Keeping PACE: Searson and Searson v CC of Nottinghamshire Constabulary – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted August 11th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘In Searson v Chief Constable of Nottingham Constabulary [2025] EWHC 1982 (KB), the Appellants successfully appealed against the dismissal of their claim for damages against the Respondent’s police force. The claim arose out of the circumstances of the Second Appellant’s unlawful detention contrary to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (“PACE). Wall J’s judgment emphasises the need for strict compliance with the spirit of the procedural safeguard of regular reviews of detention in s 40 PACE, which serves to protect the fundamental right of freedom of movement.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 11th August 2025

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

A database, homelessness duties and claimed indirect discrimination – Nearly Legal

Posted August 11th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘The issue was whether a database kept and used by Tower Hamlets of those owed a homelessness duty and in unsuitable accommodation amounted to a provision, criterion or practice (PCP) that was indirectly discriminatory against women. The High Court had said the database did not amount to a PCP.’

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Nearly Legal, 10th August 2025

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Immigration AI in 2025: What’s Actually Changed Since the Streaming Algorithm? – EIN Guest Blog

Posted August 11th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘Five years after the landmark legal victory, how does UK immigration AI work now – and what immigration practitioners need to know.’

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EIN Guest BLog, 8th August 2025

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Divisional Court publishes CLOSED judgment in successful challenge against exclusion from Afghan data leak relocation scheme – Administrative Court Blog

Posted August 11th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘On 8 August 2025, the Divisional Court (Dingemans LJ, Chamberlain and Johnson JJ) published the OPEN version of a previously CLOSED judgment, dated 19 April 2024, in which it allowed a claim for judicial review by two claimants (a judge and journalist) who were identified in the leaked Afghan relocation dataset, against their exclusion from the bespoke relocation scheme the Government set up in the data leak’s aftermath. At the time of the claim, the claimants were unaware about the decisions which were subject to this challenge; their claims were advanced by Special Advocates in CLOSED proceedings.’

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Administrative Court Blog, 10th August 2025

Source: administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com

Claimants win battle over expert evidence in housing disrepair – Law Society Gazette

Posted August 11th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘A landlord who raised concerns about the ‘unhealthy connection’ between housing disrepair solicitors and the surveyors they instruct has failed to have two claims struck out.’

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Law Society Gazette, 11th August 2025

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Judgment embargo breach leads to High Court advice but no further action – Law Society Gazette

Posted August 11th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘The High Court has suggested a legal representative may need to explain ‘specifically’ who can and cannot be shown a judgment after the latest breach of a judgment embargo.’

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Law Society Gazette, 11th August 2025

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Helliwell v Entwistle: Some Troubling Aspects – Financial Remedies Journal

Posted August 11th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘Following King LJ’s judgment in Helliwell v Entwistle [2025] EWCA Civ 1055, Sir Nicholas Mostyn reconsiders his reasoning in Cummings v Fawn [2023] EWHC 830 (Fam) and concludes that some of his language needs to be modified.’

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Financial Remedies Journal, 8th August 2025

Source: financialremediesjournal.com

Lucy Letby’s new expert supporters claim no babies were deliberately harmed. Who should we believe? – BBC News

Posted August 11th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘When it comes to the Lucy Letby case, there are two parallel universes. In one, the question of her guilt is settled. She is a monster who murdered seven babies and attempted to murder seven more while she was a nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016. In the other universe, Letby is the victim of a flawed criminal justice system in which unreliable medical evidence was used to condemn and imprison an innocent woman.’

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BBC News, 11th August 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Revealed: oligarchs spied on UK lawyers who ran Serious Fraud Office cases – The Guardian

Posted August 11th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘Oligarchs whose business empire was under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office spied on lawyers who ran some of the UK’s most sensitive criminal cases.’

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The Guardian, 10th August 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

More foreign criminals to be deported under expanded scheme – BBC News

Posted August 11th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘More foreign criminals will be deported before their appeals against their removal are heard as the Home Office adds 15 new countries to its “deport now, appeal later” scheme.’

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BBC News, 11th Auguse 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Black warehouse worker wins £3,000 payout over colleague’s ‘slave’ graffito – The Guardian

Posted August 8th, 2025 in news by sally

‘A Black warehouse worker has won a race harassment claim after a disgruntled colleague wrote the word “slave” on a piece of machinery.’

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The Guardian, 5th August 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Courts service ‘covered up’ IT bug that caused evidence to go missing – BBC News

Posted August 8th, 2025 in news by sally

‘The body running courts in England and Wales has been accused of a cover-up, after a leaked report found it took several years to react to an IT bug that caused evidence to go missing, be overwritten or appear lost.’

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BBC News, 8th August 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Serious offenders to be kept in restricted zones under plans – BBC News

Posted August 8th, 2025 in news by sally

‘Restrictions on serious sexual and violent criminals forcing them stay in specific areas are being planned by the government.’

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BBC News, 8th August 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘At last I have peace’: Windrush-era grandmother has right to remain reinstated after 50 years – The Guardian

Posted August 8th, 2025 in news by sally

‘Comfort Olufunmilayo Olawo, 82, spent decades flying between UK and Nigeria on tourist visas every six months.’

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The Guardian, 2nd August 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Support for decision-making guidance in England: a pragmatic review – Medical Law Review

Posted August 8th, 2025 in news by sally

‘Law and policy concerning personal decision-making increasingly recognizes a role for support to enable greater autonomy and legal recognition for adults whose decision-making ability may be limited. Support for decision making (SFDM) is embedded in England and Wales under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). It has also gained traction internationally through the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), to which the UK is a signatory. However, these two legal reference points diverge in their understanding of SFDM, which presents challenges for putting it into practice. A pragmatic review methodology identified 40 resources containing SFDM guidance, providing insight into its implementation and conceptualization in England. An analysis indicates the need for authoritative guidance that provides more multifaceted advice, recognizing key variables including: the nature of the decision, source of decision-making difficulties, and the relationship of the supporter. Gaps in guidance provision are also identified for decision-makers, third parties, and the mental health context. The resources largely conceptualize SFDM as a means to enable mental capacity. However, recent developments propose a CRPD-aligned approach that includes SFDM in the context of substituted decisions. This generates a dualistic model of SFDM in England, raising new questions in this area.’

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Medical Law Review, 31st July 2025

Source: academic.oup.com

2024 King’s Speech: progress of legislation – House of Commons Briefing

Posted August 8th, 2025 in news by sally

‘What progress have bills announced in the 2024 King’s Speech made in the current Parliament?’

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House of Commons Library, 6th August 2025

Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk

BAILII: Recent Decisions

Posted August 8th, 2025 in law reports by michael

Court of Appeal (Civil Division)

Jenny Alzena Helliwell v Simon Graham Entwistle [2025] EWCA Civ 1071 (07 August 2025)

High Court (Administrative Court)

A & E Baines v The North Yorkshire Council [2025] EWHC 2010 (Admin) (04 August 2025)

High Court (Chancery Division)

Tokyo Industries (Live) Ltd v Orbit Tickets Ltd [2025] EWHC 2074 (Ch) (07 August 2025)

Niprose Investments Ltd & Ors v Vincents Solicitors Ltd [2025] EWHC 2084 (Ch) (06 August 2025)

High Court (Commercial Court)

White Rock Corporation Ltd v Middle Volga Shipping Company & Anor [2025] EWHC 2089 (Comm) (07 August 2025)

Tui Airways Ltd & Ors v Smartlynx Airlines Malta Ltd & Ors [2025] EWHC 2098 (Comm) (06 August 2025)

Diageo DV Ltd v Nio SRL [2025] EWHC 2109 (Comm) (06 August 2025)

High Court (King’s Bench Division)

Turner v Coupland Cavendish Ltd (Re Consequential Matters) [2025] EWHC 2112 (KB) (07 August 2025)

Ellis & Ors v John Benson Ltd (Re Breach of Embargo) [2025] EWHC 2097 (KB) (06 August 2025)

Ellis & Ors v John Benson Ltd [2025] EWHC 2096 (KB) (06 August 2025)

Read v North Middlesex Hospital Trust [2025] EWHC 1603 (KB) (05 August 2025)

Source: www.bailii.org

Judge tells colleagues to be ‘on their guard’ over expert witness evidence – The Guardian

Posted August 8th, 2025 in news by sally

‘Judges need to be “on their guard” about expert witness evidence, according to a leading supreme court judge, who urged the legal profession to improve their “scientific and technical literacy” to help prevent miscarriages of justice.’

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The Guardian, 8th August 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

ID verification duties to impact millions of UK directors – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 8th, 2025 in news by sally

‘Millions of people involved in running UK businesses will be required to verify their identity with Companies House, the UK registry for companies, beginning from the middle of November this year.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 6th August 2025

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

The impact of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) on undergraduate legal education in England and Wales: A content analysis – Legal Studies

Posted August 8th, 2025 in news by sally

‘The Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) resulted in law degrees tending to be similar in design, with compulsory foundation modules at their core. The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) represents a significant change to solicitor qualification and potentially frees universities from the constraints of the foundations. There was also speculation that some universities would feel pressure to align undergraduate curricula to the SQE. This paper makes a contribution to knowledge by undertaking the first content analysis of LLB webpages since the SQE’s implementation. The data reveals that: (1) law schools still overwhelmingly require mandatory study of all the foundations; (2) there has been an incremental shift towards vocationalism; (3) a small minority of webpages may be overstating the extent that their LLB prepares students for the SQE; and (4) a significant proportion of webpages contain factually inaccurate or confusing information about programmes or routes to qualification. It confirms an inherent irony: the deregulation of undergraduate solicitor education in England and Wales had led to more vocational alignment than experienced under the previous system but has not resulted in a significant shift away from the foundations. We present a novel explanation as to why this is the case, based on institutional theory and organisational strategic theory.’

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Legal Studies, 31st July 2025

Source: www.cambridge.org