Legal News Articles
Why did Leon Briggs die in custody? (29 November 2013)
Leon Briggs was a kind and loyal family man. On Monday 5th November he was in Luton town centre when members of the public raised concerns about his behaviour to police. He was arrested and detained under S136 of the Mental Health Act at Luton police station. Read more...
Call to make reporting of child abuse compulsory (29 November 2013)
There are growing calls to make the reporting of suspected child abuse compulsory. Read more...
Lord Chief Justice calls for tighter deportation rules (29 November 2013)
The Lord Chief Justice, Sir John Thomas, has called for tighter laws on the removal of criminals and illegal immigrants from the UK. Deportation laws are essential to ensure that illegal immigrants can be forced to return to their home countries. Read more...
Legal worker jailed after contacting prisoner on smuggled phone (29 November 2013)
In November 2013 a solicitor^s clerk from Salford Court was imprisoned or six months after being found guilty of contacting a prisoner on a mobile phone. Read more...
NHS cuts mean longer waits for mental health patients (29 November 2013)
A group of mental health charities – the We Need To Talk Coalition – has said that NHS cuts to mental health services mean more than half of all patients may have to wait for an average of three months before accessing the mental health services they need. Read more...
Bradford Safeguarding Children Board accepts failings in Hamzah Khan case (29 November 2013)
The responses to 10 questions put to Bradford Safeguarding Children Board (BSCB) by Children’s Minister Edward Timpson following the death of Hamzah Khan were published on Wednesday (27/11/13). Read more...
Reading council could introduce new social housing rules (29 November 2013)
Reading Borough Council is considering a change to its social housing allocation policy after a ^Let^s Talk Housing^ consultation in the borough drew a range of responses from residents earlier this year. Read more...
TUC urges action to build more homes and stop spiralling rents (28 November 2013)
The TUC has said urgent action is needed to tackle the UK’s affordable housing shortage. Read more...
UK plan to limit benefits for new migrants branded “nasty” (28 November 2013)
EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Laszlo Andor, has said that the UK is in danger of becoming known as the “nasty” country of Europe, after Prime Minister David Cameron unveiled his proposals to curb access to benefits for new migrants to Britain. Read more...
The TUC has said urgent action is needed to tackle the UK’s affordable housing shortage. (28 November 2013)
Speaking at the Bevan Lecture in London on Wednesday (27/11/13) TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady warned that some government measures were causing “immense hardship” among those unable to afford their own homes and forced into paying high rents. Read more...
RBS fraud allegations investigated by SFO and police (28 November 2013)
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), after some business owners alleged the bank deliberately asset stripped their companies, selling off assets to companies linked to the bank at favourable prices. Read more...
Kent mother fraudulently claims £33k in benefits (28 November 2013)
A mother of three from Kent has been handed a six-month suspended sentence and ordered to do 300 hours community service after she fraudulently claimed over £33,000 in benefits over a four-year period.
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Prime Minister proposes tighter controls to prevent “benefit tourism” (27 November 2013)
Prime Minister David Cameron has said that benefits for migrants to the UK may be tightened up as part of a crackdown on “benefit tourism”. Read more...
Peabody trains frontline staff to spot domestic abuse (27 November 2013)
The Peabody Trust has introduced training for its staff to help them recognise instances of domestic violence and abuse in Peabody housing.
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Sentencing inequalities “must be tackled” (27 November 2013)
Latest figures published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) show that in 2011-2012 black offenders were more likely than white offenders to receive jail terms – as well as longer jail terms. Read more...
Inquiry into care of mental health patient who beheaded woman (27 November 2013)
The Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) has announced an inquiry into the release of a mental health patient who later went on to behead a woman in Tenerife. Read more...
Rock singer pleads guilty to child sex abuse charges (27 November 2013)
The former lead singer of rock band the Lostprophets has pleaded guilty to the attempted rape of a one-year-old baby. Read more...
Oxford Green Party argues against right to buy scheme (27 November 2013)
The right to buy scheme is not working and “should be scrapped” in Oxford according to Green Party councillor Sam Hollick after the latest figures showed that there are now thousands of people on the housing register in the city. Read more...
Leading judge questions value of short jail terms (26 November 2013)
Senior judge Lord Neuberger has provoked a backlash by criticising prison conditions – and suggesting that short jail terms interrupt prisoners’ home lives and jobs. Read more...
End of mortgage rescue scheme could leave London homeowners “homeless” (26 November 2013)
The premature end of a scheme to help homeowners cope with debt and mortgage arrears could result in thousands of homeowners in London having their homes repossessed. Read more...
Immigration “keeps NHS working” (26 November 2013)
Around 40 NHS health trusts are recruiting nurses from overseas to plug an estimated need for 20,000 nurses in the NHS. Read more...
Campaign launched to save mental health services in Norfolk and Suffolk (26 November 2013)
A campaign by frontline mental health workers in Norfolk and Suffolk attracted standing room only crowds at its first meeting in Norwich on Monday evening (25/11/13). Read more...
Bulgarians have been working in UK since 2007, says ambassador (26 November 2013)
Bulgarian Ambassador to the UK Konstantin Dimitrov has told The Telegraph newspaper that the Home Office has not rejected any applications to live and work in the UK from Bulgarian citizens in the last six years. Read more...
Migrants do not steal British jobs says Bulgarian ambassador (26 November 2013)
Bulgarian politician Konstantin Dimitrov has defended the legal right for foreigners to have access to the UK labour market and he predicts that only 8,000 migrants will travel to the country when visa restrictions are eased next year. Read more...
The unfair operation of the immigration appeals system is a matter of grave concern (25 November 2013)
In an article, featured recently in the Observer, James Packer of Duncan Lewis, Keith Vaz MP (head of the home affairs committee) and barrister Colin Yeo (author of the influential ‘free movement’ blog) set out their concerns over the immigration appeals system. Read more...
PPI and PI cold calling “needs further change in the law” (25 November 2013)
Research for AXA Insurance by Populus has found that 80% of those questioned for a study wanted cold calling by companies representing claims management companies (CMCs) to be made illegal. Read more...
Female RAF recruits each win £100,000 compensation for RSI (25 November 2013)
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has agreed to pay three female RAF recruits £100,000 each in compensation, after marching in line with male recruits caused spinal and pelvic injuries to the women. Read more...
Proposals to limit benefits to new migrants face Cabinet opposition (25 November 2013)
Prime Minister David Cameron’s proposal to limit benefits to UK migrants has provoked a backlash in the Cabinet. Read more...
Police Commissioner offends by inferring domestic violence is “a women’s issue” (25 November 2013)
The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Devon and Cornwall Tony Hogg has been accused of causing offence at a domestic abuse conference when he opened his address by saying: Read more...
Police Commission says neighbourhood policing is “under threat” (25 November 2013)
Former Metropolitan Police Commission Lord Stevens has said that threats to neighbourhood policing raised in a new report are of “profound concern”.
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Disabled Norwich mum asks for help in tracing teens who attacked and urinated on her (25 November 2013)
A 57-year-old disabled woman from Norwich has told the Eastern Daily Press how a gang of youths attacked her, repeatedly kicking her in the head before urinating on her. Read more...
Buckinghamshire council updates social housing policy (25 November 2013)
Plans for a fair way to allocate social housing in the Aylesbury Vale area of Buckinghamshire have been given the green light by local councillors after the waiting list for district housing topped 4,500 earlier this month. Read more...
Facts about Domestic Abuse and The Action You Can Take (22 November 2013)
Relationships always have their intimate secrets. In some it may be playful nicknames for one another that you would shriek with embarrassment should anyone find out; in others it may be silly rituals that you share with your loved one. But in some relationships, there are darker secrets that cannot be shared. Read more...
Bolton boy guilty of murdering man with one-punch (22 November 2013)
A teenager from Bolton has been convicted of murder and will be sentenced next month after killing a man with a single punch following a dispute earlier this year. Read more...
Britain needs more skilled migrants, says science and engineering community (22 November 2013)
The Royal College of Engineering has said that a shortage of skilled workers in the UK needs to be addressed by allowing more migrants into Britain. Read more...
Hunger strike immigration hearing set for Monday (22 November 2013)
The High Court has ordered an urgent hearing of the case of a Nigerian asylum seeker on hunger strike, after refusing to release him on bail. Read more...
Mental health issues linked to debt, says new report (21 November 2013)
A new report by think tank the Centre for Social Justice has found that personal debt in the UK almost equals the country’s entire output. Read more...
Shelter braced for homeless crisis this Christmas (21 November 2013)
Homeless charity Shelter is predicting a huge rise in the number of people who will become homeless this winter – and especially in the run up to Christmas and New Year. Read more...
UK child abduction case – landmark ruling in Moscow (21 November 2013)
The Moscow City Court has ruled in favour of a British woman whose estranged husband took his sons to his native Russia for a holiday and did not return them to their mother. Read more...
Update antiquated child cruelty laws urge family experts (21 November 2013)
Family experts have urged the government to update the law on child cruelty in order to increase protection against neglect, intimidation and other forms of emotional abuse. Read more...
Hull shoplifter handed stringent Asbo (20 November 2013)
A prolific shoplifter from Hull has been given an Asbo containing an unprecedented amount of negative prohibitions after proving a constant menace to locals in the area and breaching a number of previous orders.
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Wales tackles Section 136 detentions to improve mental health care (20 November 2013)
A rise in the number of police detentions for mental health patients in South Wales has promoted calls for more measures to reduce the number of detentions under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983. Read more...
G4S offers to repay £24m in electronic tagging overcharges (20 November 2013)
Security firm G4S has told the Ministry of Justice it will refund more than £24 million to the government, after overcharging for the service it provided for electronic tagging offenders. Read more...
Immigration centre officials forged certificates relating to asylum seeker, says judge (19 November 2013)
Three G4S employees have been referred for prosecution for contempt of court and forgery in respect of an appeal by an immigrant who was being deported from the UK. Read more...
False personal injury claim for £750,000 backfires, resulting in jail sentence (19 November 2013)
A woman who grossly exaggerated her injuries from a fall in order to claim £750,000 compensation is now facing a three-month prison sentence. Read more...
Call for Equality Act amendment to be speeded up in the UK (19 November 2013)
The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has called on the UK government to move quickly to implement an amendment to the Equality Act 2010, which would effectively protect victims of caste-based discrimination. Read more...
Moscow court blocks mother’s fight to return her sons to England (19 November 2013)
A Moscow court has ruled in favour of allowing a husband to keep custody of his two sons, who he abducted when they came to spend two weeks with him in Russia at Christmas. Read more...
Forklift work accident highlights dangers of recycling industry (19 November 2013)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has successfully prosecuted a Bolton firm, after a recycling plant worker was badly injured when a steel beam fell on him from a forklift truck. Read more...
Welsh Assembly Housing Bill seeks to address housing inequalities in Wales (19 November 2013)
The Welsh Assembly has published a new Housing Bill to tackle rogue landlords who fail to maintain properties and charge high rents for poor quality housing.
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Birmingham police hunt needle attacker targeting women (19 November 2013)
Police are hunting a man who has stabbed five women in Birmingham City Centre, using what are thought to be hypodermic needles. Read more...
A pensioner that skipped bail in 2008 is jailed for benefit fraud (19 November 2013)
A benefits cheat that fled to Southern Spain in 2008 prior to sentencing has been jailed for three years. This has happened just weeks after Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith vowed to deal with the outrageous case. Read more...
MPs back proposed law to make attacks on Armed Forces a criminal offence (18 November 2013)
The coalition government has proposed that verbal and physical attacks on Armed Forces personnel in the UK should be designated an aggravated crime. Read more...
Lee Rigby murder trial begins at Old Bailey (18 November 2013)
The trial of two British men accused of murdering Drummer Lee Rigby outside Woolwich Barracks in southeast London is to start today (18/11/13) at the Old Bailey central criminal court in London. Read more...
MPs back proposed law to make attacks on Armed Forces a criminal offence (18 November 2013)
The coalition government has proposed that verbal and physical attacks on Armed Forces personnel in the UK should be designated an aggravated crime. Read more...
Cambridgeshire mental health app launches on 11 December (18 November 2013)
Cambridgeshire is to launch a new mental health mobile phone app to offer tips and advice to mental health patients. Read more...
Tory PCC proposes “boot camps” for problem families (18 November 2013)
The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Northamptonshire, Adam Simmonds has suggested that families who live on benefits without trying to get a job – or who live off the proceeds of petty crime – should be sent to “boot camps” to help them turn their lives around. Read more...
Hungary asylum applications rise, but Germany remains top EU asylum destination (18 November 2013)
Hungary has experienced a huge increase in the number of asylum claims being made in the country – although the authorities say they can cope. Read more...
£3m personal injury payout to breast cancer patients (18 November 2013)
A total of 503 NHS patients who underwent “cleavage sparing” surgery have lodged personal injury claims for breast cancer operations carried out by reconstructive surgeon Ian Paterson. Read more...
NHS staff may face “wilful neglect” criminal charge (18 November 2013)
Changes in NHS guidance due to be announced by Conservative Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt this week are expected to make wilful neglect of patients by medical staff a criminal offence.
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Domestic violence budget cuts may harm services (18 November 2013)
Survivors of domestic violence fear that there will be less support available for those who have suffered domestic violence as budget cuts to services are made. Read more...
Bristol prison increases capacity after overcrowding criticism (18 November 2013)
HM Prison Bristol has increased its capacity by four percent just weeks after it was criticised by HMIP for overcrowded conditions that had left it “dirty and poorly equipped.”
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Government may take over Birmingham’s failing children’s services (15 November 2013)
The government has warned that children’s services in Birmingham could be taken over if standards are not improved. Read more...
ITV Tonight programme investigates drug-driving – and finds cannabis could fuel car accidents (15 November 2013)
An investigation into drug driving by ITV reporters for the Tonight programme shown on Thursday (14/11/13) has found that smoking cannabis before driving can affect spatial awareness and even make drivers react more aggressively behind the wheel. Read more...
Nick Clegg “Roma must respect Britain’s way of life” (15 November 2013)
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has responded to claims made by David Blunkett that the coalition government are “burying their heads in the sand” over the number of Roma communities which may move to the UK after borders are thrown open to Hungary and Romania on 1 January next year. Read more...
Britain welcomes Indian students says PM (15 November 2013)
Prime Minister David Cameron has assured India on student visas after stating that “Britain is open for business” just days after scrapping a proposed £3,000 overseas bond policy for visitors from abroad. Read more...
IPCC criminal investigation into Section 136 custody death (14 November 2013)
The IPCC (Independent Police Complaints Commission) has launched a criminal investigation into the death of a Luton man with mental health issues, who died in hospital after falling ill in police custody. Read more...
Calls for review of London’s cycling superhighways, as five cyclists die in nine days (14 November 2013)
Another cyclist has been killed on roads in central London, bringing the total number of deaths among London cyclists in the last two weeks to five. The cyclist was killed on Wednesday (13/11/13) evening by Aldgate in east London. All the recent fatalities involved heavy good vehicles. The latest death involved a cyclist and a bus. Read more...
New Labour Titans say they got immigration wrong – despite £25bn boost to UK economy (14 November 2013)
Despite recent research that shows migrants to the UK have contributed £25bn to the economy since 2000, former New Labour Home Secretary and Justice Minister Jack Straw and Former Home Secretary David Blunkett have said that New Labour “got it wrong” when they opened up EU borders allowing Eastern European migrants to work without restriction in the UK. Read more...
Grandmother disqualified from driving after horror crash injures children (14 November 2013)
An elderly grandmother has apologised to a court after she veered into a car while driving and caused serious injuries to three people travelling in the oncoming vehicle, including two children. Read more...
Birmingham children “abducted by father and living in Libya” (14 November 2013)
A Libyan man who took his two children from Birmingham to live in Libya have said he did so because he thought the UK was “too western”, according to lawyers. Read more...
Home Office may roll out fast-track fees to cut immigration queues (14 November 2013)
The Home Office has announced proposals for fast-track entry into the UK, which would enable visitors to skip immigration queues by paying a fee up front. Read more...
HSE prosecutes scenery company after carpenter is injured in work accident (14 November 2013)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has successfully prosecuted a company which makes stage scenery for London theatres and sets for fashion shows, after a carpenter suffered skull and leg injuries when scenery fell from a fork-lift truck and pinned him to the ground. Read more...
Violent father killed sons as custody hearing approached (14 November 2013)
An inquest in Wiltshire has heard how a father with a history of violence drugged and then killed his two sons before killing himself to avoid a custody battle with his former partner. Read more...
Children’s Minister demands answers over Hamzah Khan’s death (14 November 2013)
The Children’s and Families Minister Edward Timson has expressed concern over a report into the death of four-year-old Hamzah Khan, who was left to starve to death by his mother. Read more...
Repeat offender ordered to pay £25k following benefit fraud (14 November 2013)
A benefit fraudster from Wigan, that fooled authorities by illegitimately claiming thousands of pounds over a two-year period, has been ordered to pay back in excess of £25,000 or face a 12-month jail term. Read more...
Tycoon denies “sham” bankruptcy as marriage failed (13 November 2013)
The High Court has heard that a wealthy tycoon may have concealed his wealth because of his divorce. Read more...
Legal Aid reforms result in fewer divorcing couples seeking mediation (13 November 2013)
A leading mediator has said that since the introduction of LASPO in April 2013 he has received 50% fewer enquiries about mediation from divorcing couples – and couples opting for mediation in divorce negotiations have dropped by one-third. Read more...
Oxford charity reports rise in homeless young adults (13 November 2013)
A local youth homelessness charity in Oxfordshire has reported higher levels of homelessness among young adults in the year to April 2013. Read more...
South Yorkshire Police Force must address child sex exploitation “as a matter of urgency” (13 November 2013)
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) has said South Yorkshire Police Force must address its response to child sex exploitation crimes as a matter of urgency, after an investigation found that the force was still prioritising car crimes and burglary. Read more...
Children and Families Bill amendment “could see child protection privatised” (13 November 2013)
An amendment to the Children and Families Bill going through the House of Lords may mean more private providers taking over failing child protection services from Local Authorities. Read more...
Housing shortages force councils to relocate families away from London (13 November 2013)
Housing shortages in the private sector and benefit caps have forced an increasing number of families to move from central London according to new figures released by Inside Housing magazine.
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Immigrants make positive net contribution to UK (12 November 2013)
UK immigrants have made a substantial contribution to the fiscal system during the last decade according to new research by the University College London. Read more...
Sunderland man in coma after Magaluf Holiday Accident (12 November 2013)
A father from Washington who fractured his skull after falling at his hotel in the Spanish resort of Magaluf spent three weeks in an induced coma before being flown back home to Newcastle. Read more...
Longer sentences for violent rapists (12 November 2013)
The new chairman of the Sentencing Council, Lord Justice Treacy, is calling for a minimum jail sentence of 15 years for violent rapists. Read more...
West Midlands asbestos victim wins six-figure payout (11 November 2013)
A man who developed mesothelioma as a result of contact with asbestos at work has won a six-figure sum in compensation. Read more...
Three-month suspended sentence for PI claim inaccuracies (11 November 2013)
A 60-year-old woman has been given a suspended prison sentence, after a court found that she had exaggerated an injury to her knee after tripping and falling, in order to make a huge personal injury (PI) claim. Read more...
Africans persecuted for sexuality “eligible for asylum”, rules EU (11 November 2013)
The European Court of Justice has ruled that Africans at risk of being imprisoned in their home countries for being homosexual are entitled to asylum in EU member states. Read more...
MoJ to introduce expert witness standards (11 November 2013)
The Ministry of Justice is aiming to tackle the biggest factor leading to childcare case delays in the UK by implementing new standards for expert witnesses. Read more...
Grandfather awarded £1.5m compensation after losing leg (8 November 2013)
A grandfather from Bradford has been awarded £1.5 million in compensation after filing a personal injury and medical negligence claim against the NHS following a series of botched operations. Read more...
Dog which attacked four-year-old not listed under the Dangerous Dogs Act (7 November 2013)
More details are emerging about the death of a four-year old girl who died after being bitten by the family’s pet dog. Read more...
High Court rules terrorism detainees entitled to face-to-face legal advice at police stations (7 November 2013)
Law Society intervention into a Judicial Review against the Metropolitan Police has resulted in a High Court judge ruling that terrorist suspects are entitled to see a solicitor in person – and not just receive legal advice over the telephone. Read more...
Judges reject benefit cap legal challenge (6 November 2013)
Senior judges have rejected a legal challenge by three single mothers and their children against the government^s benefit cap policy that imposes a £500 weekly limit on benefits for lone parents that do not qualify for working tax credit. Read more...
Judges reject benefit cap legal challenge (6 November 2013)
Senior judges have rejected a legal challenge by three single mothers and their children against the government^s benefit cap policy that imposes a £500 weekly limit on benefits for lone parents that do not qualify for working tax credit. Read more...
Criminal courts should Skype to save money, says new Lord Chief Justice (6 November 2013)
The new Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas has suggested that defendants in criminal cases could phone in their testimony to courtrooms using Skype and other technology like FaceTime to save on court costs. Read more...
Essex police review cancer care records at Colchester hospital (6 November 2013)
Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust is facing a police investigation into whether inaccuracies in treatment records for cancer patients constitute criminal activity. Read more...
Hospital’s five-figure payout for emergency hysterectomy (4 November 2013)
The Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham has paid a five-figure sum to a woman who underwent a complete hysterectomy at the age of 19. Read more...
Dorset police launch domestic violence initiative as cases rise (4 November 2013)
Police in Dorset have issued a warning to those who carry out domestic violence, after this year’s figures revealed a huge rise in the number of cases reported in the county.
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Weekend prison riots may have been caused by staff shortages (4 November 2013)
The riot at Maidstone prison in Kent on Saturday (01/11/13) is thought to have been the result of a shortage of prison officers at the jail. Read more...
Jailed asylum seeker appeals against conviction (4 November 2013)
Lawyers have told an appeal court in Scotland that an asylum seeker from Algeria was wrongly convicted of funding terrorism. Read more...
Britain rejects rape victims asylum pleas (4 November 2013)
The Home Office has been accused of rejecting Asylum Claims from African women whose struggle has been championed by William Hague, the foreign secretary.
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