QC body: this year’s silk round to miss this year – Legal Week

Posted October 18th, 2007 in news, queen's counsel by sally

“The relaunched QC body is unlikely to finalise its new appointment round this year in a development that will raise questions about the future of the silks system.”

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Legal Week, 18th October 2007

Source: www.legalweek.com

Review after toddler torture case – BBC News

Posted October 18th, 2007 in child abuse, news by sally

“A review is under way into the case of a man jailed for torturing his stepdaughter to death after neighbours had alerted the authorities.”

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BBC News, 18th October 2007

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Lawyers take MoD to court over Iraqi mutilation claims – The Guardian

Posted October 18th, 2007 in armed forces, Iraq, news, torture by sally

“The Ministry of Defence will come under fresh pressure tomorrow to launch an independent inquiry into allegations of abuse of Iraqis by British soldiers after a fierce gun battle with insurgents three years ago.”

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The Guardian, 18th October 2007

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Dispersal orders ‘displace crime’ – BBC News

Posted October 18th, 2007 in crime, dispersal orders, news by sally

“Police dispersal powers which aim to tackle anti-social behaviour merely displace crime to neighbouring areas, a report has suggested.”

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BBC News, 18th October 2007

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Boost for arbitration after landmark ruling – The Times

Posted October 18th, 2007 in arbitration, news by sally

“London’s hopes of becoming the world’s pre-eminent centre for arbitration were boosted as the UK’s highest court officially embraced the alternative method of settling disputes.”

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The Times, 17th October 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Case quashed over lawyer on jury – BBC News

Posted October 18th, 2007 in criminal procedure, juries, news, rape by sally

“Law lords have overturned the rape conviction of a man in what his defence team are claiming could be a landmark judgement.”

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BBC News, 17th October 2007

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Asbestos victims lose compensation fight – Reuters

Posted October 17th, 2007 in appeals, compensation, industrial injuries, news by sally

“Victims of the early effects of exposure to asbestos lost a landmark compensation claim in the Lords on Wednesday.”

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Reuters, 17th October 2007

Source: www.reuters.com

Princess Margaret’s ‘illegitimate son’ wins appeal right – The Guardian

Posted October 17th, 2007 in appeals, news, royal family, succession by sally

“A man claiming to be the illegitimate son of Princess Margaret today won the right to continue his fight to see the contents of her will.”

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The Guardian, 17th October 2007

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Law lords to rule on asbestos-related test case – Reuters

Posted October 17th, 2007 in compensation, industrial injuries, news by sally

“Victims of an asbestos-related disease will learn on Wednesday if they can claim compensation, in a legal ruling that could leave insurers facing claims for millions of pounds.”

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Reuters, 17th October 2007

Source: www.reuters.com

EU says you’re high and dry at 65 – The Times

Posted October 17th, 2007 in EC law, news, retirement by sally

“UK workers hoping to keep their jobs beyond the age of 65 suffered a severe blow today after Europe’s highest court approved controversial laws that effectively allow employers to force out staff once they reach their country’s mandatory retirement age.”

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The Times, 16th October 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Surgeons begin training on cadavers – The Times

Posted October 17th, 2007 in doctors, medical ethics, news by sally

“A change in the law is to transform the way surgeons are trained, allowing them to practise on bodies left to medical science. Under the Anatomy Act, cadavers could be used for tuition in anatomy but not in technique.”

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The Times, 17th October 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

100 years on, DNA casts doubt on Crippen case – The Guardian

Posted October 17th, 2007 in DNA, murder, news by sally

“It is one of the most notorious cases in British legal history, the story of an apparently mild-mannered doctor who poisoned and dismembered his showgirl wife, then fled across the Atlantic with his young lover – only to be caught after a sharp-eyed captain recognised him from the newspapers.”

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The Guardian, 17th October 2007

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Man has rape conviction quashed – BBC News

Posted October 17th, 2007 in miscarriage of justice, news, rape by sally

“A 64-year-old man from West Sussex who served almost seven years in prison for sex crimes he did not commit has had his convictions formally quashed.”

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BBC News, 16th October 2007

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Action on alcohol-related criminal behaviour – Home Office

Posted October 17th, 2007 in alcohol abuse, news, police by sally

“Binge drinkers arrested for alcohol-related offences in four areas across the country may be compelled by police to face up to the consequences of their drinking after they have been arrested, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced today.”

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Home Office press release, 16th October 2007

Source: www.homeoffice.gov.uk

Sentences to protect public ‘keeping too many in jail’ – The Times

Posted October 16th, 2007 in dangerous offenders, news, sentencing by sally

“A new prison sentence intended to protect the public from dangerous criminals is set to be overhauled amidst alarm at the huge numbers being given the jail term.”

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The Times, 16th October 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Black and Muslim lawyers plan breakaway regulator – The Times

Posted October 16th, 2007 in minorities, news, race discrimination, solicitors by sally

“Black and Muslim solicitors have accused Britain’s legal watchdog of racial discrimination and want to break away to establish their own watchdog body.”

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The Times, 16th October 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Sex attacker preyed on women for four years after blunder – The Guardian

Posted October 16th, 2007 in DNA, news, police, sexual offences by sally

“A serial sex attacker who remained free to terrorise women for four years because of a police DNA blunder was jailed for life yesterday. Mark Campbell, 38, from Chichester, West Sussex, was convicted of six attacks, including two rapes, which began in February 1998 and ended in August 2004.”

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The Guardian, 16th October 2007

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Spot fines for thieves ‘stupidity in practice’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 16th, 2007 in fines, news, theft by sally

“A judge has branded Government policy to give thieves on-the-spot fixed penalties as ‘stupidity in practice’.”

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Daily Telegraph, 16th October 2007

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

UK lawyers attempt to stop American execution – The Times

Posted October 16th, 2007 in death penalty, news by sally

“A team of leading UK lawyers has intervened to halt the execution by lethal injection this week of America’s longest-serving prisoner on ‘death row’ — pending a US Supreme Court decision on whether the method is ‘cruel or unnecessary’. ”

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The Times, 15th October 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Divorce lawyers ‘put fees before clients’ – The Independent

Posted October 16th, 2007 in divorce, fees, legal profession, news by sally

“Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are the latest celebrity couple to find out the hard way that divorce often ends in a long, acrimonious and expensive court battle. But many costly annulments could be avoided if alternative and less hostile means of separation were explored first, new research suggests.”

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The Independent, 16th October 2007

Source: www.independent.co.uk