 2018

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

‘Dilapidated’ courts need millions for repairs, says top judge – The Guardian

Posted November 21st, 2018 in brexit, courts, HM Courts Service, judges, judiciary, mental health, news, remuneration, repairs, select committees by sally

‘Courts in England and Wales are suffering from decades of neglect and need an injection of hundreds of millions of pounds for repairs, the lord chief justice has told MPs.’

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The Guardian, 20th November 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Lords committee defends decision to suspend Anthony Lester – The Guardian

Posted November 21st, 2018 in abuse of position of trust, codes of practice, complaints, disciplinary procedures, harassment, inquiries, news, peerages & dignities, political parties, select committees, sexual offences by sally

‘A House of Lords committee that suspended a Liberal Democrat peer who it found had sexually harassed a women’s rights campaigner has defended its decision, after the upper house voted to block the punishment.’

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The Guardian, 20th November 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Criminals may escape conviction due to lack of resources for forensics, says Lord Chief Justice – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 21st, 2018 in budgets, criminal justice, disclosure, diversity, forensic science, judges, judiciary, news, remuneration, retirement by sally

‘Criminals may be escaping conviction because of a lack of resources for forensic investigations, the Lord Chief Justice warned yesterday.’

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Daily Telegraph, 20th November 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

UK ban on Kellogg’s Coco Pops children’s TV advert overturned – The Guardian

Posted November 21st, 2018 in advertising, appeals, children, complaints, food, news, obesity, ombudsmen by sally

‘Kellogg’s, the maker of Coco Pops, has beaten a junk food advert ban after lobbying to overturn a decision by the UK’s advertising regulator, in a move that has outraged obesity campaigners.’

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The Guardian, 21st November 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Patisserie Valerie auditor Grant Thornton faces probe over financial irregularities – The Independent

Posted November 21st, 2018 in auditors, fraud, inquiries, news by sally

‘The accounting watchdog has launched an investigation into Grant Thornton’s audits of Patisserie Valerie over the three years from 2015 to 2017, after financial irregularities were uncovered at the cafe chain earlier this year.’

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The Independent, 21st November 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Bus driver sacked for positive cocaine test awarded £40k as tribunal agrees drug came from students’ notes – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 21st, 2018 in compensation, disabled persons, disciplinary procedures, drug abuse, employment, employment tribunals, evidence, news, wrongful dismissal by sally

‘A bus driver who was sacked for testing positive for cocaine has been awarded £40,000 after a tribunal ruled the drug could have got into his system when he licked his fingers after accepting notes from students.’

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Daily Telegraph, 20th November 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Woman who died in prison was left alone in cell after being found with ligatures around her neck, inquest finds – The Independent

Posted November 21st, 2018 in bullying, duty of care, inquests, mental health, news, prisons, professional conduct, standards, statistics, suicide, women by sally

‘“Deeply inadequate” prison procedures contributed to the death of a young woman who was left alone in her cell after being found with ligatures around her neck, an inquest has found.’

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The Independent, 20th November 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk