Brothers who led county lines drug gang jailed – BBC News
‘Brothers who lead an organised crime group known as the Scouse Dave Line have been jailed for a combined total of more than 30 years.’
BBC News, 31st January 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Thames Water seeks court approval for emergency cash – BBC News
‘Thames Water will seek approval for an emergency cash lifeline in court on Monday as it faces running out of money in four weeks’ time.’
BBC News, 3rd February 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Creators of AI child sex abuse images face up to five years in prison under crackdown – The Independent
‘Creators of AI-generated images of child sexual abuse will face up to five years in prison in a new government crackdown. Home secretary Yvette Cooper has announced that the UK will be the first country in the world to make it illegal to own artificial intelligence tools designed to make images of child sexual abuse.’
The Independent, 2nd February 2025
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Phillipson to promise ‘new era for school standards’ as Ofsted scraps single-word judgments – The Independent
‘Bridget Phillipson will promise a “new era for school standards” as Labour and Ofsted replace single-word judgments for schools with more detailed report cards.’
The Independent, 3rd February 2025
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Coercive control to be put on par with other types of domestic abuse in England and Wales – The Guardian
‘Coercive control is to be put on a par with other forms of domestic abuse in England and Wales with police and other enforcement agencies working together to tackle it.’
The Guardian, 3rd February 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
DWP ‘blocked whistleblower giving evidence to carer’s allowance review’ – The Guardian
‘The Department for Work and Pensions has been accused of blocking a whistleblower who repeatedly raised the alarm about carer’s allowance from giving evidence to an independent review of the scandal-hit benefit.’
The Guardian, 3rd February 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
The need to plead a positive case in defence if you have a positive case in defence – Doughty Street Chambers
‘In Man v St George’s University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust [2024] EWHC 1304 (KB), the High Court exercised its case management powers to exclude witness evidence which put forward a positive case on an issue which had been neither admitted or denied in the defence on the basis that the matter was outside the Defendant’s knowledge. The Judge found that this was not permissible. This article considers how this issue arises in the housing disrepair context.’
Doughty Street Chambers, 28th January 2025
Source: insights.doughtystreet.co.uk
The McDonald’s Model: What happens next following a McFlurry of harassment complaints? – Doughty Street Chambers
‘In 2019, the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union said it had received around 1,000 complaints from workers across UK branches of McDonald’s [1], although it was not clear whether these complaints were made against multiple franchisees or McDonald’s as the franchisor. The complaints were said to encompass a range of discriminatory behaviours, including sexual harassment.’
Doughty Street Chambers, 29th January 2025
Source: insights.doughtystreet.co.uk
New Sentencing Guideline for Strangulation and Suffocation – Devon Chambers
‘Gemma McKernan provides an update on the new sentencing guideline for strangulation and suffocation.’
Devon Chambers, 9th January 2025
Source: devonchambers.co.uk
The Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010: Ryanair DAC v Benjamin Morais & Ors – Devereux Chambers
‘Analysis from Stuart Brittenden KC and Bruce Carr KC.’
Devereux Chambers, 17th January 2025
Source: www.devereuxchambers.co.uk
When Children Act orders can be made for older children – Becket Chambers
‘Looking at the case of Re T (a child) (s 9(6) Children Act 1989 orders: exceptional circumstances: parental alienation) [2024] EWHC 59 (Fam). It is generally accepted that orders are not made for older children aged 16, (or even from the age of 14 in many cases). So when will the court make an order for a child aged 16? A section 8 order cannot extend beyond the age of 16 (apart from “live with” orders) and new section 8 orders cannot be made in respect of a 16-year-old, save for in “exceptional circumstances”.’
Becket Chambers, 16th January 2025
Source: becket-chambers.co.uk
Judges who oversaw Sara Sharif’s family court cases before her murder named – The Independent
‘Three judges who oversaw Sara Sharif’s family court cases before she was murdered by her father and stepmother have now been named by a court. Judge Alison Raeside, Judge Peter Nathan and Judge Sally Williams were named on Friday as the three judges who were all involved in family court proceedings related to the care of the 10-year-old between 2013 and 2019 after a Court of Appeal ruling overturned a ban on the media identifying them.’
The Independent, 31st January 2025
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Couple jailed over ‘sexual and sadistic’ murder of Sarah Mayhew in London – The Guardian
‘A couple who killed a woman and dumped her dismembered body in different parts of south London have been jailed for murder.’
The Guardian, 30th January 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
Planned UK people-smuggling laws risk ‘criminalising’ asylum seekers, charities say – The Guardian
‘Keir Starmer’s planned people-smuggling laws risk “criminalising” hundreds of asylum seekers, refugee charities have said, after it emerged that people who refuse to be rescued by the French authorities could be jailed for five years.’
The Guardian, 30th January 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
Army quartermaster jailed for stealing almost £500,000 of supplies from MoD – The Guardian
‘A British army quartermaster defrauded the UK government out of almost £500,000 worth of supplies after feeling under pressure from his girlfriend to prove he was rich.’
The Guardian, 30th January 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
New crime of endangering lives to target small boat crossings – BBC News
‘Endangering lives at sea is to be a new criminal offence carrying a jail term of up to five years as part of plans to tackle people smuggling, the Home Office says.’
BBC News, 30th January 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Judge rejects attempt to overturn inquest verdict on Stockport scout’s death – The Guardian
‘A high court judge has rejected an attempt by a scout leader and an assistant to overturn the findings of an inquest jury that concluded they were responsible for the unlawful killing of a 16-year-old boy who fell from a cliff during an expedition.’
The Guardian, 30th January 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
Ecclesiastical court judgments – January – Law & Religion UK
‘Only three consistory court judgments were circulated in January 2025; these included: the application of the tort of nuisance; the replacement of condemned wall-mounted heaters with a new boiler and wet system; and a burial plot that had been reserved by two families. However, this review also includes: CDM Decisions and Safeguarding; CFCE Determinations; and links to other posts relating to ecclesiastical law.’
Law & Religion UK, 31st January 2025
Source: lawandreligionuk.com
A bitter taste? When will the Court depart from assimilated EU case law? – UK-EU Relations Law
‘In this blog post Jack Williams of Monckton Chambers discusses a new Court of Appeal judgment, Thatchers Cider Co Ltd v Aldi Stores Ltd [2025] EWCA Civ 5 (“Thatchers”), in which the Court decided not to depart from assimilated case law.’
UK-EU Relations Law, 29th January 2025
Source: eurelationslaw.com
