Supreme Court rules BBC need not reveal internal Israel-Palestine coverage report – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted February 15th, 2012 in BBC, freedom of information, Israel, media, news by sally

“The Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that an internal BBC report into its coverage of the Israeli Palestinian conflict was ‘information held for purposes journalism art or literature’ and therefore need not be released to the public under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 15th February 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Woman who battled cancer must fight law to return ovary – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 15th, 2012 in assisted reproduction, cancer, EC law, human tissue, news by sally

“A woman left infertile by teenage cancer is having to battle the law to get doctors to give her back the ovary that she had frozen before chemotherapy.”

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Daily Telegraph, 15th February 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Stronger CPS cases in hate crime lead to increase in guilty pleas – Crown Prosecution Service

“The CPS is prosecuting more hate crimes, more successfully and with more defendants pleading guilty than ever before.”

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Crown Prosecution Service, 14th February 2012

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Youth custody is failing young people who want to change their ways – The Guardian

Posted February 15th, 2012 in news, prisons, recidivists, rehabilitation, young offenders by sally

“Dismal reoffending rates prove that incarcerated children who want to live a ‘normal’ life aren’t being given the support to do so.”

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The Guardian, 14th February 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Court bans autistic woman from having sex – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted February 15th, 2012 in autism, consent, disabled persons, mental health, news, sexual offences by sally

“The Court of Protection has ruled that an autistic woman with an IQ of 64 does not have the mental capacity to engage in sexual relations, on the basis that she does not understand the implications and cannot effectively deploy the information she has understood into her decisions.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 14th February 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Canoe man prosecutors recover £500,000 from wife – The Guardian

Posted February 15th, 2012 in assets recovery, Crown Prosecution Service, fraud, insurance, news by sally

“Prosecutors have recovered more than half a million pounds in assets from Anne Darwin, whose husband faked his own death in a sea canoeing accident so they could claim more than £600,000 in life insurance money.”

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The Guardian, 14th February 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The Ebsworth Lecture: Looking the other way – Speech by Lord Justice Moses

Posted February 15th, 2012 in advocacy, judiciary, speeches by sally

The Ebsworth Lecture: Looking the other way (PDF)

Speech by Lord Justice Moses

Middle Temple, 13th February 2012

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Bar Council and Law Society Launch Russo-British Lawyer Exchange Programme – The Bar Council

Posted February 15th, 2012 in barristers, legal education, news, professional conduct, Russia, solicitors by sally

“The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, and the Law Society, which represents solicitors in England and Wales, will today launch the inaugural Russo-British lawyer exchange programme at a reception held at the Law Society offices.”

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The Bar Council, 14th February 2012

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Ryanair ‘sexist adverts’ banned after complaints – BBC News

Posted February 15th, 2012 in advertising, complaints, news, ombudsmen by sally

“Two UK newspaper adverts for budget airline Ryanair have been banned after complaints from readers that they were sexist and objectified women.”

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BBC News, 15th February 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Legal highs evade being banned as scientists run out of cash to test them – The Guardian

Posted February 15th, 2012 in budgets, drug offences, news by sally

“Scientists studying Britain’s rapidly increasing number of synthetic recreational drugs are struggling to assess the risks they pose because money for testing is being cut. Legal highs are flourishing as their manufacturers seek to stay ahead of drug classification laws by tweaking the chemical composition of their legal products to replicate the effects of illegal ones.”

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The Guardian, 14th February 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Child rapist’s jail term cut to encourage guilty pleas – Daily Telegraph

“A judge has cut the minimum sentence to be served by a child rapist, Paul Wilson, in order to encourage other offenders to plead guilty and spare their victims the ordeal of a court case.”

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Daily Telegraph, 15th February 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Stephen Lawrence: papers passed to CPS about potential perjury allegations – The Guardian

Posted February 15th, 2012 in Crown Prosecution Service, evidence, inquiries, murder, news, perjury, police, racism, witnesses by sally

“Detectives and prosecutors are examining whether certain witnesses at the Stephen Lawrence murder trial may have perjured themselves while giving evidence, the Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed.”

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The Guardian, 14th February 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Payout of £600,000 after child witness put at risk – BBC News

Posted February 15th, 2012 in anonymity, children, Crown Prosecution Service, damages, gangs, news, police, witnesses by sally

“The Crown Prosecution Service and Met Police paid a family more than £600,000 ($943,000) in damages and costs after a child witness was identified to a gang.”

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BBC News, 15th February 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Lord Justice Moses and the 161 criteria – The Guardian

Posted February 15th, 2012 in advocacy, diversity, equality, judiciary, news, quality assurance by sally

“Judges know the new ratings scheme for advocates is misconceived and over-elaborate. But they don’t want anyone else doing it.”

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The Guardian, 14th February 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Salisbury Independent Living Ltd v Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted February 14th, 2012 in appeals, benefits, housing, landlord & tenant, law reports, local government by sally

Salisbury Independent Living Ltd v Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council [2012] EWCA Civ 84; [2012] WLR (D) 31

“A landlord had a right of appeal under paragraph 6(3) of Schedule 7 to the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000 as a ‘person affected’ by a housing benefit decision in respect of its tenant only in the distinct cases provided for in subordinate legislation.”

WLR Daily, 9th February 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Preddy and another v Bull and another – WLR Daily

Preddy and another v Bull and another [2012] EWCA Civ 83; [2012] WLR (D) 30

“By operating a policy of restricting occupancy of double-bedded rooms in their hotel to married couples, the defendants had discriminated directly against the claimant, a homosexual couple. The defendants’ policy, dictated by their religious belief that it was sinful for heterosexual or homosexual couples to have sexual relations outside marriage, was not protected under the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 because the former could be married but the latter could not. The restriction was therefore absolute in relation to homosexuals but not in relation to heterosexuals, and constituted discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. No individual was entitled to manifest his religious belief when and where he chose so as to obtain exemption in all circumstances from some legislative provisions of general application. Furthermore, by virtue of article 9(2 ) of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the right to manifest one’s own religious belief, as opposed to the right to hold it, was qualified by such ‘limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society … for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others’ such as the claimants’ rights which were protected under the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007.”

WLR Daily, 10th February 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Sound of tumbleweed greets secret civil trials proposals – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted February 14th, 2012 in consultations, news, private hearings by sally

“65 responses to the Justice and Security Green Paper consultation, which proposes introducing ‘Closed Material Procedures’ – secret trials – into civil courts, have been published on the official consultation website. According to the site there are potentially 25 more to come.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 14th February 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Women should get time out of jail to see their children, judge rules – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 14th, 2012 in detention, human rights, news, parental rights, release on licence, women by sally

“Female prisoners should be allowed time out of jail to see their children, the High Court ruled yesterday after dismissing Kenneth Clarke’s attempts to restrict women from doing so.”

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Daily Telegraph, 14th February 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Councils fined after breaches of ‘sensitive’ child welfare papers – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 14th, 2012 in data protection, fines, local government, news, social services by sally

“The UK’s data protection watchdog has fined two English council bodies a total of £180,000 after finding they had failed to keep ‘highly sensitive information’ about children secure.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 14th February 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

UK investigations into torture and rendition – a guide – The Guardian

Posted February 14th, 2012 in inquiries, news, rendition, torture by sally

“A series of investigations have sought to get to the bottom of claims that British officials were implicated in abuse of detainees.”

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The Guardian, 13th February 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk