Killer jailed for life for stabbing mum at Carnival – BBC News
‘The man who murdered Cher Maximen in front of her three-year-old daughter at Notting Hill Carnival has been jailed for life.’
BBC News, 16th May 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
UK train companies could have to pay disabled passengers more compensation after rule change – The Guardian
‘Railway operators in the UK could soon have to pay out far greater sums in compensation to disabled passengers left unable to access trains despite booking assistance.’
The Guardian, 18th May 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘It’s a scandal’: Fury as inmates trapped on indefinite jail terms excluded from scheme to free up prison space – The Independent
‘Excluding prisoners trapped under abolished indefinite jail terms from new measures to free up hundreds of desperately needed prison cells has been branded “morally wrong” and a “missed opportunity”.’
The Independent, 18th May 2025
Source: www.independent.co.uk
UK tax tribunal issues beefed up practice direction on ADR – OUT-LAW.com
‘An updated practice direction on the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in UK tax disputes has been welcomed by experts.’
OUT-LAW.com, 16th May 2025
Source: www.pinsentmasons.com
Legal aid hack: data from hundreds of thousands of people accessed, says MoJ – The Guardian
‘The personal data of hundreds of thousands of legal aid applicants in England and Wales dating back to 2010, including criminal records and financial details, has been accessed and downloaded in a “significant” cyber-attack.’
The Guardian, 19th May 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
Judge hands down ruling on true provenance and parentage of 11-month-old girl brought into UK from Nigeria – Local Government Lawyer
‘The Family Court has ruled that a couple are not the parents of a baby who arrived in the UK from Nigeria and that the woman concerned cannot – as she claimed – have been pregnant for 55 weeks.’
Local Government Lawyer, 15th May 2025
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Cross examination of medical experts – exceptional or exceptionally important? – Transparency Project
‘When medical expert witnesses are instructed in family cases, usually to help work out how an injury to a child was caused, their evidence can sometimes be accepted by all the parties, in which case the expert doesn’t need to attend court to answer questions. But sometimes not everyone agrees with their conclusions, and there are questions one or more party will wish to ask the witness at trial, through a process called cross examination. In these cases the expert witness will either need to attend court in person, or more often to attend by video link. Lawyers are expected to only ask for the attendance of a witness if they have a proper challenge to make to their evidence on behalf of their client, and judges can refuse to allow it if they don’t think it is necessary. This post is written by Lucy Reed, a barrister working in this field, who observed this hearing. It concerns one case where there was an issue about whether or not cross examination of the medical experts should be permitted.’
Transparency Project, 18th May 2025
Source: transparencyproject.org.uk
JSO activists spared jail after Heathrow glue plot – BBC News
‘Nine Just Stop Oil (JSO) activists who were convicted of plotting to cause “unprecedented disruption” by gluing themselves to a runway at Heathrow Airport have been spared jail terms.’
BBC News, 16th May 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
BAILII: Recent Decisions
Court of Appeal (Civil Division)
Impact Contracting Solutions Ltd v Revenue and Customs [2025] EWCA Civ 623 (16 May 2025)
Christie v Weavabel Group Ltd [2025] EWCA Civ 644 (16 May 2025)
High Court (Administrative Court)
Andrade v Central Criminal Court of Almada (Portugal) [2025] EWHC 1200 (Admin) (16 May 2025)
Director of Public Prosecutions v Nthoi [2025] EWHC 1197 (Admin) (16 May 2025)
High Court (Admiralty Division)
High Court (Chancery Division)
ACL Netherlands BV & Ors v Lynch & Anor [2025] EWHC 1171 (Ch) (14 May 2025)
High Court (Commercial Court)
High Court (King’s Bench Division)
Ahmadi v Guardian News & Media Ltd [2025] EWHC 1191 (KB) (16 May 2025)
Tower Bridge International Services LP v Viney [2025] EWHC 1184 (KB) (16 May 2025)
Source: www.bailii.org
Woman appeals against Southport tweet jail term – BBC News
‘The wife of a Conservative councillor who was jailed after an online rant on the day of last year’s Southport attacks “never” intended to incite violence, the Court of Appeal has heard.’
BBC News, 15th May 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
An important reminder that it is the judge who has the final say as to best interests – Mental Capacity Law and Policy
‘In University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust v PK & Anor [2025] EWCOP 17 (T3), McKendrick J was asked to decide that continuation of clinically assisted nutrition and hydration (‘CANH’) was not in the best interests of a “much loved family man and devout Muslim.” Unlike many of these cases, the 73 year old man, PK, was not in a prolonged disorder of consciousness. He was, however, in a situation following a stroke, exacerbating already existing co-morbidities, where the Trust was concerned as to whether continuing CANH was in his best interests.’
Mental Capacity Law and Policy, 15th May 2025
A narrow inquest scope is fine, but give the bereaved an explanation – UK Inquest Law Blog
‘What the bereaved hope might be investigated at an inquest and what the inquest actually explores are often very different things. In this recent case the Assistant Coroner’s decision to draw a very tight investigatory scope was upheld by the Divisional Court. There is no new law here. Coroners have a wide discretion regarding scope and that discretion was properly exercised. The Coroner was entitled to have heard only limited evidence related to events very close to the time of death.’
UK Inquest Law Blog, 12th May 2025
Source: www.ukinquestlawblog.co.uk
SRA hands out record £4m fine to non-lawyer owner of failed firm – Legal Futures
‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has imposed its largest-ever fine, just shy of £4m, on the former non-solicitor owner of collapsed law firm Kingly Solicitors.’
Legal Futures, 15th May 2025
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Abuser of disabled children may have 81 victims – BBC News
‘A teaching assistant may have abused “well over 81” children with special educational needs and disabilities, it can now be revealed.’
BBC News, 15th May 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘I lost my life’: Man wrongly jailed for five years demands fair compensation scheme – The Independent
‘An innocent man who spent five years behind bars after being wrongly convicted of rape has hit out at the “unfair and draconian” compensation system, warning a miscarriage of justice could happen to anyone.’
The Independent, 16th May 2025
Source: www.independent.co.uk
CPR reforms impact search and imaging order applications – OUT-LAW.com
‘Significant changes to the Civil Procedural Rules (CPR) – the rules governing civil litigation proceedings in England and Wales – took effect on 6 April.’
OUT-LAW.com, 15th May 2025
Source: www.pinsentmasons.com
Electronic wills at heart of overhaul of 188-year-old law – Legal Futures
‘Plans to modernise will making – including allowing electronic wills – and reduce the number of disputes were today published by the Law Commission.’
Legal Futures, 16th May 2025
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Encroachment and the Land Registration Act 2002: do we now have an answer? – Tanfield Chambers
‘How does the law deals with a situation in which a leaseholder possesses property outside of their demise but within their landlord’s title? This issue appears to be a common one, and understandably so. A leaseholder of a flat may have access to a loft space above their demise, or a flat roof that might conveniently be used as a roof terrace or garden. If these are not within the leaseholder’s demise, but they possess them anyway, is there a legal means for claiming ownership of them?’
Tanfield Chambers, 14th May 2025
Source: tanfieldchambers.co.uk
