Oliver Campbell: Calls to review 30-year-old murder conviction – BBC News

‘A man with learning difficulties who admitted to a murder 30 years ago should have his conviction quashed because he confessed to police without a lawyer present, his solicitor says.’

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BBC News, 16th March 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Case Preview: BF (Eritrea) v Secretary of State for the Home Department – UKSC Blog

‘On 16 March 2021 the Supreme Court will hear the Secretary of State’s appeal in BF (Eritrea) v Secretary of State for the Home Department.’

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UKSC Blog, 15th March 2021

Source: ukscblog.com

Judge orders children to be taken into long-term foster care over concerns about weight – Local Government Lawyer

‘A Family Court judge has made a care order for two children described as “severely overweight” to be taken into long-term foster care, following an application by West Sussex County Council.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 15th March 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

School drops legal action after Muslim girl told her skirt was too long – The Guardian

Posted March 17th, 2021 in bullying, children, Islam, news, religious discrimination, school children by sally

‘A school that had threatened the parents of a Muslim schoolgirl with legal action after she wore a skirt that was deemed “too long” has dropped its legal challenge and apologised.’

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The Guardian, 16th March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Covid: ‘Prioritise prisoners for coronavirus vaccine’ – BBC News

Posted March 17th, 2021 in coronavirus, news, prison officers, prisons, statistics, vaccination by sally

‘Prisoners have an elevated risk of dying of Covid and should be prioritised for vaccination, along with prison staff, say researchers from University College London (UCL).’

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BBC News, 17th March 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

R(Ncube) v Brighton: “Everyone In” does exactly what it says on the tin – Nearly Legal

Posted March 17th, 2021 in asylum, benefits, homelessness, housing, local government, news by sally

‘The much-anticipated decision in R(Ncube) v Brighton and Hove City Council (2021) EWHC 578 (Admin) has arrived, confirming that in an emergency, “Everyone In” really does mean everyone. Mr Ncube was a rough sleeper and refused asylum seeker from Zimbabwe who sought accommodation from Brighton. The council found Mr Ncube ineligible for assistance because of his NRPF status, applying s.185 of the 1996 Act and the relevant secondary legislation. “NRPF” meaning someone with “no recourse to public funds” including the provision of temporary accommodation under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 (the 1996 Act). From 30th November 2020 Mr Ncube was accommodated by the Home Office under s.4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (the 1999 Act). Those powers state that the Secretary of State may provide accommodation where an asylum application has been refused, but there is an obstacle to the applicant returning to their country of origin.’

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Nearly Legal, 15th March 2021

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

CoP says vulnerable man should have Covid vaccine despite father’s objection – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The Court of Protection has rejected pleas from a father that his clinically vulnerable son not be given the Covid-19 vaccine, in one of the first reported cases of its type.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 15th March 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Police watchdog expands inquiry into death of Mohamud Hassan – The Guardian

‘The police watchdog has begun an investigation into another four police officers as part of its inquiry into the sudden death of a man shortly after being released from custody.’

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The Guardian, 16th March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Bill that curtails ability to protest in England and Wales passes second reading – The Guardian

Posted March 17th, 2021 in bills, criminal justice, demonstrations, news, parliament, police by sally

‘A landmark government crime bill has passed its first parliamentary hurdle, even as some Conservative MPs served notice that they might subsequently support amendments to water down controversial restrictions against protests.’

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The Guardian, 16th March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Crime: Thieves, robbers and burglars to be fitted with GPS tags – BBC News

‘Prolific burglars, robbers and thieves are to be tagged with GPS trackers in a bid to stop them reoffending.’

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BBC News, 17th March 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Child abuse inquiry finds no FA conspiracy or paedophile ring – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 16th, 2021 in child abuse, conspiracy, inquiries, news, reports, sexual offences, sport by sally

‘The report into whether English football’s child sexual abuse scandal was covered up has found no evidence of an institutional conspiracy or paedophile ring in the game, Telegraph Sport can reveal. As disclosed by Telegraph Sport, the Football Association is planning to release the findings of the independent review into the game’s worst scandal on Wednesday, more than four years after it was launched.’

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Daily Telegraph, 15th March 2021

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

FCA launches proceedings against NatWest over alleged money laundering – The Guardian

Posted March 16th, 2021 in banking, financial regulation, money laundering, news, prosecutions by sally

‘The City watchdog has begun criminal proceedings against the taxpayer-owned lender NatWest for allegedly failing to prevent money laundering, the first prosecution brought under money laundering regulations introduced in 2007.’

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The Guardian, 16th March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Sarah Everard: Met Police officer involved in search operation referred to IOPC for sharing ‘inappropriate graphic’ – The Independent

Posted March 16th, 2021 in internet, London, murder, news, police, professional conduct by sally

‘A Metropolitan Police officer involved in the investigation into Sarah Everard’s disappearance has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for sharing an “inappropriate graphic” with colleagues.’

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The Independent, 15th March 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Brexit: EU launches legal action against UK over ‘serious’ Northern Ireland protocol breach – The Independent

Posted March 16th, 2021 in brexit, international trade, news, Northern Ireland, treaties by sally

‘Brussels has launched legal action against the UK government after Boris Johnson announced he would renege on parts of the deal he signed last year.’

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The Independent, 15th March 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Julie Burchill agrees to pay Ash Sarkar ‘substantial damages’ in libel case – The Guardian

Posted March 16th, 2021 in compensation, defamation, Islam, media, news, racism by sally

‘The columnist Julie Burchill has apologised to the activist and journalist Ash Sarkar, and agreed to pay her “substantial damages”, after a series of social media posts in which she accused Sarkar of being an Islamist, a hypocrite and worshipping a paedophile.’

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The Guardian, 16th March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Gosport hospital deaths: Inquiry reviews 15,000 death certificates – BBC News

Posted March 16th, 2021 in hospitals, inquests, inquiries, news by sally

‘More than 15,000 death certificates are being examined by police investigating the deaths of patients at a hospital. An inquiry found 456 patients died after being given opiates at Gosport War Memorial Hospital between 1987 and 2001, but no charges have been brought. An independent investigation, led by Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, is reviewing millions of pages of evidence.’

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BBC News, 16th March 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

New safety measures after Sarah Everard death – BBC News

‘”Immediate steps” aimed at improving safety for women and girls in England have been announced by Downing Street after Sarah Everard’s death. Among them is an additional £25m for better lighting and CCTV as well as a pilot scheme which would see plain-clothes officers in pubs and clubs.’

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BBC News, 16th March 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

High Court: restructuring plans are ‘insolvency proceedings’ – OUT-LAW.com

Posted March 15th, 2021 in banking, brexit, company law, EC law, insolvency, jurisdiction, news by sally

‘A recent High Court decision on the legal status of a UK statutory restructuring plan may impact on the way in which these proceedings are viewed by European courts post-Brexit.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 12th March 2021

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

A final account problem – JSM Construction v Western Power – Practical Law: Construction Blog

‘The final account is normally a wrap-up of the contractor’s valid claims for extra payment. It’s particularly helpful if claims were not submitted or assessed as works progressed. So, what happens if the contract doesn’t have a final account procedure but there are claims outstanding once the works are finished? Can a final account procedure be implied under section 110(3) of the Construction Act 1996?’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 8th March 2021

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Mikołaj Barczentewicz: An empirical study of the gender of counsel before the UK’s highest court – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘During the live television coverage of the Supreme Court hearings in Miller (No 1), some commentators (and no doubt many members of the public) noted that almost all lawyers in the courtroom were male. That image of the UK’s “Supreme Court bar” (to borrow a US term), though not entirely accurate, highlighted an ongoing problem with gender representation. In a new study (available here), I analysed the trends of gender and seniority in counsel appearances before the House of Lords and the Supreme Court from 1970 to 2020 based on a unique dataset I created covering 5,041 lawyers and 2,714 judgments. I found that there are some very optimistic signs regarding appearances of the most junior counsel. However, gender balance among the more senior counsel is not as good and has not been clearly improving over the most recent years, which matters because counsel with more experience before the highest court dominate litigation in that court. The unprecedented representation of women among the most junior counsel in the Supreme Court gives nevertheless a reason to believe that the situation will improve also among the more senior counsel.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association , 15th March 2021

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org