Stop and search: Police training aims to raise standards – BBC News
‘New standards and training for police officers using stop and search are to be rolled out across England and Wales.’
BBC News, 27th October 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: news
MPs and peers question independence of press watchdog – The Guardian
‘The press watchdog is facing questions over its independence after Trevor Kavanagh, one of its board members, used his regular Sun column to criticise the Channel 4 News reporter Fatima Manji just days after her complaint against the tabloid was rejected.’
The Guardian, 27th October 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
What if they are innocent? Justice for people accused of sexual and child abuse – OUP Blog
‘Many people watching the UK television drama National Treasure will have made their minds up about the guilt or innocence of the protagonist well before the end of the series. In episode one we learn that this aging celebrity has ‘slept around’ throughout his long marriage but when an allegation of non-recent sexual assault is made he strenuously denies it. His wife knows about his infidelities and chooses to believe him, but his daughter, who for years has struggled with mental ill-health, substance abuse problems and fractured relationships, seems to be troubled by memories from her childhood. As the episodes unfold, the series gives the audience chance to be judge and jury, employing whatever bits of information are available to them and, not least, their own prior assumptions about such cases.’
OUP Blog, 21st October 2016
Source: www.blog.oup.com
Abused woman ‘failed’ as imam Hifiz Rahman flees – BBC News
‘A woman who was abused as a child by an imam said she has been “failed by the justice system” after he was able to flee the country before being jailed.’
BBC News, 25th October 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Reducing the Homelessness Reduction Bill. Part 1 – Nearly Legal
‘Monday’s big news was the Govt announcement that it will support the Homelessness Reduction Bill – Bob Blackman MP’s private members bill, due for second reading on 28 October. But exactly what is it that the Govt is supporting?’
Nearly Legal, 25th October 2016
Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk
Whose Article 10 rights – the journalist or the confidential source? – Panopticon
‘Does a media corporation breach a source’s article 10 rights by voluntarily disclosing their identity to the police? Is source confidentiality lost by criminal conduct? These are the questions that the Court of Appeal had to grapple with in the appeal against conviction brought by former prison officer Robert Norman.’
Panopticon, 24th October 2016
Source: www.panopticonblog.com
Law schools urged to reconsider how they prepare students for practice amid concerns about ethics – Legal Futures
‘More than one in five law students polled in the UK and the US admit that they would falsify time records for personal and business gain, according to a study of student ethics.’
Legal Futures, 25th October 2016
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Quantifying Damages for Breach of Privacy – UK Human Rights Blog
‘In October 2013, the Home Office published statistics on its family returns process, the means by which children with no right to remain in the UK are sent back to their country of origin. In addition to anonymised statistics uploaded onto the government website, the Home Office mistakenly uploaded the spreadsheet of raw data on which those statistics were based. That spreadsheet included personal details such as names and rough geographical locations of applicants for asylum or leave to remain, though not their addresses. The data was online for 13 days before being removed, but a number of IP addresses in the UK and abroad visited the relevant web page. Those concerned were notified, and brought claims under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the common law tort of misuse of private information.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 25th October 2016
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Offensive weapons, sentencing and costs – Law Society’s Gazette
‘While an offence of possessing an offensive weapon does not occur if a person is lawfully in possession of an article when it is suddenly used in the heat of an altercation, R v Tucker [2016] EWCA Crim 13 confirms that it is otherwise if a person leaves the scene to collect a weapon.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 10th October 2016
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Christopher Biggins cleared by Ofcom over Big Brother bisexual comments – BBC News
‘Comments about bisexuality made by Christopher Biggins on Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother have been found not in breach of broadcasting rules.’
BBC News, 24th October 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Man jailed for stalking mother of murdered toddler James Bulger – The Guardian
‘A man has been jailed for stalking the mother of the murdered toddler James Bulger.’
The Guardian, 25th October 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Supreme court case reopens debate over battlefield human rights – The Guardian
‘The political row over whether human rights law can be extended to the battlefield will be reopened this week in a supreme court case over the legality of detaining a Taliban suspect in Afghanistan.’
The Guardian, 25th October 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
High Court rejects security for costs application in face of £5m ATE policy – Litigation Futures
‘The High Court has accepted after-the-event (ATE) insurance cover of £5m as sufficient to dismiss an application for security for costs.’
Litigation Futures, 24th October 2016
Source: www. litigationfutures.com
Defendant penalised after “unreasonably” refusing to mediate costs dispute – Litigation Fures
‘Newspaper group Mirror Group Newspapers has been hit with indemnity costs after the Senior Costs Judge ruled that it had unreasonably failed to engage in efforts to use alternative dispute resolution instead of going to detailed assessment.’
Litigation Futures, 20th October 2016
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
High Court bids to minimise delay in bitter costs dispute between solicitors – Litigation Futures
‘A High Court master has rejected an application from a Leicestershire solicitor for trial of a preliminary issue in a costs claim involving another law firm, citing the “high degree of personal animosity between the parties”.’
Litigation Futures, 18th October 2016
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
City council ordered to pay £115k over failure to manage roadworks properly – Local Government Lawyer
‘Liverpool City Council has been ordered to pay £115,000 in fines and costs after a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that the authority had failed to ensure that the arrangements for managing roadworks were suitable.’
Local Government Lawyer, 24th October 2016
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Farm owners fined over ‘Stoulton Stink’ after council wins High Court appeal – Local Government Lawyer
‘The owners of a farm responsible for a smell known as the “Stoulton Stink” have been sentenced this month, after a district council successfully appealed in the summer to the High Court.’
Local Government Lawyer, 24th October 2016
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Law Society warns on mandatory child abuse reporting duty – Local Government Lawyer
‘A mandatory duty to report child abuse and neglect would simply lead to high volumes of unsubstantiated reports that fall far below the significant harm threshold, the Law Society has warned.’
Local Government Lawyer, 21st October 2016
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Solicitor accepts rebuke for involvement in £2m SDLT schemes – Legal Futures
‘A solicitor involved in conveyancing transactions that resulted in the non-payment of £2m in stamp duty land tax (SDLT) has accepted a rebuke from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).’
Legal Futures, 24th October 2016
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Jail again for fraudulent ex-solicitor who hijacked law firm’s identity – Legal Futures
‘An ex-solicitor has been found guilty and jailed for five years for five counts of fraud by false representation – his second spell in jail for fraud after he previously stole from his firm’s client account’
Legal Future, 21st October 2016
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
