Our attention has been brought to a blog about the accusations made against Jimmy Saville. You have to drill down to get the full picture but at first glance it seems to be a somewhat sceptical account of the allegations made. However it does provide a useful description of the context in which the allegations [...]
Legal watchdog warns budget cuts will damage justice
May 21, 2013 from Leave a Comment
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 [...]
Cuts in legal aid in Criminal courts expected to reach £370m
May 21, 2013 from Leave a Comment
The Law Society Gazettee reports that The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that projected savings of £150m in fee cuts will not, as was expected, count towards required cuts of £220m a year – taking cuts in criminal legal aid to £370m. The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that projected savings of £150m in fee cuts [...]
Radio FOUR programme on the Investigation of Historic Abuse
May 21, 2013 from Leave a Comment
Radio Four are putting out a programme on Investigating Historic Abuse on Thursday at 8pm programme title ‘The Report’ which some FACT members have contributed to. Investigating Historic Abuse Duration: 28 minutes First broadcast: Thursday 23 May 2013 “The Jimmy Savile scandal has prompted a wave of new investigations into alleged sexual abuse of children and young people, some [...]
Home Secretary say criminal suspects who have been arrested should not normally be named until they are charged
May 17, 2013 from Leave a Comment
This is an extract from an article that appeared in The Independent on the 16th May 2013. Criminal suspects who have been arrested should not normally be named until they are charged, the Home Secretary has said. In a letter to the recently formed professional standards body, the College of Policing, Theresa May said she [...]
Article in The Times on the dangers of generating false claims of abuse
May 16, 2013 from Leave a Comment
There is an excellent article in the Times (subscription required) dated 10th May 2013 concerning the potential for false claims of abuse being made by those who had an association with Jimmy Saville (or any other celebrity or person). Well Worth reading.
After Savile: policing as entertainment. Article by Frank Furedi
May 15, 2013 from Leave a Comment
Our attention has been drawn to a challenging article by Frank Furedi published on Spike Online here It begins … After Savile: policing as entertainment Operation Yewtree isn’t about solving crime – it’s more like a reality TV format where the police’s aim is to thrill the paedo-fearing public. When, 50 years from now, historians look back [...]
Comment on Operation Pallial
May 15, 2013 from Leave a Comment
This blog by by Anna Racoon has recently been brought to our attention. It begins… When mollusca trawl their glutinous way across our landscape, they have the evolutionary advantage of a third eye to spot potential predators. It’s called the pallial eye. I thought I’d tell you something interesting pertaining to ‘Pallial’ before you all dropped dead from the excitement. The North Wales Police [...]
Three in four believe those accused of sexual assaults should be granted anonymity
May 8, 2013 from Leave a Comment
This article by Andrew Grice has been extracted from the Independent website here A poll by The Independent finds strong public support for the controversial view that suspects in sex cases should enjoy the same right to anonymity as defendants Three out of four people believe that people accused of rape and other sexual assaults should [...]
Duty of disclosure to be eased for ex-prisoners with convictions seeking insurance cover
May 3, 2013 from Leave a Comment
There is a very interesting article in Inside Time regarding difficulties faced by ex prisoners in obtaining insurance. Thanks largely to the efforts of Sale Insurance Services (SIS) insurance discrimination against ex prisoners is soon to be a thing of the past. “Things are improving year on year and this month (April 2013) a change [...]
Three in four believe those accused of sexual assaults should be granted anonymity.
May 2, 2013 from Leave a Comment
In an exclusive a poll in the The Independent (2nd May 2013) finds strong public support for the controversial view that suspects in sex cases should enjoy the same right to anonymity as defendants. Three out of four people believe that people accused of rape and other sexual assaults should have their identities protected until they [...]
Message from David Wood QC – Legal Aid and the Death of Justice
May 1, 2013 from Leave a Comment
Message from David Wood QC – Legal Aid and the Death of Justice ========================= This message appears on the Miscarriages of JusticeUK (MOJUK) News Service ========================= Save UK Justice I need your help. Not your money, or more of your time than you can give, just your help. This is a link to a petition [...]
Major law changes are turning the tide on the growing compensation culture
May 1, 2013 from Leave a Comment
The following Press release was been issued by the Ministry of Justice on the 1st May 2013. Major law changes are turning the tide on the growing compensation culture, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said today. Major law changes are turning the tide on the growing compensation culture which has forced up insurance premiums and left [...]
Two Justice Gap articles – both well worth reading.
April 15, 2013 from Leave a Comment
There are two excellent articles on the Justice Gap website, one written by Paul May about the demonisation of hospital nurses and the other by David Rose concerning the thorny topic of the relationship between defence law and journalists. Both well worth reading. Sketch by Isobel Williams In (Nurses) We Trust (?) Paul May kicks off [...]
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 [...]
Transforming Legal Aid: Delivering a more credible and efficient system.
April 9, 2013 from Leave a Comment
The Ministry of Justice have issued a consultation paper on proposed changes to the legal aid system. Transforming Legal Aid: Delivering a more credible and efficient system. Executive Summary This consultation sets out the Government’s proposals for further reform of the legal aid system in England and Wales. As set out in the Introduction, against [...]
Serious consideration to be given to keeping the names of suspects confidential until they are charged
April 9, 2013 from Leave a Comment
The Daily Telegraph report (here) that serious consideration is being given to keeping the names of suspects confidential until they are charged. Britain’s police chiefs are considering proposals that would mean names were only released once someone has been charged with an offence. The plans follow recommendations made by Lord Justice Leveson in his report [...]
Master of the Rolls gives speech on the ‘compensation culture’
April 4, 2013 from Leave a Comment
This post has been extracted from the Judiciary of England and Wales website Compensation culture: Fact or fantasy? Speech by Master of the Rolls 15/03/2013 In my Presidential address I want to examine ‘compensation culture’. This I imagine is something with which W. S. Holdsworth, notwithstanding his truly encyclopaedic knowledge of English law, would have been unfamiliar. [...]
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 [...]
David Aaronovitch says lets be careful in our assessment of victims of abuse and the falsely accused.
April 3, 2013 from Leave a Comment
There is an interesting article in The Times (March 21 2013) written by David Aaronovitch in which he attempts to balance out the often conflicting and competing claims of an imaginary person who was abused by a minor celebrity, and the claims of an imaginary innocent man who has been in the public eye. Imagine you are [...]
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 [...]
Justice Gap article: Default belief
March 14, 2013 from 4 Comments
Dr Ros Burnett has written an article, published on Justice Gap, in which she considers two distinct wrongs. One being sexually or violently assaulted, especially by someone more powerful than you. The other being wrongly accused and judged as someone who has done such a terrible deed. Both involve different sets of victims but share some common [...]
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 [...]
Jimmy Saville: A Report for the Director of Public Prosecutions by Alison Levitt Q.C.
January 13, 2013 from Leave a Comment
Jimmy Saville: A Report for the Director of Public Prosecutions by Alison Levitt Q.C. Extracted below is the the reports introductory summary and the conclusion. For a full understanding of the issues you should read the whole report (here) Introductory Summary This case concerns four allegations that the late Jimmy Savile indecently assaulted girls and [...]
Macur Review issues a call for evidence
January 11, 2013 from Leave a Comment
The Independent Review of the Waterhouse Tribunal will today publish an Issues Paper calling for views on the scope of the original Inquiry and whether or not it sufficiently investigated specific allegations of child abuse in North Wales care homes. Commenting on the call for further evidence, Mrs Justice Macur said: ‘To ensure I can [...]