Men jailed after man lost eye in Birmingham belt attack – BBC News
‘Two men who attacked a man with his own belt in a “savage” street assault in which he lost an eye have been jailed.’
BBC News, 15th January 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
EVENT: IALS – “Does privacy matter?”
‘This Public Lecture, followed by a reception, marks the launch the new Centre for Law and Information Policy at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.’
Date: 24th February 2015, 6.00-8.00pm
Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Charles Clore House, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DR
Charge: See website for details
More information can be found here.
Sikh wins compensation over prison turban challenge – Daily Telegraph
‘A Sikh solicitor has won undisclosed compensation after being barred from entering a prison to visit a client because he had pins in his turban.’
Daily Telegraph, 15th January 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Fake Help for Heroes collection ‘soldier’ Liam O’Brien jailed – BBC News
‘A Wiltshire man who posed as a serving soldier and falsely claimed to be collecting money for the charity Help for Heroes has been jailed.’
BBC News, 15th January 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Attorney general unable to review teacher-pupil sex sentence – The Guardian
‘A judge who gave a teacher a suspended sentence after suggesting he had been “groomed” by a pupil he was convicted of having sex with is to face an official investigation. Stuart Kerner, 44, was found guilty last month of two counts of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust. But on Wednesday, he was given a suspended 18-month sentence by Joanna Greenberg QC, who said it was clear that his 16-year-old victim was obsessed with him.’
The Guardian, 15th January 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
EVENT: IALS – Family Law Reform: Why is it so Hard to Move Beyond Reports? What Can We do? What Can You Do?
‘The Family Law Justice System restructures families and family life. Reports in countless jurisdictions have been critical of the Family Law Justice System. These reports have diagnosed a myriad of problems, (including delay, expense, self-representation, exacerbation of conflict, lack of judicial continuity), called for change, and highlight a broad range of Access to Justice issues. Why is change so hard to effect? What can we do? What can you do?’
Date: 25th March 2015, 6.00-8.00pm
Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Charles Clore House, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DR
Charge: Free, registration required
More information can be found here.
Connor Doughton gets life sentence for Michael Lee Emmett murder – BBC News
‘A teenager who murdered a father-of-three has been told he will spend at least 15 years behind bars.’
BBC News, 15th January 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
HMRC Dishonesty Allegation “seriously flawed” – RPC Tax Take
‘The First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) (“FTT”) has ruled, in Citibank NA v Revenue and Customs Commissioners, that HMRC’s pleadings were “seriously flawed”. When alleging fraud against a taxpayer, HMRC must clearly plead that the taxpayer had a dishonest state of mind.’
RPC Tax Take, 14th January 2015
Source: www.rpc.co.uk
BAILII: Recent Decisions
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
High Court (Queen’s Bench Division)
High Court (Administrative Court)
Law Society of England and Wales v Shah – WLR Daily
Law Society of England and Wales v Shah [2014] EWHC 4382 (Ch); [2015] WLR (D) 5
‘The supervisory jurisdiction embodied in section 50 of the Solicitors Act 1974 could not be invoked by the Law Society in the case of a solicitor who may have pretended to be one, but who had not necessarily done so, who denied doing so, and had not been cross-examined on the issue. Section 41(4)(c) of the 1974 Act was wide enough to enable the court to grant an order against a struck off former solicitor, which could be framed so as to restrain him from committing criminal acts, namely that of acting as a solicitor when disqualified, or carrying on a reserved legal activity without entitlement to do so.’
WLR Daily, 12th January 2015
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Good Samaritan Law – BBC Unreliable Evidence
‘Clive Anderson and guests ask why Britain, unlike many other countries in the world, has no general law which requires people to behave like good Samaritans, punishing those who fail to help others in trouble.’
BBC Unreliable Evidence, 14th January 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Whiplash Quantum Update – Zenith PI Blog
‘There are increasing numbers of post-April 2013 personal injury settlements being reported, many of which contain specific reference to the damages figure including the 10% uplift provided for by Simmons v Castle [2012] EWCA Civ 1288.’
Zenith PI Blog, 13th January 2015
Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com
Football ‘spot-fixing’ case dropped – BBC News
‘The case against 13 footballers investigated over alleged spot-fixing has been dropped due to “insufficient evidence”, the CPS has said.’
BBC News, 15th January 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Accidents abroad: The need for evidence of local standards – Zenith PI Blog
‘A holidaymaker who sustained personal injuries from slipping on a wet staircase in a hotel in Spain succeeded at first instance in a claim against the holiday operator. The Court of Appeal overturned the first instance decision where there had been no evidence of local standards of care and the judge had wrongly imposed an evidential burden of proof on the holiday company to prove it exercised reasonable care and skill in performance of the contract.’
Zenith PI Blog, 13th January 2015
Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com
Corporate manslaughter prosecutions “gathering momentum”, says expert, as kayak firm convicted – OUT-LAW.com
‘The successful prosecution of a firm for corporate manslaughter following the death of a worker who had become trapped in an industrial oven demonstrates the need for firms to ensure that health and safety risks are properly managed, an expert has said.’
OUT-LAW.com, 13th January 2015
Source: www.out-law.com
Judge criticised after claiming 16-year-old pupil groomed teacher – The Guardian
‘A judge is facing criticism after she handed down a suspended sentence to a teacher found guilty of having sex with a pupil and said the 16-year-old girl had “groomed” him.’
The Guardian, 14th January 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Google launches challenge to Max Mosley’s privacy bid – BBC News
‘Google has asked the High Court to throw out legal action being taken by ex-Formula 1 boss Max Mosley.’
BBC News, 14th January 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Child abuse survivors push Theresa May to save independent inquiry – The Guardian
‘Theresa May is under intense pressure to save the independent inquiry into child abuse after survivors groups condemned it as a mess and demanded she rip up the process and start again.’
The Guardian, 14th January 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
The end of the CCTV era? – BBC News
‘Twenty years ago the government backed a major expansion of the CCTV network – now funds are being cut and cameras shut off. Is the UK’s CCTV boom over, asks Rachel Argyle.’
BBC News, 15th January 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
The unkindest cut: Criminal record for elderly neighbours who cut back man’s clematis – The Independent
‘Two pensioners in their 80s have been convicted of criminal damage after deliberately cutting back their neighbour’s clematis with secateurs against her wishes.’
The Independent, 14th January 2015
Source: www.independent.co.uk
