‘Monstrous’ X Factor contestant Phillip Blackwell jailed for rape – BBC News
‘A “monstrous” former X Factor contestant who raped women over a 22-year period has been jailed for life.’
BBC News, 27th July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Judge removed from child welfare case over ‘pejorative’ remarks about mother – The Guardian
‘A high court judge has been taken off a case centred on the care of a child after “pejorative comments” she made about the child’s mother were accidentally broadcast to people taking part in a hearing remotely.’
The Guardian, 25th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Jack Maxwell and Joe Tomlinson: Model students: why Ofqual has a legal duty to disclose the details of its model for calculating GCSE and A level grades – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘On 18 March 2020, the UK Government cancelled GCSE and A level exams for students in England. The closure of schools and the need to slow the spread of COVID-19 made exams impracticable. But the Prime Minister confirmed that students would still get ‘the qualifications they need and deserve for their academic career.’ This created an obvious headache for public administration: the objective was to create a legitimate system of assessment, which could maintain confidence, without actual assessments.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 28th July 2020
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
No wasted costs order after QC instructed on wrong issue – Litigation Futures
‘The First-tier Tribunal has refused to grant HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) a wasted costs order despite its opponents instructing their QC on the wrong issue.’
Litigation Futures, 23rd July 2020
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Johnny Depp case: What are the libel laws and how do they work? – BBC News
‘After weeks of revelations and accusations in court about his personal relationships, actor Johnny Depp’s mammoth legal action against The Sun for libel is coming to an end – with a judgement expected at the end of the summer.’
BBC News, 28th July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘We are the A&E of law’: the first UK law centre for poor people turns 50 – The Guardian
‘Austerity cuts to legal aid may have restricted North Kensington’s resources, but they haven’t crushed its spirit.’
The Guardian, 28th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Anisha Vidal-Garner death: Man jailed after Brixton police chase – BBC News
‘The son of a barrister who killed a woman in a hit-and-run crash during a police chase, throwing her in the air “like a rag doll”, has been jailed.’
BBC News, 27th July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Police in England and Wales ‘twice as likely’ to fine young BAME men during lockdown – The Guardian
‘Police were twice as likely to fine young black and Asian men under the lockdown rules than their white counterparts, according to new figures that underline concerns about racial bias in policing.’
The Guardian, 27th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
The Spotlight Review on domestic abuse – where does it fit in with other court reforms? – Transparency Project
‘The work undertaken by the “spotlight panel” appointed by the Ministry of Justice, reported in what is being referred to as the “harm report”, has already been commented on here and here. Its full title is “Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Cases”. The purpose of this blog post is to try to see how the harm report fits in with the wider reforms discussed by the President’s Private Law Working Party (the PrLWG) in its two reports.’
Transparency Project, 24th July 2020
Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk
Man wrongly detained over murder of PC Harper to sue police – The Guardian
‘An innocent man who spent weeks in prison accused of murdering PC Andrew Harper before proceedings against him were dropped is taking legal action against the police.’
The Guardian, 25th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Judge rejects calls for recusal in planning case amid accusations of bias – Local Government Lawyer
‘A High Court judge has refused to recuse himself from a planning case involving Surrey Heath Borough Council after claimants accused him of bias.’
Local Government Lawyer, 23rd July 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Only 19 bereaved families approved for NHS staff coronavirus compensation scheme – The Guardian
‘Only 19 families of NHS and social care workers who died after contracting coronavirus have so far been approved for the £60,000 compensation payment from the government.’
The Guardian, 26th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Developer loses High Court battle over planning consent after council admitted failure to give adequate reasons – Local Government Lawyer
‘Bath and North East Somerset Council should have given adequate reasons when it allowed a development against officer’s recommendations, the High Court has found.’
Local Government Lawyer, 23rd July 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Novichok inquest quashed – UK Human Rights Blog
‘The High Court has today [24 July] handed down a judgment quashing a coroner’s decision on the scope of the inquest into the death of Dawn Sturgess: R (GS) v HM Senior Coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon [2020] EWHC 2007 (Admin).’
UK Human Rights Blog, 24th July 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
Frozen pensions: injustices faced by Windrush generation in spotlight – The Guardian
‘Campaigners urge new working group to look into why some retirees living abroad are penalised.’
The Guardian, 25th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Harry Dunn death: Family drop legal action against Northamptonshire Police – BBC News
‘The parents of a young man whose death in a crash sparked an international diplomatic row have dropped their legal action against Northamptonshire Police.’
BBC News, 26th July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Youth Justice Board chair aims to tackle racial disparities in criminal justice system in England and Wales – The Guardian
‘Keith Fraser says all agencies working with BAME children need to examine their practices, and that children should not be treated the same as adults in the justice system.’
The Guardian, 27th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Justice secretary drops plan to replace jury trials – Legal Futures
‘Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland has dropped a widely criticised plan to replace juries in some criminal trials with a judge and two magistrates.’
Legal Futures, 23rd July 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Teenagers guilty of killing PC Andrew Harper – BBC News
‘Three teenagers have been convicted of the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper, who died after being dragged along a road by a car.’
BBC News, 24th July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
