Angela Eagle: Man who sent death threat to Labour MP avoids jail – The Independent

Posted October 20th, 2016 in news, obscenity, sentencing, threatening behaviour by sally

‘Steven King, from Paisley, Scotland, was handed a suspended sentence on Wednesday after he admitted sending a grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message to the MP by a public communications network.’

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The Independent, 19th October 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘Alan Turing law’ unveiled by government will posthumously pardon thousands of gay men convicted of historic offences – The Independent

Posted October 20th, 2016 in crime, criminal records, homosexuality, news, pardons by sally

‘Thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted under outdated gross indecency laws are to be posthumously pardoned, the Government has announced, in a “momentous” victory for campaigners.’

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The Independent, 19th October 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘Major failings’ in DVLA medical fitness to drive cases – BBC News

Posted October 20th, 2016 in complaints, driving licences, health, news, ombudsmen, reports by sally

‘The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is not making fair decisions about medical fitness-to-drive cases, a report has suggested. It said people’s lives had been put on hold for years because of flawed decision-making and poor communication. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report found “major failings” in eight drivers’ cases.’

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BBC News, 20th October 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Drug dependence: treatment over incarceration – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted October 19th, 2016 in crime, drug abuse, drug offences, health, news, rehabilitation by sally

‘Drug dependence has significant direct and indirect costs to society beyond the impact on individuals. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction estimates that in 2010 alone, between €3.7b to 5.9b of public money was spent on drug-law offenders in prisons in Europe. This figure does not include the cost of criminal justice responses to drug-using offenders who have been convicted of other crimes that may have been motivated in part by drug-dependency.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 18th October 2016

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Ched Evans’ family may ‘take action’ against Loose Women – BBC News

Posted October 19th, 2016 in complaints, consent, media, news, rape by sally

‘The family of footballer Ched Evans have said they may take legal action after a discussion of his rape acquittal on ITV’s Loose Women.’

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BBC News, 18th October 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Pair jailed over £8m Birmingham Libra Club brothel – BBC News

‘A father and son who ran a brothel which made an estimated turnover of £8m have been jailed.’

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BBC News, 18th October 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Parliament ‘very likely’ to be asked to agree Brexit deal – The Guardian

Posted October 19th, 2016 in brexit, EC law, news, parliament, treaties by sally

‘Parliament is “very likely” to be asked to ratify any future treaty agreement with the European Union, the high court has been told by lawyers for the government.’

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The Guardian, 18th October 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

House of Lords researcher jailed for 1,000 indecent images of children on Parliament laptop – The Independent

Posted October 19th, 2016 in indecent photographs of children, news, parliament, pornography, sentencing by sally

‘A House of Lords researcher who worked for a Conservative peer has been jailed after being caught accessing child pornography on parliamentary computers.’

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The Independent, 19th October 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Man who stole car with baby inside sentenced to two years’ detention – BBC News

Posted October 19th, 2016 in children, drug abuse, kidnapping, news, sentencing, theft by sally

‘A man who stole a car with two children inside before abandoning the baby on a doorstep has been sentenced to two years’ detention.’

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BBC News, 18th October 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Magistrates should be allowed to work past the age of 70 to solve staffing problems, MPs claim – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 19th, 2016 in elderly, judiciary, magistrates, news, reports, retirement, select committees by sally

‘Magistrates should not be forced to retire at 70 if keeping them on would solve the recruitment crisis, a committee of MPs have said.’

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Daily Telegraph, 19th October 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Magistrates’ courts need ‘younger, more diverse recruits’ – BBC News

Posted October 19th, 2016 in elderly, judiciary, magistrates, news, young persons by sally

‘Too many magistrates in England and Wales are “old and white”, one of the youngest justices in the country says.’

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BBC News, 19th October 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Barristers say ‘over-reaction’ to Ched Evans case counterproductive – The Guardian

Posted October 19th, 2016 in barristers, news, rape, sexual offences, victims, women by sally

‘Leading criminal barristers are concerned that victims of sexual attacks may be “scared off” from coming forward by the “over-reaction” of some women’s rights campaigners following the Ched Evans rape verdict.’

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The Guardian, 18th October 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

EVENT: Refugee Law Initiative – ‘One Protocol yet to be drafted’? What treaty law can and cannot do to advance refugee protection

Posted October 18th, 2016 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘The International Refugee Law seminar series at the Refugee Law Initiative provides a public space for discussion, promotion and dissemination of research between academics, practitioners, students and others with an interest in the refugee and forced migration field. This 7th annual seminar series addresses the theme of: ‘Protection in the context of large-scale movements of refugees and migrants’.’

Date: 24th October 2016, 6.00-8.00pm

Location: Senate House, Room 349, London, WC1E

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

EVENT: IALS – Artificial Intelligence: Oh, really? And why judges and lawyers are central…

Posted October 18th, 2016 in artificial intelligence, Forthcoming events by sally

‘Humans have made life very complicated. Software code now controls our lives, in power stations, refineries, medical devices, and banking to mention just a few areas. Motor vehicles are largely controlled by software, and aircraft totally controlled by software. People have been injured and killed because of the failure of software. The concept of artificial intelligence was first considered as the topic of a proposal dated 31 August 1955 for a “2 month, 10 man study of artificial intelligence be carried out during the summer of 1956 at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire”. Governments have provided highly significant amounts of taxpayers money to fund people to conduct research in this area, and the spin-off technology is now used everyday. This seminar will consider the meaning of intelligence; some definitions of artificial intelligence and how to test for artificial intelligence, outlining the criticisms, and will then consider how judges and lawyers should be responding to the new world in which we live.’

Date: October 2016, 12.00pm-2.00pm

Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, 17 Russell Square, Charles Clore House, London WC1B 5DR

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

EVENT: IALS – Doing Women’s Legal History

Posted October 18th, 2016 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘As we approach the centenary in 2019 of women’s admission to the legal profession in the UK and Ireland, lawyers and legal scholars have initiated several projects to mark this achievement which aim to uncover and recover the history of women’s experiences of law. These include the Women’s Legal Landmarks project, the First 100 Years project and the First Women Lawyers in Great Britain and the Empire Symposium series. This is a golden age for legal scholars undertaking historical work on women and law and for historians working on legal issues.’

Date: 26th October 2016, 10.00am-5.00pm

Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DR

Charge: Standard Rate: £75.00; Student Rate: £35.00

More information can be found here.

New birth injuries compensation scheme announced – BBC News

Posted October 18th, 2016 in birth, compensation, consultations, news, personal injuries by sally

‘Parents in England whose children are injured at birth may benefit from a new government compensation scheme.’

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BBC News, 17th October 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Crackdown on rogue landlords to include new minimum bedroom size – The Guardian

Posted October 18th, 2016 in housing, landlord & tenant, licensing, news by sally

‘A new minimum bedroom size and the extension of licensing to thousands more properties are to form part of a government crackdown on rogue landlords who cram tenants into overcrowded homes.’

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The Guardian, 18th October 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Judges prepare profession for ODR across less complex cases and court administration in the cloud – Legal Futures

Posted October 18th, 2016 in courts, dispute resolution, internet, judiciary, legal profession, news, speeches, tribunals by sally

‘Online dispute resolution “will become the norm for much of the less complex work in civil, family and tribunals jurisdictions”, the Senior President of Tribunals said over the weekend.’

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Legal Futures, 17th October 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Compensation awarded for misuse of data processing powers – Panopticon

Posted October 18th, 2016 in compensation, data protection, news, police, psychiatric damage by sally

‘In my post on the TLT case last week, I mentioned a second recent judgment awarding compensation for a DPA breach. This is the judgment of the Central London County Court (HHJ Luba QC) in Andrea Brown v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis and Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police.’

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Panopticon, 17th October 2016

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

UK security agencies unlawfully collected data for 17 years, court rules – The Guardian

‘British security agencies have secretly and unlawfully collected massive volumes of confidential personal data, including financial information, on citizens for more than a decade, senior judges have ruled.’

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The Guardian, 17th October 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk