Regina v Lancaster – Times Law Reports
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
“The jury had to decide on the facts of the case whether an omission in a claim form was significant.”
The Times, 2nd June 2010
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
11th Programme of Law Reform – Consultation – Law Commission
“We regularly consult on projects to be included in our programmes of law reform. We are now looking for suggestions for our Eleventh Programme.”
Law Commission, 1st June 2010
Source: www.lawcom.gov.uk
Jim Watts is serving 12 years for abusing disabled women but is he a victim of a miscarriage of justice? – The Guardian
“Jim Watts, 57, a former disability bus driver, is serving a 12-and-a-half year jail sentence for sexually assaulting four severely mentally and physically disabled women.But there are serious concerns, raised by his legal team, that Watts, a married father of two, has been the victim of a gross miscarriage of justice, and that his case could serve as a significant deterrent to people thinking of working with severely disabled people.”
The Guardian, 2nd June 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Digital Economy Act: Ofcom consults on blacklisting infringers – OUT-LAW.com
“Small ISPs, mobile operators and Wi-Fi providers like hotels and coffee shops will be exempt from a notification and blacklisting process under the Digital Economy Act, at least initially, according to a draft Code published by Ofcom.”
OUT-LAW.com, 1st June 2010
Source: www.out-law.com
Lawyers prepare to hear LeO roar – The Guardian
“Have you ever complained about the service you received from a lawyer? It’s not always the easiest thing in the world: lawyers do not really see themselves as a service industry, and so tend to treat complaints as a personal affront rather than as a chance to ensure their clients have had a good experience.”
The Guardian, 1st June 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
BAILII: Recent Decisions
High Court (Administrative Court)
Source: www.bailii.org
Solider jailed after illegal dog kills nephew – The Independent
“A soldier who owned an illegal breed of dog which attacked and killed his four-year-old nephew was jailed for four months today.”
The Independent, 1st June 2010
Source: www.independent.co.uk
News of the World story on John Terry’s dad was entrapment, says judge – The Guardian
“A crown court judge today described the News of the World’s story about the father of England footballer John Terry selling cocaine as a ‘very, very clear case of entrapment’.”
The Guardian, 1st June 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Recent Statutory Instruments – OPSI
O’Byrne v Aventis Pasteur MSD Ltd – Times Law Reports
O’Byrne v Aventis Pasteur MSD Ltd
Supreme Court
“Domestic law could not allow the producer of an allegedly defective product to be substituted as the defendant more than ten years after its being put into circulation in place of a wholly owned subsidiary, who was the supplier, but had been erroneously thought to be the producer, unless the parent company had actually determined when the supplier put the product in circulation.”
The Times, 27th May 2010
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Funding crisis over legal aid threatens UK asylum chaos, ministers are warned – The Guardian
“The government has been warned of impending chaos in the asylum system if a body representing the rights of people fleeing persecution and violence is forced to close due to changes in the way legal aid is paid.”
The Guardian, 30th May 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Pay-out after Coventry park naked boy photos caution – BBC News
“A man has received £500 in compensation after wrongly being made to register as a sex offender for taking photographs of his girlfriend’s five-year-old son.”
BBC News, 28th May 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
The case for a Bill of Rights – The Independent
“Criticised by many Tories, defended by the Liberal Democrats, the Human Rights Act is highly divisive within the coalition. In fact, it doesn’t go far enough: if we care about liberty, we must create our own declaration, argues Geoffrey Robertson QC.”
The Independent, 1st June 2010
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Europe pressures Westminster on votes for prisoners – The Guardian
“The government faces being hauled before the European court of human rights unless it gives prisoners the right to vote as a matter of urgency.”
The Guardian, 30th May 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
One in four FOI requests turned down by public bodies – Daily Telegraph
“Almost one in four Freedom of Information requests are being turned down by Government departments and public bodies, and the trend is getting worse.”
Daily Telegraph, 31st May 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Shipman coroner says all baby deaths must be probed – BBC News
“The way in which neonatal deaths are investigated should be more consistent, a senior coroner said.”
BBC News, 1st June 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Ministers move to change universal jurisdiction law – The Guardian
“The government is moving swiftly to change the law on universal jurisdiction to abolish the ability to bring private prosecutions for international crimes in the UK.”
The Guardian, 30th May 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Free speech – the gloves are off – The Times
“In the 1960s, when I began to practise law, there was no positive right to free speech in English law. Free speech was a strong British political value, but as a matter of English law it was merely the space left by the criminal and civil law — official secrecy, fair trials, contract, confidentiality, copyright, defamation and the rest.”
The Times, 30th May 2010
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Civil service redundancy decision is not quite the victory we thought – The Guardian
“Earlier this month, the Public and Commercial Services Union challenged the government’s attempts to reduce the level of redundancy pay for civil servants, and won. The case has been hailed as a ‘major victory’, but it may not be the triumph it first appears.”
The Guardian, 28th May 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Teenage bullies jailed for firework attack death – The Independent
“Three teenagers who killed a woman by pushing a firework through her letterbox following a string of bullying attacks on her son were jailed today.”
The Independent, 28th May 2010
Source: www.independent.co.uk
