Lancashire sham marriages: Manchester gang jailed – BBC News
‘A Manchester gang which set up sham weddings between Pakistani grooms and Portuguese brides has been jailed.’
BBC News, 21st November 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Conduct and disability – Employment Law Blog
‘Was there gross misconduct? If there was, did it justify dismissal? Those were issues before Judge Eady QC in Burdett v Aviva Employment Services Ltd, UKEAT/0439/13/JOJ, a case concerned with both unfair dismissal and discrimination arising from disability. The employee had committed assaults in the workplace. However, this was because of his disability. He suffered from a paranoid schizophrenic illness. The ET was judged to have been in error in finding gross misconduct. They had failed to engage with the question of blameworthiness. The ET was also found to have been in error in assuming that dismissal will necessarily fall within the range of reasonable responses in a gross misconduct case.’
Employment Law Blog, 20th November 2014
Source: www.employment11kbw.com
Public access to local authority information: transparency with teeth – Panopticon
‘The Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations are the dominant statutory regimes for public transparency, but they are of course not the only ones. A good example is the regime under the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), particularly sections 100A-K. Those provisions govern public access to local authority meetings, as well as the public availability of minutes, reports, background documents and so on for such meetings, subject to provisions for exempt information (Schedule 12A). A recent judgment of the Admin Court (Cranston J) in a planning matter, Joicey v Northumberland County Council [2014] EWHC 3657 (Admin) illustrates the importance of compliance with that regime for public access to information.’
Panopticon, 20th November 2014
Source: www.panopticonblog.com
Alexander Horne and Richard Kelly: Prerogative Powers and the Fixed-term Parliaments Act – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 is a contentious and oft criticised piece of legislation, although it does have its supporters. The government and the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee have argued it has created a stable environment for longer-term government planning.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 19th November 2014
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org/blog
Frontier Estates -v- Berwin Leighton Paisner: in time application for extension of time refused – Zenith PI Blog
‘Parties are advised to make applications in advance of the expiry of time limits in order to avoid a breach and have the courts look more favourably on their applications. It must be remembered however that an application made in time is not necessarily bound to succeed.’
Zenith PI Blog, 21st November 2014
Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com
Giving evidence in court – UK Visas and Immigration
‘Modernised guidance for how UK Visas and Immigration prepares and gives evidence in court, and what it expects when it gives evidence.’
UK Visas and Immigration, 20th November 2014
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration
Applying interest in damages claims – Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers
‘In this blog, Enno Eilts, a Senior Consultant, discusses issues connected with the calculation of interest in damages actions.’
Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers, 18th November 2014
Source: www.competitionbulletin.com
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council v KW and others – WLR Daily
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council v KW and others: [2014] EWCOP 45; [2014] WLR (D) 493
‘Article 5 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms was not engaged where a person, often elderly, who was both physically and mentally disabled to a severe extent, was being looked after in her own home and where the arrangements had been made and paid for by a local authority rather than by the person’s own, or family, funds.’
WLR Daily, 18th November 2014
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
BAILII: Recent Decisions
Court of Appeal (Civil Division)
Rasheed v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2014] EWCA Civ 1493 (20 November 2014)
Colborne v Colborne [2014] EWCA Civ 1488 (20 November 2014)
Assaubayev & Ors v Michael Wilson & Partners Ltd [2014] EWCA Civ 1491 (20 November 2014)
W (Children) [2014] EWCA Civ 1492 (20 November 2014)
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
Clifford, R v [2014] EWCA Crim 2245 (07 November 2014)
High Court (Technology and Construction Court)
Group M UK Ltd v Cabinet Office [2014] EWHC 3863 (TCC) (20 November 2014)
Source: www.bailii.org
Birmingham ‘exploitation’ order: Two more men banned – BBC News
‘Two more men have been banned from contact with young girls in an “innovative” High Court case to prevent child sexual exploitation.’
BBC News, 20th November 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Mental health NHS trusts ranked for risk of poor care – BBC News
‘Health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has ranked almost every mental health NHS trust in England in terms of risk of providing poor care.’
BBC News, 20th November 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Police face legal action for snooping on journalists – The Guardian
‘A group of journalists has launched a legal action against Scotland Yard after discovering that the Metropolitan police has been recording their professional activities on a secret database designed to monitor so-called domestic extremists.’
The Guardian, 20th November 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
JJB Sports boss Christopher Ronnie guilty of £1m fraud – BBC News
‘The former chief executive of JJB Sports has been convicted of accepting more than £1m in backhanders.’
BBC News, 20th November 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Counter-terrorism bill will enable ‘internal exile’ of UK suspects – The Guardian
‘Nick Clegg has conceded that the new counter-terror bill to be published next week will include a power to force terrorism suspects to relocate to another part of Britain, dropping previous opposition to the measure. But the Liberal Democrats say they have secured further changes to the existing system of terrorism prevention and investigation measures, known as Tpims, that will make it harder rather than easier for the home secretary to use them to restrict a suspect’s liberty.’
The Guardian, 21st November 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
South Lakes zoo fined for ‘threatening’ birds’ escape – BBC News
‘An animal park owner in Cumbria has been fined for allowing a “threatening” bird to escape.’
BBC News, 20th November 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
High Court judge dismisses challenge to Ealing shopping centre planning permission – OUT-LAW.com
‘A High Court judge has dismissed a challenge to Ealing Council’s approval of plans to redevelop the Oaks Shopping Centre in west London, after disagreeing with claims that the substitution of a councillor on the Council’s planning committee was unlawful.’
OUT-LAW.com, 19th November 2014
Source: www.out-law.com
Employment tribunal did research on Wikipedia “to help litigant in person” – Litigation Futures
‘An employment tribunal which decided to carry out its own internet research, apparently to help a litigant in person, has been condemned by Mr Justice Langstaff, president of the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT).’
Litigation Futures, 20th November 2014
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
The “extraordinary” tale of the lawyer who faked his client’s litigation – Legal Futures
‘The High Court has set aside an order made against a litigant after it emerged that his solicitor had duped him by conducting “fictitious” litigation that included faked judgments and telephone conferences involving the impersonation of his senior partner and of leading counsel.’
Legal Futures, 20th November 2014
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Simplification of Criminal Law: Kidnapping and Related Offences – Law Commission
‘A report recommending reforms to the law relating to kidnapping, false imprisonment and child abduction.’
Law Commission, 20th November 2014
Source: www.justice.gov.uk/lawcommission
President’s Guidance on the International Child Abduction and Contact Unit (ICACU) and its role – Judiciary of England and Wales
‘Sir James Munby, President of the Family Division issued guidance on the International Child Abduction and Contact Unit on 10 November 2014.’
Judiciary of England and Wales, 19th November 2014
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
