LCJ warns of ‘undoubted danger’ to administration of justice – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 12th, 2010 in criminal justice, news by sally

“The lord chief justice has warned that budgetary pressures on the prosecution and the courts are having a ‘very real impact’ on the administration of justice and said there is ‘an undoubted danger’ that the situation could worsen.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 11th February 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Bar Council chairman talks about plans to combat potentially ‘devastating’ threats – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 12th, 2010 in barristers, Crown Prosecution Service, legal profession, news by sally

“Stability and modernisation are the key themes of Nick Green QC’s tenure as the recently installed chairman of the Bar Council. Stability in respect of the publicly funded bar, and modernisation in so far as the bar must urgently adapt to a ‘fast-moving and changing legal landscape’.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 11th February 2010

Soure: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Criminal law: use of hearsay evidence; professional conduct – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 12th, 2010 in bad character, hearsay evidence, news, professional conduct by sally

“The Supreme Court in R v Horncastle [2009] UKSC14 has upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal that, in appropriate circumstances, the Crown may rely wholly or mainly on hearsay evidence to establish its case. The Court of Appeal had, however, emphasised the need to check the reliability of the hearsay evidence in such situations.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 11th February 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Community, confidence, the magistracy and the right to a fair trial – speech by Nicholas Moss, JP

Posted February 12th, 2010 in speeches by sally

“Community confidence, the magistracy and the right to a fair trial – lecture to University of Hertfordshire, School of Law, St Albans, 9th February 2010.”

Full speech

Judiciary of England and Wales, 12th February 2010

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Equality watchdog faces multiple sexism accusations – The Guardian

Posted February 12th, 2010 in equality, news, race discrimination, sex discrimination, tribunals by sally

“The government’s equalities watchdog, set up to promote human rights and tackle discrimination, has been the ­subject of 15 employment tribunals in which it has been accused of ­sexism, racism and ­discriminating against pregnant women, according to the latest figures.”

Full story

The Guardian, 12th February 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Hospice volunteer from Birmingham possessed child porn – BBC News

Posted February 12th, 2010 in indecent photographs of children, news, sentencing by sally

“A hospice volunteer in Birmingham has been given a community sentence after he was found with 40,530 pornographic images, many of which were of children.”

Full story

BBC News, 11th February 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

New powers to crack down on lap-dancing clubs – BBC News

Posted February 12th, 2010 in licensing, news, sex establishments by sally

“New powers to control lap-dancing clubs are being given to councils in England and Wales, the Home Office has said.”

Full story

BBC News, 12th February 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Sex attacker jailed and banned from Tube – The Independent

Posted February 12th, 2010 in news, sentencing, sexual offences, sexual offences prevention orders by sally

“A sex attacker who targeted women on the London Underground in ‘vigorous and frenzied’ assaults was jailed for three years today and banned from the Tube.”

Full story

The Independent, 11th February 2010

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Rooney due to give evidence in £4.3m fight – The Independent

Posted February 12th, 2010 in contracts, news, sport by sally

“Wayne Rooney will give evidence in court later today as he fights a £4.3 million lawsuit. The Manchester United and England striker will be questioned over his involvement with controversial football agent Paul Stretford, who represented the player for six years.”

Full story

The Independent, 12th February 2010

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Church of England General Synod extends pension rights for gay partners – The Guardian

Posted February 12th, 2010 in Church of England, civil partnerships, homosexuality, news, pensions by sally

“The Church of England may not allow its clergy to have their civil ­partnerships blessed in church but it voted tonight to allow the survivors of same-sex ­partnerships the same pension rights as other spouses. The church’s General Synod, meeting in London, voted in favour of what supporters of the move described as ­big-heartedness at odds with the church’s public reputation for homophobia in its wrangles over gay clergy.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th February 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Prosthetics expert struck off after giving patient two left feet – The Guardian

Posted February 12th, 2010 in doctors, news, professional conduct by sally

“An expert in prosthetics who gave an elderly patient two left feet by fitting the wrong artificial limb has been struck off after he admitted a series of misconduct allegations. Malcolm Griffiths fitted a left-footed lower limb instead of a new right leg to Patrick Morrison, 76, an amputee from Bathgate in West Lothian, and then failed to spot the mistake during two subsequent check-ups.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th February 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Curry killer Lakhvir Kaur Singh sentenced to 23 years in prison – The Times

Posted February 12th, 2010 in news by sally

“A spurned woman who laced a former lover’s curry with a deadly ancient herb was given a life sentence yesterday for his murder. Lakhvir Kaur Singh, 40, a mother-of-three, killed Lakhvinder Cheema when he broke off their 16-year affair and told her he was marrying a younger woman.”

Full story

The Times, 12th February 2010

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Recent Statutory Instruments – OPSI

Posted February 11th, 2010 in legislation by sally

The Bus Lane Contraventions (Approved Local Authorities) (England) (Amendment) Order 2010

The Valuation for Rating (Plant and Machinery) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2010

The Private Water Supplies (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2010

The Scottish Register of Tartans Act 2008 (Consequential Modifications) Order 2010

The Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009 (Consequential Modifications) Order 2010

The Mercury Export and Data (Enforcement) Regulations 2010

Source: www.opsi.gov.uk

Bar Council launches Judicial Review of Government’s Consultations on Criminal Legal Aid – The Bar Council

“In accordance with the Pre-Action Protocol for Judicial Review Claims, solicitors acting for the Bar Council have today written to the Legal Aid Minister, Lord Bach and to the Chairman of the Legal Services Commission, Sir Bill Callaghan in order to advance proceedings for judicial review of the Government’s consultations on criminal legal aid.  ”

Full press release

The Bar Council, 10th February 2010

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

OFT to test e-commerce contracts for fairness – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 11th, 2010 in consumer protection, contracts, electronic commerce, news by sally

“Consumer protection regulator the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has launched an investigation into whether complex contracts for goods and services are unfair to consumers. The investigation will particularly focus on online transactions.”

Full story

Out-Law.com, 9th February 2010

Source: www.out-law.com

R v Hancox and another – WLR Daily

Posted February 11th, 2010 in appeals, crime prevention, law reports, serious crime prevention orders by sally

R v Hancox and another [2010] EWCA Crim 102; [2010] WLR (D) 30

“The interference that the imposition of a serious crime prevention order would make to a defendant’s freedom of action had to be justified by the public benefit in preventing, restricting or disrupting involvement by the defendant in serious crime; it was not enough that the order might have some benefit.”

WLR Daily, 10th February 2010

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

R v Carter (David) – WLR Daily

Posted February 11th, 2010 in juries, jury directions, law reports by sally

R v Carter (David) [2010] WLR (D) 29

“Where a member of the jury had to be discharged, at whatever stage of the trial, there was no requirement that the remaining members of the jury be directed to ignore the views expressed on any subject by the departed juror.”

WLR Daily, 10th February 2010

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

McInnes v HM Advocate – Times Law Reports

Posted February 11th, 2010 in law reports by sally

McInnes v HM Advocate

Supreme Court

“When considering whether a criminal conviction in Scotland should be overturned because of a failure by the Crown to disclose witness statements to the defence, the question for the High Court of Justiciary to consider was whether, taking all the circumstances of the trial into account, there was a real possibility that the jury would have arrived at a different verdict if the material had been available.”

The Times, 11th February 2010

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Joe Calzaghe to sue promoter Frank Warren for £1.8m – BBC News

Posted February 11th, 2010 in fees, news, sport by sally

“Former world champion Joe Calzaghe is suing his ex-manager and promoter Frank Warren for £1.8m.”

Full story

BBC News, 10th February 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Teenage killer’s custody doubled over Gloucester attack – BBC News

Posted February 11th, 2010 in assault, attorney general, murder, news, sentencing by sally

“A teenager who killed a man with one punch has had his sentence more than doubled to three-and-a-half years.”

Full story

BBC News, 10th February 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk