Legal News

Changes to prosecution witness anonymity rules may not save trials - The Times

Posted on July 09, 2008
“Prosecutions are at risk of not going ahead even if fast-track plans to allow witnesses anonymity in court are approved, the Director of Public Prosecutions said yesterday.” Full story The Times, 9th July 2008 Source: www.timesonline.co...

Legal Opinion: The debate on prison sentencing is now on a knife edge - The Indepdent

Posted on July 09, 2008
“The call for automatic prison sentences to combat violence on our streets has become deafening in the past few weeks. But, pleads Robert Verkaik, Law Editor, politicians mustn’t act until they have considered the evidence.” Full story The Independent, 9th July 2008 Source: www...

Schoolgirl jailed for theft from Freshfields - The Times

Posted on July 09, 2008
“Within three days of joining Freshfields, a schoolgirl on work experience forged her boss?s signature onto 11 cheques.” Full story The Times, 8th July 2008 Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Woman wrongly branded a violent alcoholic must give fingerprints, says CRB - Daily Telegraph

Posted on July 09, 2008
“A woman wrongly branded a violent alcoholic and drug addict by the Criminal Records Bureau has been told she will have to allow police to take her fingerprints if she wants to clear her name.” Full story Daily Telegraph, 8th July 2008 Source: www...

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UK-IPO asks if research exemption in patent law is too vague - OUT-LAW.com

Posted on July 09, 2008
“The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) will attempt to clear up uncertainty and doubt about an exception to patent law for researchers, moving to end a lack of clarity about which acts are illegal and which are allowed.” Full story OUT-LAW...

Disabled teenagers allegedly told they were ?scaring off other customers? in salon - Daily Telegraph

Posted on July 09, 2008
“Three disabled teenagers who were allegedly ’shooed’ out of a beauty salon by staff who said they were ’scaring off other customers’ have accepted £4,500 in an out of court settlement.” Full story Daily Telegraph, 9th July 2008 Source: www...

Recent Statutory Instruments - OPSI

Posted on July 09, 2008
The Persons subject to Immigration Control (Housing Authority Accommodation and Homelessness) (Amendment) Order 2008 The Consumer Credit (Information Requirements and Duration of Licences and Charges) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 The Education (Pupil Information) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (Additional Functions) Order 2008 The Early Years Foundation Stage (Exemptions from Learning and Development Requirements) Regulations 2008 The Childcare [...

We need tougher sentences for knife crime, says Britain?s top judge - Daily Telegraph

Posted on July 09, 2008
“The independent body which advises judges and magistrates on sentencing has failed to keep pace with the scale of Britain’s knife crime crisis, the Lord Chief Justice has said.” Full story Daily Telegraph, 9th July 2008 Source: www...

Charities ?should be subject to human rights? - The Guardian

Posted on July 09, 2008
“Human rights and freedom of information legislation should be extended to cover charities and social enterprises that deliver public services, such as care homes, a report said today.” Full story The Guardian, 9th July 2008 Source: www.guardian...

Judge praises twins who reported their drink-driving mother - Daily Telegraph

Posted on July 09, 2008
“A judge has praised twin sisters for public spiritedness in reporting their mother to police for drink driving.” Full story Daily Telegraph, 9th July 2008 Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Law and order: Police stop nearly 2m for questioning in year - The Guardian

Posted on July 09, 2008
“The police used their powers to stop members of the public in the street and demand they account for themselves on nearly 2m occasions in the year 2006-07, according to Ministry of Justice figures published yesterday.” Full story The Guardian, 9th July 2008 Source: www...

Peers call for cybercrime shakeup (again) - OUT-LAW.com

Posted on July 09, 2008
“Peers are calling for a reversal of rules that stop UK victims reporting cybercrimes directly to the police. The House of Lords science committee is also encouraging the government to introduce a data breach notification law.” Full story OUT-LAW...

Impractical and wrong in principle: former MI5 chief?s verdict on Brown?s 42-day plan - The Guardian

Posted on July 09, 2008
“Gordon Brown’s plan to detain terror suspects without charge for up to 42 days suffered a big setback yesterday when the former head of MI5 condemned it as unworkable and all but accused Downing Street of playing politics with Britain’s national security...

Prisons: Child secure units still use adult restraint methods, says inspector - The Guardian

Posted on July 09, 2008
“Children being held in secure units are still subjected to restraining techniques designed for adults, with no consistent system of recording the reasons for its use, according to the prisons inspector.” Full story The Guardian, 9th July 2008 Source: www...

Falconer to join US firm - The Times

Posted on July 08, 2008
“The former Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, is to join a top American law firm, The Times has learned.” Full story The Times, 8th July 2008 Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

BAILII: Recent Decisions

Posted on July 08, 2008
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) Ali, R. v [2008] EWCA Crim 1410 (21 May 2008) Cundell, R. v [2008] EWCA Crim 1420 (06 June 2008) Richards, R. v [2008] EWCA Crim 1427 (09 June 2008) Beeton, R v [2008] EWCA Crim 1421 (6 June 2008) High Court (Queen’s Bench Division) Letting International Ltd v London Borough of Newham [2008] EWHC 1583 [...

Benefit fraud ?needs firm action? - BBC News

Posted on July 08, 2008
“The government needs to do more to prosecute suspected benefit fraudsters, MPs have said.” Full story BBC News, 8th July 2008 Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Parliamentary Briefing on the Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Bill 2008 - The Bar Council

Posted on July 08, 2008
“The Bar Council has prepared a Parliamentary Briefing on the Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Bill 2008 which is being taken through its Commons Second Reading stage tomorrow, Tuesday 8 July 2008.” Parliamentary Briefing Paper (PDF) The Bar Council, 7th July 2008 Source: www...

Recent Statutory Instruments - OPSI

Posted on July 08, 2008
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Control of Transfers of Business Done at Lloyd?s) (Amendment) Order 2008 The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (Northern Ireland Political Parties) Order 2008 The Service Voters? Registration Period (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 The Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) (No...

UK privacy watchdog says EU laws are not good enough - OUT-LAW.com

Posted on July 08, 2008
“The UK’s privacy watchdog has said that EU privacy laws are out of date and in need of reform. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has commissioned a research firm to look into how the law could be changed.” Full story OUT-LAW...

Rockall v Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - WLR Daily

Posted on July 08, 2008
Rockall v Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; [2008] WLR (D) 227 “It was not possible for the court to provide an all-embracing test of what constituted a ?garden? in the context of the Forestry Act 1967. To attempt to do so might impede the flexibility inherent in the statute by imposing too rigorous a [...

Procter & Gamble UK v Revenue and Customs Commissioners - WLR Daily

Posted on July 08, 2008
Procter & Gamble UK v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2008] EWHC 1558 (Ch); [2008] WLR (D) 226 “The savoury snack, Regular Pringles, were not products ‘made from the potato, or from potato flour, or from potato starch’ so as to fall within excepted item 5 of Group 1 of Sch 8 to the Value Added Tax [...

GO and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department - WLR Daily

Posted on July 08, 2008
GO and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2008] EWCA Civ 747; [2008] WLR (D) 225 “A foreign student who wanted an extension of stay had to be able to produce evidence of satisfactory progress, whether on the course named in his application for entry clearance or on another recognised course which he [...

R (Gilboy) v Liverpool City Council - WLR Daily

Posted on July 08, 2008
R (Gilboy) v Liverpool City Council [2008] EWCA Civ 751; [2008] WLR (D) 224 “The internal review procedure for reconsideration by a local housing authority of a decision to terminate a demoted tenancy complied with article 6 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms...

Regina (Weaver) v London and Quadrant Housing Trust - Times Law Reports

Posted on July 08, 2008
Regina (Weaver) v London and Quadrant Housing Trust Queen’s Bench Divisional Court “The management and allocation of housing stock by a registered social landlord was a function of a public nature, so that it was amenable to judicial review and regarded as a public authority for the purposes of the Human Rights Act 1998...

Beoku-Betts v Secretary of State for the Home Department - Times Law Reports

Posted on July 08, 2008
Beoku-Betts v Secretary of State for the Home Department House of Lords “An adjudicator determining an alleged breach of an immigrant?s right to respect for his family life under article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights was required to take account of the whole family and if removal would be disproportionate, all affected family members [...

Knife crime: Jack Straw orders review of sentences for offenders - Daily Telegraph

Posted on July 08, 2008
“Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, has been forced to order a review of the penalties for carrying a knife, just weeks before rules which mean offenders could escape with just a fine come into force.” Full story Daily Telegraph, 7th July 2008 Source: www...

Senior peers to mount attack on 42-days plan - The Independent

Posted on July 08, 2008
“The two most senior legal figures in Tony Blair’s cabinet will today lead a devastating assault against plans to hold terror suspects without charge for up to 42 days.” Full story The Independent, 8th July 2008 Source: www.independent...

Privacy group protests about Street View, but Google says blurring protects privacy - OUT-LAW.com

Posted on July 08, 2008
“A privacy pressure group has told Google that its Street View photography service might break the law. But the company says that its technical measures will safeguard people’s privacy.” Full story OUT-LAW.com, 7th July 2008 Source: www...

Father kills himself in dock after guilty verdict - Daily Telegraph

Posted on July 08, 2008
“An abusive father killed himself in the dock of a court after being found guilty of a brutal assault on his baby daughter.” Full story Daily Telegraph, 8th July 2008 Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

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