Current Awareness: Temporary suspension
Because of unavailability of staff in the current severe weather conditions, we are regrettably, and with apologies, suspending postings for today (2nd February). We will review the situation tomorrow.
Category: news
OFT investigates sale-and-rent-back firms – The Guardian
“The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is investigating 16 sale-and-rent-back firms amid concerns their advertisements could be misleading homeowners desperate to avoid being repossessed.”
The Guardian, 30th January 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Man who killed neighbour with samurai sword jailed for 11 years – The Guardian
“A man was jailed for 11 years today for killing his neighbour with a samurai sword after a row over a child’s football.”
The Guardian, 30th January 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Fourteen-year-old boy sentenced for gun possession – The Guardian
“A schoolboy who stored a gun, silencers and ammunition at home was sentenced to an 18-month detention and training order today.”
The Guardian, 30th January 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Man fined £185 for being drunk in charge of horse – Daily Telegraph
“A man was fined £185 for being drunk in charge of a horse after riding the animal bareback through the streets.”
Daily Telegraph, 30th January 2009
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Mail pays Church aide libel costs – BBC News
“The Daily Mail’s publishers have been ordered to pay court costs of a former Catholic Church spokesman who won a libel action against the newspaper.”
BBC News, 30th January 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Nail-bomber given life sentence – BBC News
“A Muslim convert has been jailed for life and must serve a minimum of 18 years after launching a failed suicide bomb attack on a restaurant in Devon.”
BBC News, 30th January 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Babysitter jailed for raping girl – BBC News
“A Teesside man has been jailed for six years after admitting repeatedly raping a five-year-old girl he babysat for.”
BBC News, 29th January 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Parents of Rhys Jones ‘disgusted’ by sentences – The Independent
“The parents of Rhys Jones, the 11-year-old boy shot dead in Liverpool in August 2007 as he walked home from football practice, spoke of their ‘disgust’ last night after a judge ruled that three gang members convicted over the killing will serve only five years in prison between them.”
The Independent, 30th January 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Barmy’ legal aid for failed asylum seeker – The Independent
“A decision to give legal aid to a failed asylum seeker and fraudster has been described as ‘barmy’.”
The Independent, 30th January 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Senior Met officer to review Lords corruption claims – The Guardian
“John Yates, the Scotland Yard assistant commissioner who headed the ‘cash for honours’ inquiry, is to review whether four Labour peers should face a police inquiry, it was announced yesterday.”
The Guardian, 30th January 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Legal threat to councils over rape victims – The Guardian
“More than 100 councils will today be threatened with legal action over their failure to provide rape crisis centres and domestic violence support services, with a strongly worded warning issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.”
The Guardian, 30th January 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Bruising battle looms over release of records – The Times
“The proposal to halve from 30 to 15 years the period before government records are publicly released is both welcome and overdue. But this is only part of the answer to the question of what, and when, the public should know about how decisions are taken on their behalf, as is recognised in yesterday’s independent review by a panel including Paul Dacre, Editor of the Daily Mail, who was chairman; Professor Sir David Cannadine, the historian; and Sir Joe Pilling, a retired Permanent Secretary.”
The Times, 30th January 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
‘Written tests are no guide to your ability to be a judge’ – The Times
“A judge has taken the unprecedented step of launching legal action because he failed to be shortlisted for a judicial post after sitting a new written test. David Page, 58, who has sat as a £102,000-a-year full-time immigration judge since 2002, was insulted and shocked to find that he was ruled out after two 40-minute written papers.”
The Times, 29th January 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Inquests without a jury: the Government needs to think again – The Times
“The Coroners and Justice Bill, which had its second reading in the House of Commons on Monday, allows the Secretary of State for Justice to specify that an inquest should take place without a jury to prevent ‘harm to the public interest’. The Government has failed to justify such a broad discretion to remove an important safeguard against abuse of power.”
The Times, 29th January 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Two Pacific Continental Securities executives banned by FSA – The Times
“Two executives of Pacific Continental Securities, a notorious stockbroking firm that fleeced more than 8,000 savers, were banned from the City yesterday. Steven Griggs, the former chief executive, and Charles Weston, the former finance director, were also heavily fined by the Financial Services Authority.”
The Times, 29th January 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Ban on possession of extreme images comes into force – OUT-LAW.com
“It has become illegal in most of the UK to own extreme pornographic images. A new law came into force making it a criminal offence to possess the images in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. A similar law is proposed in Scotland.”
OUT-LAW.com, 29th January 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
All criteria must be met for exemptions from disability hiring law, says EAT – OUT-LAW.com
“If a company that is recruiting is to be exempt from making provisions for disabled applicants it must fulfil all the criteria laid down in law and not just some of them, the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) has said”
OUT-LAW.com, 29th January 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
Facebook message teenager found guilty of murder – The Independent
“A teenager who posted a message on Facebook saying he felt ‘like killin some1’ hours before stabbing a man to death in a crowded bar was convicted of murder today.”
The Independent, 28th January 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Inmates ‘with nothing to lose’ threaten jails – The Times
“A growing number of prisoners serving long sentences who have ‘nothing to lose’ is a threat to the control and stability of the jail system, the prisons watchdog warns. Dame Anne Owers, the chief inspector of prisons, also said that there was a growing use of force to control the most pressurised jails in England and Wales.”
The Times, 29th January 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
