Inspection of family visit visa system: serious problems remain – Free Movement

Posted August 25th, 2015 in appeals, families, immigration, news, reports, visas by sally

‘The family visit visa system underwent an inspection by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration last month. The posts inspected were Abu Dhabi, Accra, Amman, Dhaka, Kingston, Manila, Nairobi, New Delhi, Croydon and Sheffield. The Inspector confidently declares that there is “no evidence that the removal of the full right of appeal from Family Visitor visa applicants had led to a higher refusal rate or to an overall reduction in decision quality.”’

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Free Movement, 24th August 2015

Source: www.freemovement.org.uk

Making sense of deposits. Nearly. – Nearly Legal

Posted August 25th, 2015 in deposits, housing, landlord & tenant, news, penalties by sally

‘It started as such a simple idea, the tenancy deposit regulations. But bad drafting and some ‘interesting’ interpretations by the Courts put paid to that. We now have a confusing mess, for both landlords and tenants.’
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Nearly Legal, 24th August 2015

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Soviet dissident sues Crown Prosecution Service, alleging libel – The Guardian

Posted August 25th, 2015 in Crown Prosecution Service, defamation, evidence, indecent photographs of children, news by sally

‘The veteran Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky is suing the Crown Prosecution Service for libel over a statement it issued in April announcing that he was being charged with child pornography offences.’

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The Guardian, 24th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Google ordered to remove news links by UK authority – BBC News

Posted August 25th, 2015 in data protection, internet, news, privacy by sally

‘Google has been ordered to remove nine links to news stories by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under the “right to be forgotten”.’

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BBC News, 21st August 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Asylum seekers fight deportation to Afghanistan – The Guardian

Posted August 25th, 2015 in appeals, asylum, deportation, news by sally

‘Lawyers have launched a series of last-minute challenges to the proposed deportation of failed asylum seekers on a charter flight to Afghanistan.’

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The Guardian, 24th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Brendan Conway TV talent show dancer jailed for grooming boys – BBC News

Posted August 25th, 2015 in news, sentencing, sexual grooming by sally

‘A chef and youth football coach who appeared on a TV talent show has been jailed for eight years for using social networking sites to groom boys.’

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BBC News, 24th August 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Chilcot report: Farce deepens as Downing Street is forced to rule out inquiry into the inquiry – The Independent

Posted August 25th, 2015 in delay, inquiries, Iraq, news, reports by sally

‘The farce over the long-awaited publication of John Chilcot’s report into the Iraq War has deepened after Downing Street was forced to rule out having an inquiry into the inquiry.’

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The Independent, 24th August 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Number of most dangerous prisoners in special units doubles – report – The Guardian

Posted August 25th, 2015 in dangerous offenders, imprisonment, news, prisons, reports by sally

‘The number of the most dangerous male prisoners in England being held in a special “jail within a jail” system has doubled over the past decade, inspectors have revealed.’

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The Guardian, 25th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

10 of the strangest wills of all time – The Guardian

Posted August 25th, 2015 in news, wills by sally

‘Leaving instructions for what should happen to your finances after your death is a serious matter – but for some the temptation to cause mischief or raise a smile from beyond the grave is too much to resist.’

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The Guardian, 25th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Emily Thornberry MP – Human rights conventions: when some are more equal than others? – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted August 24th, 2015 in appeals, benefits, bills, children, human rights, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘When a legal challenge to one of the coalition Government’s flagship welfare reforms – an overall cap of £26,000 per year on the amount any family could receive in benefits – was reviewed by the Supreme Court earlier this year, the resulting judgment left many observers scratching their heads. Had the Court declared the cap unlawful or not? The answer seemed to be a mixture of yes and no.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 24th August 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Girl, 16, who tried to travel to Syria must be removed from her home – The Guardian

Posted August 24th, 2015 in children, families, family courts, Islam, news, passports, terrorism, wardship by sally

‘A schoolgirl “fully radicalised” by Islamic State propaganda must be removed from her family home, the high court has ruled.’

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The Guardian, 21st August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Calais migrant crisis—what are the human rights obligations of member states? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted August 24th, 2015 in asylum, EC law, human rights, immigration, news by sally

‘As the Calais migrant crisis continues, Greg Ó Ceallaigh, barrister at Garden Court Chambers, explains the human rights obligations of member states involved.’
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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 21st August 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

63 sex offenders back in jail after lie detector tests – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 24th, 2015 in child abuse, indecent photographs of children, lie detectors, news, probation, rape, recidivists, sexual offences, statistics by sally

‘Paedophiles and rapists are caught out breaking the terms of their release from prison after undergoing new polygraph tests, Ministry of Justice figures show.’
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Daily Telegraph, 22nd August 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Crippling court costs force poverty-stricken people to ‘plead guilty to crimes they didn’t commit’ – The Independent

Posted August 24th, 2015 in budgets, costs, criminal courts charge, guilty pleas, legal aid, litigants in person, magistrates, news by sally

‘Poverty-stricken people are being encouraged to plead guilty to crimes they did not commit out of fear they will face crippling costs imposed by new financial penalties, leading lawyers, magistrates and campaigners have warned.’

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The Independent, 21st August 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Stop-and-search: Police training will challenge ‘unconscious bias’ of officers to cut down on unlawful use of tactic – The Independent

Posted August 24th, 2015 in codes of practice, equality, investigatory powers, news, pilot schemes, police, race discrimination, stop and search by sally

‘Hundreds of police officers around the country are to have their prejudices challenged by a training programme that aims to reduce discrimination among those using stop-and-search powers, a tactic that disproportionately targets people from ethnic minorities.’

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The Independent, 22nd August 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Slavery: How women’s key role in abolition has yet to receive the attention it deserves – The Independent

Posted August 24th, 2015 in compensation, legal history, news, statistics, trafficking in human beings, women by sally

‘The journey of Mary Prince from the salt ponds of Bermuda to a cause célèbre in early 19th-century Britain came at unbearable personal cost. Torn from her family in a slave auction and routinely beaten while naked, she was brought to England by her owners after years of brutality on Caribbean plantations.’

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The Independent, 23rd August 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Don’t round up the usual suspects: the end of the ID parade – The Guardian

Posted August 24th, 2015 in identification, news, photography by sally

‘Police forces are encouraging people to become part of a video database, offering them a tenner in exchange for a photograph to be used in new digital lineups.’

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The Guardian, 23rd August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Rotherham abuse: ‘Fraction’ of victims have sought help – BBC News

Posted August 24th, 2015 in child abuse, local government, news, police, statistics, victims by sally

‘A fraction of the hundreds of victims of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham have sought help, according to a lawyer for some of the survivors.’

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BBC News, 24th August 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Court fee ‘means crime victims miss payouts’ – The Independent

Posted August 24th, 2015 in compensation, costs, criminal courts charge, fees, news, victims by sally

‘Victims of crime are missing out on compensation because courts are forced to make criminals pay costs to the Government, campaigners have warned.’

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The Independent, 23rd August 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Lady Butler-Sloss criticised for giving evidence for defence in child rape trial – The Guardian

Posted August 24th, 2015 in assault, child abuse, evidence, inquiries, judges, news, rape, witnesses by sally

‘A prominent retired high court judge, who specialised in family matters, has been criticised for giving evidence for the defence in the case of a man accused of raping a girl – though she knew he had a previous conviction for violence.’

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The Guardian, 24th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk