Woman paid £3k after police laugh at her sex toys – BBC News
‘A woman was paid thousands of pounds in compensation after police officers moved her underwear and laughed at sex toys in her bedroom.’
BBC News, 27th August 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Court of Appeal ruling gives renewed hope for data breach claims – Legal Futures
‘The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court decision that appeared to limit the rights of data breach victims to bring claims.’
Legal Futures, 26th August 2025
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Successful planning challenge to use of hotel for asylum accommodation: the first of many? – UK Human Rights Blog
‘In Epping Forest District Council v Somani Hotels Limited [2025] EWHC 2183 (KB), the High Court granted Epping Forest District Council an interim injunction preventing Home Office contractors, CTM, from using the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, to accommodate asylum seekers. The Court’s ruling has temporarily halted the government’s repurposing of the Bell, on the basis that the Council had a strong arguable case of unlawful change of use. The injunction requires occupation of the Bell by asylum seekers to cease by 12 September 2025.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 25th August 2025
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
UK to clarify definition of ‘honour’-based abuse in drive to cut violence against women and girls – The Guardian
‘Ministers are introducing a clearer legal definition of “honour”-based abuse in an attempt to catch more perpetrators and protect women and girls from violence and coercion.’
The Guardian, 26th August 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
Tales from the Housing Conditions Wars. Part 2 – Nearly Legal
‘The second of a series of reports on County Court judgements in housing conditions claims – on what might be called procedural and costs wars. The first, focused on expert evidence and the pre-action protocol.’
Nearly Legal, 25th August 2025
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
First livestream to come from Scottish criminal court – BBC News
‘An appeal in a trial that has been postponed three times will be the first to be livestreamed under a new service from the Scottish courts.’
BBC News, 26th August 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Employment Rights Bill: the timeline from autumn 2025 onwards – OUT-LAW.com
‘The Employment Rights Bill is nearing the final stages of the UK parliamentary process, meaning significant changes to employment law in England, Scotland and Wales are close to being enacted.’
OUT-LAW.com, 22nd August 2025
Source: www.pinsentmasons.com
Support for decision-making guidance in England: a pragmatic review – Medical Law Review
‘Law and policy concerning personal decision-making increasingly recognizes a role for support to enable greater autonomy and legal recognition for adults whose decision-making ability may be limited. Support for decision making (SFDM) is embedded in England and Wales under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). It has also gained traction internationally through the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), to which the UK is a signatory. However, these two legal reference points diverge in their understanding of SFDM, which presents challenges for putting it into practice. A pragmatic review methodology identified 40 resources containing SFDM guidance, providing insight into its implementation and conceptualization in England. An analysis indicates the need for authoritative guidance that provides more multifaceted advice, recognizing key variables including: the nature of the decision, source of decision-making difficulties, and the relationship of the supporter. Gaps in guidance provision are also identified for decision-makers, third parties, and the mental health context. The resources largely conceptualize SFDM as a means to enable mental capacity. However, recent developments propose a CRPD-aligned approach that includes SFDM in the context of substituted decisions. This generates a dualistic model of SFDM in England, raising new questions in this area.’
Medical Law Review, 31st July 2025
Source: academic.oup.com
Fisher who met King Charles is jailed for role in £18m cocaine-smuggling plot – The Guardian
‘A respected fisher who met King Charles and government representatives to discuss the future of the industry has been jailed for taking part in a sophisticated plot to smuggle £18m of cocaine into the UK.’
The Guardian, 21st August 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
Council to pay compensation to resident who hired skip to deal with mounting rubbish – Local Government Lawyer
‘Birmingham City Council has agreed to pay a resident compensation after she was forced to hire a skip to clear non-collected waste.’
Local Government Lawyer, 21st September 2025
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Woman with ADHD who slept in sauna on team-building trip wins UK case – The Guardian
‘An executive with ADHD who was sacked after spending the night sleeping in a sauna when she lost her room keys during a team-building event has won a disability discrimination case.’
The Guardian, 21st August 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
US woman jailed for 30 years for attempted murder of Birmingham man – The Guardian
‘An American “hitwoman” who attempted to murder a business owner before going on the run in Armenia has been jailed for 30 years at Birmingham crown court.’
The Guardian, 21st August 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
Met Police use of facial recognition technology must comply with human rights law, warns EHRC – Local Government Lawyer
‘The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has been granted permission to intervene in an upcoming judicial review examining whether the Metropolitan Police’s use of live facial recognition technology (LFRT) complies with human rights law.’
Local Government Lawyer, 21st August 2025
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
High Court decision to grant injunction for asylum hotel could trigger wider council challenges, KC suggests – Local Government Lawyer
‘It is “quite likely” that the High Court’s decision to grant Epping Forest District Council an interim injunction blocking the use of a hotel to accommodate asylum seekers will be cited in support of similar applications by other councils, Andrew Fraser-Urquhart KC has said.’
Local Government Lawyer, 20th August 2025
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Law firm partner earnings grow twice as fast as barristers’ income – Legal Futures
‘The income of equity partners at law firms increased by 42% in the five tax years to 2022/23, more than twice as fast as barristers and that of the rest of the UK workforce, new figures show.’
Legal Futures, 21st August 2025
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
LSB “must force” Legal Ombudsman to publish decisions in full – Legal Futures
‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) must take “a more proactive stance” in making the Legal Ombudman (LeO) publish complaint outcomes in full, the Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP) has argued.’
Legal Futures, 21st August 2025
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Guilty plea after woman killed in 140mph car crash – BBC News
‘A 32-year-old man has been warned he is likely to be jailed after he admitted killing a woman in a high-speed car crash in north London on Christmas Day 2022.’
BBC News, 19th August 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Sentencing for man who dodged 113 train tickets delayed – BBC News
‘A prolific rail fare dodger who was caught without a train ticket more than 100 times has had his sentencing delayed after a judge raised concerns over the legal process.’
BBC News, 20th August 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Former C of E vicar found guilty of indecent assault against nine women – The Guardian
‘A former vicar who led an evangelical movement between 1986 and 1995 has been found guilty of 17 counts of indecent assault against nine women.’
The Guardian, 20th August 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
BSB eyes targets to improve diversity of senior staff – The Guardian
‘Nearly half of staff at the Bar Standards Board (BSB) are now from ethnic minority backgrounds but it is looking at targets to improve the diversity of its management.’
The Guardian, 21st August 2025
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
