Woman dropped sex assault case after court delays – BBC News
‘A woman who says she was sexually assaulted by a taxi driver on her 21st birthday has said she feels “let down” by court delays.’
BBC News, 13th October 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Majority of family court cases in England and Wales feature domestic abuse, watchdog says – The Guardian
‘Nearly 90% of cases before the family courts in England and Wales show evidence of domestic abuse, a watchdog has disclosed.’
The Guardian, 10th October 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
Georgia’s story: how a domestic abuse victim’s suicide was ruled an unlawful killing by her partner – The Guardian
‘A London coroner found Georgia Barter’s death was caused by years of violence and coercive control by Thomas Bignell. Her family want justice, but the CPS won’t charge him and the police can’t find him.’
The Guardian, 11th October 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
Independent Review of the Criminal Courts: Part 1 – House of Commons Library
‘Part 1 of The Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, chaired by Sir Brian Leveson, was published on 9 July 2025. This debate pack sets out the background to the review and outlines Sir Brian’s key recommendations. The government has not yet issued a formal response to the review.’
House of Commons Library, 10th October 2025
Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk
Google given special status by watchdog that could force it to change UK search – The Guardian
‘Google faces enforced changes to its UK search business after the competition watchdog conferred a special status on the company that puts it under tighter regulation.’
The Guardian, 10th October 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
Section 117 aftercare policy of council and integrated care board “flawed”, finds Ombudsman – Local Government Lawyer
‘An investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has criticised Kent County Council and NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board’s “flawed” section 117 aftercare policy, which caused a woman “confusion, uncertainty and distress”.’
Local Government Lawyer, 10th October 2025
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Conor Crummey: The Principle of Legality, the Definition of ‘Terrorism’, and Palestine Action – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘Two judgments have so far been handed down in the matter of R (Ammori) v Secretary of State for the Home Department; the challenge to the Home Secretary’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000 (‘the 2000 Act’). The first was on the matter of interim relief, which was rejected ([2025] EWHC 1708 (Admin)). The second concerned leave to seek judicial review, which was granted ([2025] EWHC 2013 (Admin)). For ease of reference, I will refer to the two judgments as ‘IJ’ (for ‘Interim Judgment’) and ‘PJ’ (for ‘Permission Judgment’) respectively. The Home Secretary has since appealed the granting of permission, arguing on procedural grounds that judicial review should not be available because of the availability of appeal through the statutory scheme. The Court of Appeal’s judgment on that question is expected next month. In the meantime, however, there are lessons to be drawn from the two judgments handed down already, lessons which are relevant both to the ongoing Palestine Action litigation itself and more generally to public law adjudication in the national security context.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 13th October 2025
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
Man jailed for at least 23 years for murdering Syrian boy in Huddersfield – The Guardian
‘A man has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years for murdering a teenage Syrian refugee after he brushed past his girlfriend in Huddersfield town centre.’
The Guardian, 10th October 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
Landmark ruling on government’s ‘VIP lanes’ – Law Society’s Gazette
‘On 1 October, Mrs Justice Cockerill DBE handed down the highly anticipated judgment in The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care v PPE Medpro [2025] EWHC 2486 (Comm). The case has garnered a great deal of attention from the press. This is mainly due to the now well-documented involvement of Baroness Michelle Mone (pictured) in the process of procuring the contract in question by using the government’s ‘VIP lane’ set up during the Covid-19 pandemic to try to cope with the massively increased demand for personal protective equipment (PPE). Mone is married to Doug Barrowman who, it has been established, heads up a consortium of companies of which Medpro is one.’
Law Society's Gazette, 10th October 2025
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Little lungs are paying’: 1.6m claimants head to high court as carmakers finally face punishment for Dieselgate – The Guardian
‘Carmakers accused of cheating air pollution rules have faced little punishment in UK but trial brought by 1.6m motorists is about to begin.’
The Guardian, 10th October 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
Police sexual misconduct complaints skyrocket – but half of claims go uninvestigated – The Independent
‘Sexual misconduct and discriminationcomplaints against police officers have doubled in five years – but more than half of claims have gone uninvestigated, The Independent can reveal.’
The Independent, 12th October 2025
Source: www.independent.co.uk
When does anxious scrutiny apply? Divergent views on the High Court – Administrative Court Blog
‘The rationality (or Wednesbury) test in judicial review operates notoriously as a “sliding scale”, depending on the particular facts in which it is raised. In what is now the leading case on the application of rationality review, Chamberlain J in KP v Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary [2025] EWHC 370 (Admin) (21 February 2025) (covered by this blog here) articulated the view that whether the heightened standard of review applies depends on the “gravity of [the] potential consequences” of a challenged decision”; importantly, in many situations where anxious scrutiny applies, “the claimant will have no prior right, whether under statute or at common law, to the benefit which the decision denies him” ([76]).’
Administrative Court Blog, 10th October 2025
Man fined for burning Qur’an in London wins appeal against conviction – The Guardian
‘A man who was fined for setting fire to a Qur’an outside the Turkish consulate in London has won an appeal against his conviction after a judge backed his “right to offend”.’
The Guardian, 10th October 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
The car finance scandal payouts: what does ruling mean and how much compensation could you get? – The Guardian
‘Millions of people are on track to receive payouts averaging £700 after details of a planned compensation scheme for victims of the UK’s car finance scandal were published.’
The Guardian, 8th October 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
Hate crime in England and Wales rises for first time in three years – BBC News
‘The number of hate crimes recorded by police in England and Wales has risen for the first time in three years, including increases in race and religiously motivated offences, Home Office figures.’
BBC News, 9th October 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Judge criticises failures of local authority in care proceedings case – Local Government Lawyer
‘A High Court judge has strongly criticised the actions of an unnamed local authority in a care proceedings case – including its failure to progress an approved care plan and to keep the young person informed as to what was happening.’
Local Government Lawyer, 8th October 2025
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Legal experts question reasoning behind CPS dropping China ‘spies’ case – The Guardian
‘Legal experts have questioned the explanation given by the Crown Prosecution Service for its sudden decision to drop charges against two Britons accused of spying for China amid a political row over who was responsible.’
The Guardian, 8th October 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
The statutory duty to have regard to best interests of children in the context of child refugee families – Adminsitrative Court Blog
‘When an adult refugee settles in the UK, they can apply for their children and partner to join them – the applicable policy suggests that reunion rights should be granted, in most cases, “automatically”. When a child refugee settles in the UK, their situation is different. According to the applicable policies in place, children cannot rely on automatic reunion rights. Instead, they can only apply to have their parents or siblings join them in the UK if a refusal to allow this would have “unjustifiably harsh circumstances”.’
Administrative Court Blog, 9th October 2025
Man who blew £1.5m gambling on football sues Betfair in landmark fight for cash back – The Independent
‘A multimillionaire “problem gambler” who blew nearly £1.5m on football wagers is suing Betfair for his money back in a landmark case, claiming it was under a duty to protect him from himself.’
The Independent, 8th October 2025
Source: www.independent.co.uk
All Post Office Horizon victims entitled to free legal advice for first time – BBC News
‘All victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal who are claiming compensation will now be entitled to free legal advice to help them with their offers, the government has announced.’
BBC News, 9th October 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
