This article has been extracted from the Guardian Website here Legal watchdog warns budget cuts will damage justice Ministry’s proposals to reduce criminal legal aid budget by £220m is ‘unfair in principle’ and ‘risks undermining quality’ Depriving defendants of the ability to choose their own solicitor will undermine confidence in the criminal justice system, an [...]
About The Guardian
This article has been sourced from The Guardian which is a well respected national newspaper in the UK sympathising with left of centre political views. It has a well deserved reputation for highlighting miscarriages of justice.
The UK Supreme Court cuts the compensation awarded to a life-sentence prisoner
May 8, 2013 from Leave a Comment
“The UK supreme court has cut the compensation awarded to a life-sentence prisoner whose original release was delayed from £10,000 to £6,500, in a ruling that will nonetheless lead to payouts for scores of convicted murderers, rapists and other violent prisoners.” Full Story: The Guardian here
Conviction rates for rape and domestic violence cases have risen to an all time high
May 3, 2013 from Leave a Comment
This is an extract from a a more detailed report which appeared on the Guardian website here on 23rd April. Conviction rates for rape and domestic violence cases have risen to an all time high, the director of public prosecutions (DPP) has revealed, amid criticism that too few cases are being brought to court. Figures released by the [...]
judge rules that Lord McAlpine’s libel action against Sally Bercow for alleged defamatory tweets will be split into two stages.
April 17, 2013 from Leave a Comment
Lord McAlpine’s libel action against Sally Bercow for alleged defamatory tweets will be split into two stages, a judge has ruled. Lord McAlpine has won the first stage of his libel battle against Sally Bercow, the Commons speaker’s wife, after a high court judge ruled that the trial should be split into two stages. Lawyers for [...]
Yes, suspects are sometimes innocent – but secret arrests are not the answer
April 12, 2013 from Leave a Comment
In an interesting article in the Guardian (here) Joshua Rosenberg, discusses support from some senior judges that their should be a blanket ban on naming potential defendants in Court cases Senior judges have expressed support for a new system of secret arrests. The proposed blanket ban on naming suspects is supported by chief constables but [...]
teachers won record amounts of compensation last year after suffering accidents, injuries or assaults at school
April 5, 2013 from Leave a Comment
It has been reported in the Guardian that teachers won record amounts of compensation last year after suffering accidents, injuries or assaults at school, figures show. One secondary school teacher was awarded more than £382,000 after his arm was caught in a filing cabinet, and another won £240,000 after working in a poorly ventilated workshop [...]
Government to introduce new rules to limit unfair dismissal claims
April 4, 2013 from Leave a Comment
The Guardian have reported (here) that the government intend to introduce new legislation to make it easier for employer to get rid of staff A raft of changes to the way your employer can treat you will be introduced this summer in a bill that, critics say, will make it quicker and cheaper to sack staff. [...]
Legal aid is being ruled out of court
April 4, 2013 from Leave a Comment
There is rather glum and disturbing report in the Guardian (here) written by Liz Phillips and published on Saturday 23 March 2013 suggesting that far-reaching changes will effectively prevent anyone earning more than £20,000 a year from obtaining legal aid. From the beginning of April 2013 the chances of getting help with legal bills will be slim. The [...]
Lord Chief Justice calls for research into effects on children of giving evidence in abuse cases
April 3, 2013 from Leave a Comment
According to an article in the Guardian by Owen Bowcott, legal affairs correspondent, published on the 20th March, Lord Judge, the Lord Chief Justice calls for research into effects on children of giving evidence in abuse cases. Research should be carried out into the long-term affects on those who give evidence about sexual abuse when they [...]
The three women fighting to clear their loved ones’ names
March 18, 2013 from Leave a Comment
The three women fighting to clear their loved ones’ names What is it like if your brother or son is convicted of murder when you are convinced they are innocent? Three women who have fought for years to prove their loved ones’ innocence tell their story. Read their stories on Guardian Online here and guardian.co.uk/video.
Couple falsely accused of child abuse win damages from Haringey council
March 18, 2013 from Leave a Comment
This item appeared on the Guardian website on the 14th March 2012. Couple falsely accused of child abuse win damages from Haringey council Pair plunged into ‘nightmare’ after anonymous tipoff about treatment of daughter are awarded £2,000 damages in high court Haringey civic centre in Wood Green, north London. The council mishandled its investigation, giving [...]
New CPS report shows that while false allegations must be taken seriously they are relatively rare and are often complex cases
March 13, 2013 from Leave a Comment
Writing in the Guardian (here) Keir Starmer QC, director of public prosecutions and head of the Crown Prosecution Service. says .. The Crown Prosecution Service has come a long way in dealing with cases involving violence against women and girls. In the last year (2011-12) we have seen the conviction rate rise to 73%, delivering the [...]
Prosecutor demands overhaul of sexual abuse investigations
March 12, 2013 from Leave a Comment
This article first appeared in the Guardian (here) on 6th March. Keir Starmer warns justice system cannot afford ‘another Savile moment’ and announces panel to review historic complaints Sweeping changes to the way alleged sex offenders in England and Wales are investigated must be introduced in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal and other child exploitation [...]
Crime Statistics for England & Wales: violent crime and sexual offences
February 11, 2013 from Leave a Comment
The Guardian have published an article following publication of Crime Statistics for England & Wales: violent crime and sexual offences Over 2.1 million violent incidents were recorded in 2011/12 by the Crime Survey for England and Wales. See what the latest figures say • Download the data • More crime data • More data journalism and data visualisations from [...]
Mid Staffs report: NHS culture was the culprit
February 11, 2013 from Leave a Comment
This extract has been taken from the The Guardian on 6th February 2013. The scale of Robert Francis’s report cannot be overestimated – and neither can the magnitude of cultural change it calls for In answering the question of why hundreds of patients died needlessly at the Mid Staffordshire trust in the years between 2005 [...]
Court of appeal quashes convictions of five men for murder
January 10, 2013 from Leave a Comment
This is an extract of an item which appears on the Guardian website on 8th Jan 2013 The court of appeal has quashed the murder convictions of five men convicted of a gangland killing after hearing of failures to reveal potentially crucial evidence to the defence. The five men were serving life sentences totalling a minimum of [...]
Retired teacher speaks out about his vilification by the press
November 27, 2012 from Leave a Comment
Christopher Jefferies , a retired teacher speaks out about his vilification by the press after his wrongful arrest for the murder of Joanna Yeates and still waiting for an apology. Full story The Guardian, 24th November 2012
Judicial review statistics: how many cases are there and what are they about?
November 26, 2012 from Leave a Comment
The government wants to restrict judicial review cases. But how common are they anyway? • Download the data • More data journalism and data visualisations from the Guardian
43 victims seeking damages for alleged sexual abuse by Jimmy Saville
November 6, 2012 from Leave a Comment
Jimmy Savile’s estate, the BBC and five other institutions including Stoke Mandeville hospital have been issued with formal notice that they face legal action from 43 victims seeking damages for alleged sexual abuse.” Full story The Guardian, 5th November 2012
Chief Inspector of Prisons critical of Wakefield Jails work with sex offenders and those who maintain their innocence
October 18, 2012 from Leave a Comment
Little or no effective work is being done with some of the most serious sex offenders behind bars, the chief inspector of prisons says in a report published on Friday. Nick Hardwick says in the report that almost half the 750 men held at Wakefield high security prison, many of whom are serious sex offenders, [...]
Former Met police officer admits to faking police reports, failing to pass on evidence and other serious errors
September 17, 2012 from Leave a Comment
This is an extract from a story published in the Guardian on 12 September 2012 An investigator from the Metropolitan police specialist sex crimes unit has admitted failing to investigate the alleged rapes and sexual assaults of 12 women by faking police reports, failing to pass on forensic evidence and not interviewing suspects. The activities of detective [...]
Deputy headteacher cleared of assaulting unruly pupil
September 6, 2012 from Leave a Comment
This article has been extracted from the Guardian website on the 16th August 2012. A deputy headteacher has been cleared of assaulting a pupil. Royden Cope, 63, was accused of restraining the boy by his wrists and then slapping him across the face. The incident, in March, was witnessed by another teacher at the Lancashire [...]
Policemans disciplinary record not disclosed to Jury
August 7, 2012 from Leave a Comment
The following article by Paul Lewis appeared on Guardian Online on 20th July PC Simon Harwood has been cleared of manslaughter of newspaper vendor Ian Tomlinson during G20 protests. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images The Metropolitan police attempted to keep the disciplinary record of PC Simon Harwood secret from the family of Ian Tomlinson, the newspaper seller he struck [...]
Prisoner who has spent 16 years in prison for a crime he says he did not commit may soon be freed
August 7, 2012 from Leave a Comment
The following article by Gywn Topham appeared in Guardian Online on Wednesday 18 July 2012 Part of Wakefield prison, Yorkshire, where Victor Nealon is serving a discretionary life sentence. Photograph: Gareth Copley/PA A man who has spent almost 16 years in prison for a crime he always denied committing may soon be freed after DNA traces [...]
Employment Protection – just how safe are we
June 6, 2012 from Leave a Comment
The following article, by Philip Landau who is an employment lawyer at Landau Zeffertt Weir Solicitors recently appeared on the Guardian website here So, Vince Cable doesn’t like “firing at will”, a recommendation from Adrian Beecroft’s report that made headlines. Workers are therefore safe. Or are they? How easy is it in practise for UK employers to fire employees in [...]