Chris Grayling to crack down on criminals freed early from jail – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 22nd, 2013 in early release, news, prisons, sentencing by sally

“Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has plans to crack down on criminals who are freed from jail halfway through their sentence.”

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Daily Telegraph, 22nd May 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Abdel Hakim Belhaj torture case may be heard in secret court – The Guardian

“One of the first cases to be heard by the government’s new generation of secret courts may be a claim brought by a Libyan dissident who was kidnapped along with his pregnant wife and flown to one of Muammar Gaddafi’s prisons.”

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The Guardian, 21st May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Disarray as DPP contradicts new guidance on naming of suspects – The Independent

“Controversial plans to protect the identity of suspects arrested by police were in disarray last night after the Director of Public Prosecutions called for more ‘wriggle room’ to name suspects before they were charged.”

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The Independent, 21st May 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Doubling in innocent people branded criminals by Criminal Records Bureau – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 22nd, 2013 in criminal records, mistake, news, statistics by sally

“Hundreds of innocent people could have been given criminal records last year, more than double the previous year, new figures show.”

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Daily Telegraph, 21st May 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Brain training: how can experts ensure justice is unbiased? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted May 22nd, 2013 in bias, expert witnesses, forensic science, news by sally

“In an ideal world, experts would be brought into a case to help ascertain what has happened, use objective instruments that quantify and interpret the evidence, and provide the court with an unbiased view. However, the reality is that often experts are recruited to help make a case for an existing theory of what has happened, and they rely on subjective judgments and interpretations. Can we expect experts to be objective? Is it realistic that without specific cognitive measures experts can be impartial?”

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 21st May 2013

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Newspaper royal charter plans are ‘bizarre’, says Liberty director – The Guardian

Posted May 22nd, 2013 in charters, damages, fines, inquiries, media, news, ombudsmen, privacy, professional conduct by sally

“A key adviser to the Leveson report, the civil rights campaigner Shami Chakrabarti, has hit out against politicians and newspaper barons, accusing them of letting down the public over promises to set up a new press watchdog.”

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The Guardian, 21st May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Three forgers jailed after undercover operation that revealed £50,000 of fake £1 coins – The Independent

Posted May 22nd, 2013 in coinage, conspiracy, forgery, news, sentencing by sally

“Three forgers have been jailed for what police believe is the largest ever plot to make fake £1 coins in the UK – some of which may still be in circulation.”

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The Independent, 21st May 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Torture victims win test case over detention in UK immigration centres – The Guardian

Posted May 21st, 2013 in asylum, compensation, detention, immigration, news, torture, victims by sally

“The Home Office has been ordered by the high court to pay compensation to four torture survivors who were unlawfully held in British immigration detention centres.”

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The Guardian, 21st May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Alison L. Young: Fact/Law – a Flawed Distinction? – UK Constitutional Law Group

Posted May 21st, 2013 in civil justice, criminal injuries compensation, news, Supreme Court, VAT by sally

“If prizes were awarded to ‘Distinctions in English law’, then a good contender for the ‘lifetime achievement’ award would be the distinction between ‘law’ and ‘fact’. Whilst adventurers have their Swiss Army knife, and the Dr has his sonic screwdriver, lawyers have the multi-purpose malleable ‘law/fact’ distinction which is just as capable of opening or closing avenues of review, or providing a deus ex machina ‘get out of jail free’ card – or so a perusal of two recent decisions of the Supreme Court might have us believe.”

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UK Constitutional Law Group 21st May 2013

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

Public has right to know Boris Johnson fathered child during affair, court rules – The Guardian

Posted May 21st, 2013 in appeals, injunctions, media, news, paternity, privacy, public interest by sally

“The public has a right to know that Boris Johnson had an extramarital affair with a woman who later gave birth to their daughter, the appeal court has ruled.”

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The Guardian, 21st May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Benjamin Roach sentenced to seven years for baby death – BBC News

Posted May 21st, 2013 in children, homicide, news, sentencing by sally

“A man who killed his four-week-old daughter by shaking her violently has been jailed for seven years.”

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BBC News, 21st May 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Leslie Thomas: a voice for the dead – The Guardian

“Witnessing blatant police cruelty convinced the award-winning lawyer to make deaths in custody his life’s work.”

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The Guardian, 21st May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Female police officer offered ‘pink gun’ wins £20K in compensation – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 21st, 2013 in compensation, firearms, news, police, pornography, sex discrimination, tribunals by sally

A female police firearms officer tricked into opening a filing cabinet full of porn and offered a “pink gun” as a weapon has been awarded £20,000 in compensation.

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Daily Telegraph, 21st May 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Disabled woman died after NHS blunders, ombudsman finds – The Guardian

Posted May 21st, 2013 in disabled persons, doctors, health, hospitals, news, ombudsmen, reports by sally

“A catalogue of mistakes by an out-of-hours GP service and a hospital contributed to the death of a young woman with physical and learning disabilities, the NHS ombudsman says on Tuesday in a highly critical report that has led to fresh claims of prejudicial attitudes leading to poor care for such vulnerable patients.”

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The Guardian, 21st May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Interflora Inc and another v Marks and Spencer plc and another – WLR Daily

Posted May 21st, 2013 in civil procedure rules, evidence, law reports, reports by sally

Interflora Inc and another v Marks and Spencer plc and another [2013] EWHC 936 (Ch); [2013] WLR (D) 183

“CPR Pt 35 controlled the giving of evidence by experts as so defined and did not control the admission of other types of evidence which might be described as expert evidence.”

WLR Daily, 15th April 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

BAILII: Recent Decisions

Posted May 21st, 2013 in law reports by sally

Court of Appeal (Civil Division)

AAA v Associated Newspapers Ltd [2013] EWCA Civ 554 (20 May 2013)

Trail Riders Fellowship & Anor, R (on the application of) v Dorset County Council & Ors [2013] EWCA Civ 553 (20 May 2013)

High Court (Administrative Court)

Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis v The Police Medical Appeal Board [2013] EWHC 1203 (Admin) (17 May 2013)

Rehman, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2013] EWHC 1280 (Admin) (17 May 2013)

Source: www.bailii.org

7 out of 10 of the British public fear legal aid cuts will lead to injustice – The Bar Council

“A ComRes poll, commissioned by the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, today shows that seven out of ten (71%) of the British public are concerned that cuts to legal aid could lead to innocent people being convicted of crimes they did not commit. The poll, published this morning, also shows that two-thirds (67%) of the British public agree that legal aid is a price worth paying for living in a fair society.”

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The Bar Council, 21st May 2013

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Cross-government reforrms benefit charities and mutuals – Ministry of Justice

Posted May 21st, 2013 in charities, news, probation, rehabilitation by sally

“A comprehensive package of measures to help the voluntary sector and mutuals compete for contracts to cut reoffending was announced today by the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Justice.”

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Ministry of Justice, 21st May 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

When do the secular courts protect the rights of a minister of religion? When is a minister of religion called by God to a non-contractual relationship and when does she do her job under a contract? – Employment Law Blog

“The Supreme Court held in The President of the Methodist Conference v Preston that a Methodist minister was not an employee and therefore had no claim for unfair dismissal.”

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Employment Law Blog, 20th May 2013

Source: www.employment11kbw.com

Shurely shome mishtake? – 4 New Square

Posted May 21st, 2013 in mistake, news, setting aside, Supreme Court, taxation, trusts by sally

“The Supreme Court’s decision on mistake and the flawed exercise of discretion by trustees, and the impact of the decision on professional advisers and their insurers.”

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4 New Square, 17th May 2013

Source: www.4newsquare.com