I Want My Baby Back – BBC One Panorama
‘John Sweeney investigates the secretive world of the family courts and asks whether some parents may have unfairly lost their children forever. BBC One 13th January 2014’
BBC One, 13th January 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Hillcroft nursing home care workers jailed for abusing elderly residents – The Guardian
‘Three nursing home staff have been jailed and a fourth given a community sentence for tormenting and abusing elderly residents with dementia, actions described by the trial judge as “gratuitous sport at the expense of vulnerable victims”.’
The Guardian, 10th January 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
BNP activist Adam Walker challenges lifetime teaching ban – BBC News
‘A British National Party (BNP) activist has taken Education Secretary Michael Gove’s office to court in a bid to overturn a lifetime teaching ban.’
BBC New, 10th January 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Concern over number of soldiers who end up in jail prompts review – The Guardian
‘Rory Stewart, the Tory MP who served as deputy governor of an Iraqi province after the 2003 war, is to lead a government review to improve the rehabilitation of ex-service personnel who are jailed.’
The Guardian, 11th January 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Mark Duggan coroner invites family to help shape police gun policy – The Guardian
‘The coroner in the Mark Duggan inquest is to invite the dead man’s family to help shape police firearms procedure. The senior circuit judge Keith Cutler, who is preparing recommendations on firearms procedure for the home secretary after issues raised at the inquest, described his decision to consult the family as “unusual, perhaps unique” but the right thing to do to achieve transparency.’
The Guardian, 12th January 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Plebgate’ affair: Police Federation launches legal action – BBC News
‘The Police Federation says it wants a judicial review of the police watchdog’s decision to investigate three officers who met the MP at the centre of the “plebgate” row.’
BBC News, 12th January 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Pressure grows for inquiry into UK role in Iraq ‘war crimes’ – The Independent
‘Legal experts from around the world are to join calls for an investigation into whether British politicians and senior military figures should be prosecuted for alleged war crimes in Iraq.’
The Independent, 12th January 2014
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Mark Duggan marksman cleared to return to armed police duties – The Guardian
‘The police marksman who killed Mark Duggan will be allowed to have his gun back and return to armed duties. The officer was found to have lawfully killed Duggan by an inquest jury last week though the jury decided his account of the shooting, in which he said Duggan had had a gun in his hand, was wrong.’
The Guardian, 12th January 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Payday lenders’ default fees could break the law – The Independent
‘Many payday lenders could be breaking the law by charging excessive default fees to borrowers who miss repayments, according to Which? An investigation by the consumer group revealed that 10 of 17 leading payday lenders have default fees of £20 or more, and four charged £25 and above, with Wonga topping the table at £30.’
The Independent, 13th January 2014
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Sex crimes against young children rise, research suggests – BBC News
‘Recorded sex crimes against children under 11 in England and Wales went up by 16% last year, research suggests. There were 5,547 incidents, against the previous year’s 4,772, according to data from 41 police forces obtained by children’s charity, the NSPCC.’
BBC News, 14th January 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Detention of children overnight in police cells ‘is chronic breach of law’ – The Guardian
‘Senior officer tells MPs that practice of holding children overnight before court appearance is big concern for police.’
The Guardian, 13th January 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Is the Mental Capacity Act incompatible with the ECHR? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange
‘A group of leading lawyers has expressed concern that the current system for representation of certain protected parties (P) in Court of Protection proceedings is incompatible with the ECHR.’
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 10th January 2014
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
Dr Mansoor Kassim sentenced for faking Viagra scripts – BBC News
‘A doctor with “marital difficulties” forged prescriptions for Viagra because he was too embarrassed to see his GP. Dr Mansoor Kassim, 37, who worked at Ystrad Fawr Hospital near Caerphilly, faked £340.67 worth of scripts, Newport magistrates heard. He was given a suspended jail sentence after admitting four charges of making a false prescription, two of theft by an employee and one of fraud.’
BBC News, 10th January 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Plebgate’ affair: Met PC admits misconduct – BBC News
‘A Met police officer plans to resign after admitting misconduct in public office over the “plebgate” affair. PC Keith Wallis, 53, has admitted falsely claiming to have witnessed a row between then-cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell and police officers in Downing Street in September 2012. The diplomatic protection group officer has been bailed until 6 February when he is due to be sentenced.’
BBC News, 10th January 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Court of Appeal refuses blogger permission to appeal in libel case – Local Government Lawyer
‘The Court of Appeal last month refused a blogger permission to appeal in her libel claim against a council and its chief executive, it has emerged.’
Local Government Lawyer, 6th January 2014
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Statement regarding defamation cases – Judiciary of England and Wales
‘During the passage of the Bill that became the Defamation Act 2013, Parliament discussed procedural changes to assist with the implementation of the legislation and the policy underlying it. The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) has now made the rule changes. However, as these have not been as extensive as members of Parliament may have anticipated, I am issuing this statement to provide some clarification and reassurance to Parliament and others…’
Judiciary of England and Wales, 2nd January 2014
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
MLA guidelines for foreign authorities – Home Office
‘These guidelines describe mutual legal assistance (MLA) that can be provided by the UK.’
Home Office, 6th January 2014
Source: www.gov.uk/home-office
Man sentenced for stirring up racial hatred – Crown Prosecution Service
‘Christopher Philips has today (8 January 2014) been sentenced to 12 months in prison and imposed with an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) for distributing videos of himself at an extremist right-wing event on a social media site. Mr Philips pleaded guilty to one count of stirring up racial hatred contrary to section 21 of the Public Order Act 1986 at a hearing on 31 October 2013 at Wolverhampton Crown Court.’
Crown Prosecution Service, 8th January 2014
Source: www.cps.gov.uk
Personal data: Tribunal analyses the ‘relates to’ and ‘identification’ limbs – Panopticon
‘I have commented in previous posts on how infrequently the Data Protection Act 1998 has been the subject of substantive litigation before the courts. One consequence of this is persistent uncertainty over how pivotal concepts such as “personal data” are to be analysed and approached. Last year, the High Court in Kelway v The Upper Tribunal, Northumbria Police and the Information Commissioner (2013) EWHC 2575 (Admin) considered how “personal data” issues should be approached.’
Panopticon, 9th January 2014
Source: www.panopticonblog.com
