UK prisons ‘failing to identify suicidal inmates’ – The Guardian

Posted September 11th, 2014 in news, prisons, reports, suicide by sally

‘There are too many cases of prisons failing to identify inmates who are a suicide risk despite the presence of clear warning signs, an official watchdog has warned after a “troubling” 64% rise in self-inflicted deaths behind bars in the past year.’

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The Guardian, 11th September 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Fine for paralegal who moved firms and took sensitive data with him – Legal Futures

Posted September 11th, 2014 in costs, data protection, fines, news, paralegals by sally

‘A paralegal who took sensitive information from his employer when moving to a rival law firm was convicted of a criminal offence under the Data Protection Act this week.’

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Legal Futures, 11th September 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Rotherham Council to be subject of independent inspection – BBC News

Posted September 11th, 2014 in child abuse, inquiries, local government, news, social services by sally

‘Rotherham Council is to face an independent inspection following the report that revealed 1,400 children were sexually abused in the town.’

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BBC News, 10th September 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Broker ‘loses unfair dismissal claim from City traders after abuse complaints’ – The Independent

Posted September 11th, 2014 in banking, employment, news, unfair dismissal by sally

‘A broker has lost a claim that he was bullied into leaving a City trading firm where “homophobic, racist and sexist” abuse was widespread, according to a report.’

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The Independent, 10th September 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Stalking prosecutions rise by 20% under new law on harassment – The Guardian

Posted September 11th, 2014 in Crown Prosecution Service, harassment, news, prosecutions, stalking, statistics by sally

‘Prosecutions for stalking and harassment increased by more than 20% last year following the enforcement of a new law that criminalises behaviour causing serious alarm or distress.’

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The Guardian, 11th September 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MPs approve probate and conveyancing rights for legal executives – Legal Futures

‘The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) has won the approval of the House of Commons to grant its members rights to conduct reserved probate and conveyancing work.’

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Legal Futures, 10th September 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

High Court: Commercial Agents Regulations could not override contractual choice of law – OUT-LAW.com

‘Mandatory rules governing the relationship between commercial agents and their principals in respect of the agent’s UK activities cannot override a valid jurisdiction and choice of law clause, the High Court has ruled.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 10th September 2014

Source: www.out-law.com

Juvenile Offenders: A Different Approach Needed? – Part III – No. 5 Chambers

Posted September 10th, 2014 in children, criminal justice, internet, news, prisons, sentencing, young offenders, young persons by sally

‘In this series written for Criminal Law & Justice Weekly, Navpreet Virk and No5 member Richard Gibbs present the opposing arguments surrounding the manner in which the youth courts treat juveniles convicted of criminal offences and examine the countervailing arguments and policies. In the third of this four–part series, Richard Gibbs writes that the criminal justice system is predicated on finding the fairest way of dealing with juveniles.’

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No. 5 Chambers, 3rd September 2014

Source: www.no5.com

BAILII: Recent Decisions

Posted September 10th, 2014 in news by sally

Supreme Court

Robertson v Swift [2014] UKSC 50 (09 September 2014)

Family Court Decisions (other Judges)

Chd1 & Chd1 (Children : care orders) [2014] EWFC B113 (09 September 2014)

Source: www.bailii.org

Child witness court video evidence expansion planned – BBC News

Posted September 10th, 2014 in children, Crown Court, evidence, news, sexual offences, trials, victims, video recordings, witnesses by sally

‘Changes to allow children and abuse victims in England and Wales to film their evidence before a trial begins should be brought in “as fast as possible”, a justice minister has said.’

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BBC News, 9th September 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Monstrous child sexual predator’ John Laister jailed – BBC News

‘An ex-Sunday school teacher who raped and sexually abused young girls under his care has been jailed for 14 years.’

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BBC News, 9th September 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Deceased’s Sudden Death During Stillborn Birth: Clinical Quantification? – Zenith PI Blog

Posted September 10th, 2014 in bereavement, birth, compensation, damages, medical treatment, midwives, negligence, news by sally

‘In a case reported on Lawtel yesterday, the Claimant mother and sister received £160,000 in an out of court settlement following the sudden death of the deceased (‘X’) during the delivery of her stillborn baby in December 2010. The Claimants suffered a traumatic bereavement resulting in post-traumatic stress disorder. The settlement included a dependency claim for the deceased’s son.’

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Zenith PI Blog, 9th September 2014

Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com

Guilty, the man who conned his brother out of £1.5m inheritance – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 10th, 2014 in families, forgery, fraud, insurance, news, probate, trusts by sally

‘Peter Howes forged the signature of his brother and mother, cashed in life insurance policies and siphoned off the proceeds of the sale of the £1m family home.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 9th September 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Gloria Foster inquest: ‘Neglect contributed to death’ – BBC News

Posted September 10th, 2014 in care workers, elderly, hospitals, inquests, medical treatment, medicines, news by sally

‘Neglect contributed to the death of an elderly woman found dying at home nine days after her care agency was shut in a police raid, a coroner has concluded.’

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BBC News, 10th September 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Woman wins permission to look at late father’s adoption files – The Guardian

Posted September 10th, 2014 in adoption, birth certificates, disclosure, documents, family courts, grandparents, news by sally

‘A woman has been granted permission to look at court files relating to her father’s adoption to discover the identity of her grandmother, in a ground-breaking judgment that sets a precedent for revealing secret family histories.’

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The Guardian, 9th September 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Ignorant’ crane boss David Saunders fined over death – BBC News

Posted September 9th, 2014 in accidents, fines, health & safety, news by sally

‘A company has been fined £150,000 after a worker was killed when a crane wheel he was dismantling “exploded like a bomb”.’

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BBC News, 9th September 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ministers to review enforcement of TV licence payment – BBC News

Posted September 9th, 2014 in BBC, bills, crime, enforcement, licensing, media, news by sally

‘Ministers are to review how payment of the TV licence fee is enforced amid concerns about the number of people appearing in court for evasion.’

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BBC News, 9th September 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

“New normal” – what it means for the Bar – The Future of Law

Posted September 9th, 2014 in barristers, legal services, news by sally

We’ve read about it to the point of exasperation. The “new normal” for the legal services market. Basically, a shift in buying behaviours in a changing market environment, brought about by a compelling combination of external factors over a period of time, with increased competition from new market entrants thrown into the mix.

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The Future of Law, 9th September 2014

Source: www.blogs.lexisnexis.co.uk

Case dropped against parents of boy who missed school – BBC News

‘Legal action has been dropped against parents who took their child out of school without permission, as the family has moved to the US.’

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BBC News, 8th September 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Christian man jailed for attacking gay flatmate with claw hammer as he slept – The Independent

Posted September 9th, 2014 in attempted murder, attempts, homosexuality, murder, news, sentencing by sally

‘A Catholic man who attacked his openly gay flatmate by striking him on the head with a claw hammer as he slept has been found guilty of attempted murder.’

Full story

The Independent, 9th September 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk