Cut Price Justice – Garden Court Chambers Blog
“Anna Morris explains why the legal profession and the public must unite to oppose the government’s attack on legal aid.”
Garden Court Chambers Blog, 20th May 2013
Source: www.gclaw.wordpress.com
Abu Qatada launches fresh bid to be released from prison – The Independent
“Radical cleric Abu Qatada will launch a fresh bid for freedom today as he seeks to be released from prison at an immigration tribunal.”
The Independent, 20th May 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘I think I’ve killed Colin – he was getting on my nerves’: Gran who smothered terminally ill former partner escapes jail term – The Indpendent
A grandmother has been given a suspended sentence for killing her terminally ill former partner.
The Independent, 17th May 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Solicitor General welcomes guidance on sentencing complex frauds – Attorney General’s Office
“Court of Appeal issues a judgment on sentences for the most serious commercial frauds and increases the sentences of two men.”
Attorney General’s Office, 16th May 2013
Source: www.gov.uk/ago
Traffic courts in every area – Ministry of Justice
“Local areas are being urged to work with the judiciary to set up the courts as part of proposals to reduce delays and focus more on serious and contested cases. This forms part of the Government’s vision for a more efficient and effective criminal justice system that meet the needs of victims, witnesses and communities.”
Ministry of Justice, 17th May 2013
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
Your views wanted for EU review on civil and family justice – Ministry of Justice
“Lawyers, business groups and the public are all being asked to submit their views on the balance of competences between the UK and the European Union on civil judicial cooperation (including family matters).”
Ministry of Justice, 16th May 2013
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
Preston (formerly Moore) v President of the Methodist Conference – WLR Daily
Preston (formerly Moore) v President of the Methodist Conference [2013 UKSC 29; [2013] WLR (D) 179
“The basis for the rights and duties of an ordained minister of the Methodist Church were to be found in the constitutional provisions of the church and not in any arrangement of a kind which could amount to a contract. Therefore a Methodist minister was not an ’employee’ of the church for the purposes of section 230 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 and was not entitled to bring proceedings for unfair dismissal against the church.”
WLR Daily, 15th May 2013
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Crime and Courts Act 2013: Consultation on the application of the equal merit provision – Judicial Appointments Commission
“The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is interested in views on potential approaches to the application of the provisions in Part 2 of Schedule 13 to the Crime and Courts Act 2013 (CCA) relating to diversity considerations where candidates for judicial office are of equal merit. The provisions in the CCA clarify that the JAC’s duty to make selections ‘solely on merit’ (S63(2) Constitutional Reform Act 2005) does not prevent it from selecting one candidate over another for the purpose of increasing judicial diversity where there are two candidates of equal merit.”
Judicial Appointments Commission, 17th May 2013
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Special traffic courts to deal with motoring cases under ministers’ plans – The Guardian
“Traffic-light jumpers and speeding motorists are to be dealt with in special traffic courts in a bid to free up time for more serious cases, the government has announced.”
The Guardian, 17th May 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Will the new criminal legal aid reforms breach the right to a fair trial? – UK Human Rights Blog
“One of the most contentious proposals in the Consultation Paper on the transforming legal aid is the removal of client choice in criminal cases. Under the proposals contracts for the provision of legal aid will be awarded to a limited number of firms in an area. The areas are similar to the existing CPS areas. The Green Paper anticipates that there will be four or five such providers in each area. Thus the county of Kent, for example, will have four or five providers in an area currently served by fifty or so legal aid firms. Each area will have a limited number providers that will offer it is argued economies of scale.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 16th May 2013
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
King Arthur Pendragon loses second Stonehenge fight – BBC News
“A druid who has lost his second legal bid to get human remains reburied at Stonehenge has said he will fight on.”
BBC News, 16th May 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Conman Kallakis gets four more years in jail – The Guardian
“Achilleas Kallakis, a conman who received a seven-year jail sentence in January, will spend a further four years behind bars after a British government lawyer called on senior judges for a tougher sentence.”
The Guardian, 16th May 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Police watchdog criticised for errors in investigation into death in custody – The Guardian
“The official police watchdog made a series of errors in an investigation which cleared officers over the death of a man in custody, an independent report has found.”
The Guardian, 17th May 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Gay marriage: Review of civil partnerships possible but not until 2019 – BBC News
“Ministers have said they are prepared to review whether civil partnerships should be extended to heterosexual couples but not until 2019.”
BBC News, 17th May 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
SFO considers criminal inquiry into alleged price fixing by oil firms – The Guardian
“The Serious Fraud Office said on Thursday it is considering a criminal inquiry into alleged price fixing at BP and other oil companies already being investigated by European competition authorities.”
The Guardian, 16th May 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Death contracts’ could give terminally ill the right to die – The Independent
“Terminally ill people could sign a ‘death contract’ allowing doctors to help them end their lives under new legal proposals.”
The Independent, 16th May 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Council wrongly classed asylum seeker children as adults – The Guardian
“A London council has had to pay out more than £1m in costs for wrongly assessing asylum seeker children as adults. These wrong decisions have condemned some children to homelessness, prevented them from going to school and led to some being unlawfully held in adult detention centres.”
The Guardian, 17th May 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
