Fears over credit for guilty plea – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Criminal defence solicitors are expected to oppose proposed replacement guidelines on sentence reductions for early guilty pleas.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 25th April 2016

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Hillsborough jury reaches decision – BBC News

‘Jurors have reached a majority decision on whether the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster were unlawfully killed.’

Full story

BBC News, 25th April 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Direct access barrister ‘no substitute’ for solicitor – judge – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Direct access barristers are no substitute for experienced solicitors, a judge has told a court, ruling that a woman was not advised on the proper process for appealing her council tax liability. ‘

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 24th April 2016

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Woman who died after ‘losing sparkle’ cannot be named, court rules – The Guardian

‘The court of protection has declined to name a 50-year-old woman who died after refusing life-saving kidney treatment because she said life had lost its “sparkle”.’

Full story

The Guardian, 25th April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Hillsborough inquest: Jury can return majority decision on whether fans were unlawfully killed – The Independent

‘The jury in the Hillsborough inquests has been told it can return a majority decision on whether the 96 victims were unlawfully killed.’

Full story

The Independent, 25th April 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Legal threat sees NHS England review decision-making on HIV treatment – Local Government Lawyer

Posted April 25th, 2016 in HIV, local government, medical treatment, news by sally

‘NHS England is to review its plans to end its decision-making process over whether to make the HIV prevention drug PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis) available.’

Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 21st April 2016

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Tribunal rejects Home Office fraud allegation in ETS case but fails to report determination – Free Movement

‘President McCloskey has firmly rejected the Home Office case against students alleged to have fraudulently obtained English language test certificate from ETS (“Educational Testing Services Ltd”) in the case of SM and Ihsan Qadir v Secretary of State for the Home Department IA/31380/2014. The President finds that the Home Office evidence suffered from “multiple frailties and shortcomings” and that the two witnesses produced by the Home Office were unimpressive. In short, the Home Office failed by a significant margin to prove the alleged fraud.’

Full story

Free Movement, 25th April 2016

Source: www.freemovement.org.uk

Bradford judge spares girl jail for stabbing abuser – BBC News

‘A judge has spared a teenage girl who stabbed the man who sexually abused her as a child from a prison sentence.’

Full story

BBC News, 20th April 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

CA: judge wrong to move hire costs dispute from RTA process to small claims court – Litigation Futures

Posted April 25th, 2016 in appeals, costs, damages, fees, insurance, news, road traffic, small claims by sally

‘A district judge was wrong to move a dispute over hire car costs from stage 3 of the RTA protocol to the small claims court, the Court of Appeal has ruled.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 22nd April 2016

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Home Office ‘shamefully’ used new refugee law to deport 700 secretly – The Guardian

Posted April 25th, 2016 in asylum, children, deportation, families, immigration, news, statistics by sally

‘The Home Office has been accused of “shameful” behaviour for using the agreement that allows vulnerable children to seek asylum in the United Kingdom to secretly deport more than 700 people.’

Full story

The Guardian, 23rd April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Legal aid cuts have led to surge in DIY defence, says charity – The Guardian

‘Miscarriages of justice and long delays in the criminal justice system are becoming more common because a growing number of people are having to represent themselves in court, legal experts have warned.’
Full story

The Guardian, 23rd April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Child sex abuse images increasingly being found and removed – BBC News

Posted April 25th, 2016 in child abuse, indecent photographs of children, internet, news, statistics by sally

‘Nearly 70,000 pictures and videos showing child sex abuse have been removed from the internet in the past year, the UK charity leading the efforts to combat the abuse has said.’

Full story

BBC News, 21st April 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Curtailment of 30,000 student visas each year sparks row – BBC News

Posted April 25th, 2016 in education, immigration, licensing, news, statistics, universities, visas by sally

‘More than 30,000 non-EU students a year have had their visas curtailed by the Home Office in the past three years, figures obtained by BBC News show.’

Full story

BBC News, 23rd April 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Replacing carpets owned by landlord was not breach of repair clause, says Court of Appeal – OUT-LAW.com

Posted April 25th, 2016 in appeals, damages, interpretation, landlord & tenant, leases, news, repairs by sally

‘A commercial property tenant did not breach repair covenants set out in the lease when it replaced carpet tiles in the property with strip carpeting, the Court of Appeal has ruled, overturning the High Court’s decision.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 21st April 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

MoD could face manslaughter charges over training deaths following calls it should lose immunity from prosecution – The Independent

‘The British military could face charges of corporate manslaughter under landmark changes in law being proposed by a parliamentary committee.’

Full story

The Independent, 24th April 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Two British students given life sentences for ‘drive-by’ plot – BBC News

Posted April 25th, 2016 in conspiracy, firearms, Islam, murder, news, police, sentencing, terrorism by sally

‘Two British students have been jailed for life for plotting to kill police or soldiers in a shooting inspired by so-called Islamic State.’

Full story

BBC News, 22nd April 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Doing time: confessions of a crime reporter – The Guardian

Posted April 25th, 2016 in criminal justice, media, news by sally

‘Duncan Campbell has reported on the most infamous cases of the past 50 years, from the Rosemary West trial to the Hatton Garden heist. The veteran journalist recalls a life in crime.’

Full story

The Guardian, 23rd April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Judge allows paternity test for DNA disease analysis – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted April 22nd, 2016 in cancer, DNA, family courts, genetic testing, human tissue, news, paternity by sally

‘Spencer v Anderson (Paternity Testing) [2016] EWHC 851 (Fam). A fascinating case in the Family Division throws up a number of facts that some may find surprising. One is that this is the first time the courts in this country have been asked to direct post-mortem scientific testing to establish paternity. The other is that DNA is not covered by the Human Tissue Act, because genetic material does not contain human cells. One might wonder why the statute doesn’t, given that DNA is the instruction manual that makes the human tissue that it covers – but maybe updating the 2004 law to cover genetic material would create more difficulties than it was designed to resolve.’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 20th April 2016

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

BAILII: Recent Decisions

Posted April 22nd, 2016 in law reports by sally

High Court (Administrative Court)

Rushport Advisory Llp, R (on the application of) v National Health Service Litigation Authority & Ors [2016] EWHC EWHC 907 (Admin) (20 April 2016)

High Court (Chancery Division)

Phonographic Performance Ltd v Nightclub (London) Ltd [2016] EWHC 892 (Ch) (21 April 2016)

The Charity Commission for England and Wales v Mountstar (PTC) Ltd [2016] EWHC 876 (Ch) (21 April 2016)

High Court (Commercial Court)

AXA Corporate Solutions Assurance SA v Weir Services Australia Pty Ltd [2016] EWHC 904 (Comm) (21 April 2016)

High Court (Family Division)

I (A Child), Re [2016] EWHC 910 (Fam) (18 April 2016)

High Court (Patents Court)

Koninklijke Philips NV v Asustek Computer Incorporation & Ors [2016] EWHC 867 (Pat) (21 April 2016)

High Court (Queen’s Bench Division)

University of Wales v London College of Business Ltd [2016] EWHC 888 (QB) (21 April 2016)

Source: www.bailii.org

Biggest reforms to money laundering regime in over a decade – Home Office

Posted April 22nd, 2016 in money laundering, press releases, proceeds of crime, terrorism by sally

‘The Home Secretary has set out the most significant changes to the UK’s anti-money laundering and terrorist finance regime in over a decade.’

Full press release

Home Office, 21st April 2016

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office