25 year starting point for knife killers – Ministry of Justice
“Those who go onto the street armed with a knife and commit murder now face significantly longer jail terms.”
Ministry of Justice, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Libel lawyers have success fees cut up to 90 per cent – Daily Telegraph
“Libel lawyers will have their success fees cut by 90 per cent under a Government ruling which has been hailed as a victory for press freedom.”
Daily Telegraph, 4th March 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Ministers axe Legal Services Commission to wrest back control of legal aid budget – The Guardian
“The body in charge of the £2.1bn legal aid budget is to be abolished after 10 years , as part of radical changes to the way lower-income people access justice, ministers announced today (3 March).”
The Guardian, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Inspectors call for review of ‘unsustainable’ indefinite prison sentences – Daily Telegraph
“Inspectors have called for a ministerial review of indefinite prison sentences, saying the current situation was ”unsustainable”.”
Daily Telegraph, 4th March 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Landmark Court of Appeal ruling on retainers – Law Society’s Gazette
“Solicitors who cease acting for a client where the case has no chance of success on points of law are entitled to be paid for the work done up to that point, the Court of Appeal has ruled.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 4th March 2010
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Supreme court preserves Coatham Common from housebuilding – The Guardian
“Britain’s highest court today overturned a series of rulings and backed a campaign to save an undeveloped oasis on industrial Teesside as a village green.”
The Guardian, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Major new project on expert witness fees – Ministry of Justice
“The Ministry of Justice announces the launch of a new project to review current fee arrangements and deliver new fee structures for professional expert witnesses.”
Ministry of Justice, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Recent Statutory Instruments – OPSI
The Electoral Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1962 (Amendment) Order 2010
The Occupational Pension Schemes (Levies) (Amendment) Regulations 2010
The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 (Commencement No. 8) Order 2010
The Work and Families Act 2006 (Commencement No. 4) Order 2010
The Railways (Public Service Obligations) Regulations 2010
The Registration of Civil Partnerships (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2010
The Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Fees) Order 2010
The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion (Display) (England) Regulations 2010
The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion (Specialist Tobacconists) (England) Regulations 2010
The Local Authorities (Capital Finance and Accounting) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2010
The Central Rating List (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2010
The Animal Gatherings Order 2010
The Social Security Pensions (Low Earnings Threshold) Order 2010
The Social Security Revaluation of Earnings Factors Order 2010
The Value Added Tax (Buildings and Land) Order 2010
The Value Added Tax (Construction of Buildings) Order 2010
The Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010
Source: www.opsi.gov.uk
Regina (LG) v Independent Appeal Panel for Tom Hood School (Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, interested party) – WLR Daily
“A decision on the balance of probabilities that a school pupil had produced a knife during a fight was sufficient to found his permanent exclusion from the school. It did not infringe his right to a fair hearing before the decision-maker under art 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, since he had no arguable right under domestic law to continue to be educated at the school without good reason, and thus had no ‘civil right’ to do so. The appeal panel was not determining a criminal charge against the pupil: the sanction of permanent exclusion from a particular school was insufficiently severe to render the charge against him criminal.”
WLR Daily, 2nd March 2010
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Regina v Sheppard; Regina v Whittle – Times Law Reports
Regina v Sheppard; Regina v Whittle
Court of Appeal
“The courts of England and Wales had jurisdiction over offences relating to racially inflammatory material if a substantial measure of the activities constituting the crime had taken place within the jurisdiction.”
The Times, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Regina v Iqbal – Times Law Reports
Court of Appeal
“For the time for proceedings for a confiscation order to be postponed, or extended beyond the permitted period of two years starting with the date of conviction, an application had to be made during the permitted period.”
The Times, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Gulf International Ltd v Groupe Chimique Tunisien – Times Law Reports
Gulf International Ltd v Groupe Chimique Tunisien
Court of Appeal
“An English court could restrain a party to a contract governed by English law from instituting any action in a foreign court contrary to an arbitration agreement in the contract.”
The Times, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Aborigines to sue British Government over nuclear tests – Daily Telegraph
“Australian aborigines and former servicemen are to sue the British Ministry of Defence over diseases and disabilities that they claim were caused by nuclear testing in the Outback more than 50 years ago.”
Daily Telegraph, 2nd March 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Peers vote to allow homosexuals to marry in church – Daily Telegraph
“Homosexuals may be allowed to hold civil partnership ceremonies in churches after the House of Lords voted in favour of scrapping a ban on same-sex religious unions.”
Daily Telegraph, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
UK violated jailed Iraqis’ rights – The Independent
“The Government was found guilty yesterday of violating the human rights of two Iraqis accused of murdering two captive British soldiers in 2003.”
The Independent, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Cornish bible student jailed in road rage knife row – BBC News
“A bible student who threatened a dustman with a knife during a road rage incident has been jailed for 15 months.”
BBC News, 2nd March 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
More than 150 children convicted of crimes every day – Daily Telegraph
“More than 150 children are convicted every day of crimes including violent assaults and burglary, with some offenders as young as 10 years-old.”
Daily Telegraph, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
The Big Question: Is the Yorkshire Ripper going to be released early from prison? – The Independent
“Why are we asking this now?
The serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, who was given 20 life sentences in 1981 for murdering 13 women – he was known as the Yorkshire Ripper because he mutilated his victims’ bodies with a sharpened screwdriver – has applied to the High Court for a ruling on how much longer he must serve in jail.”
The Independent, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Sarah’s law’ pilot scheme prompts revenge fears – The Guardian
“Fathers raising concerns about their ex-partner’s new boyfriends are one of the largest groups applying for public disclosure of details of convicted child sex offenders under a newly completed pilot scheme.”
The Guardian, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Police condemned for asking a judge to give lenient sentences to burglars – Daily Telegraph
“Police have been condemned for asking a judge to give lenient sentences to burglars who had helped officers to clear their books.”
Daily Telegraph, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
