Legal News Articles
15 months for drug producer busted after police are called to domestic incident (28 August 2015)
A personal trainer discovered to have a cannabis factory at his home after police attended a domestic violence incident has told a court he grew the drug as a medication to help him overcome his own attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Read more...
Sharp increase in number of under-18s in Norfolk and Suffolk referred to mental health services since 2011 (28 August 2015)
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show a huge rise in the number of young adults in Norfolk and Suffolk being referred to mental health services between 2011-2012 and 2014-2015. Read more...
Deutsche Bank employees “questioned over Libor rate fixing” (28 August 2015)
A report from Bloomberg has alleged that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is questioning current and former employees of Frankfurt-based German bank Deutsche Bank over Libor rate-rigging. Read more...
Possible jail sentence for angry ex who uploaded revenge porn (28 August 2015)
A 52-year-old man from Catford in southeast London may face jail after he uploaded revenge porn images of his ex online and invited her friends to view them. Read more...
UK net migration reaches record high (27 August 2015)
The Office for National Statistics has said that net migration to the UK has reached an all-time high, reaching 330,000 in the year to March. Read more...
Net migration target “threatening British business” (27 August 2015)
Think tank the Institute of Directors has said that David Cameron’s policy on immigration is damaging business in the UK – and “radical policies” to prevent migrants coming to the UK will damage the economy. Read more...
Early release junctions launched in London to protect cyclists (27 August 2015)
Transport for London has launched the UK’s first road junction designed to protect cyclists from being hit by vehicles turning left at a junction. Read more...
Conservative think tank recommends review of net migration target (27 August 2015)
An influential Conservative think tank has said that the government should drop the net migration target of “tens of thousands”. Read more...
Unregistered gas fitter handed suspended prison sentence (27 August 2015)
A chef who carried out gas fitting work using a fake Gas Safe registration has been given a suspended sentence at Norwich Crown Court. Read more...
Unregistered gas fitter handed suspended prison sentence (27 August 2015)
A chef who carried out gas fitting work using a fake Gas Safe registration has been given a suspended sentence at Norwich Crown Court. Read more...
Housing completions up – bit just half the homes needed are being built (27 August 2015)
Latest housing figures show that completions in both the private housing sector and among housing associations increased in the second quarter of 2015. Read more...
Jail for stag party guest who admitted threatening behaviour and criminal damage (27 August 2015)
A stag party guest who smashed up a bar has been jailed for 16 weeks at Preston Magistrates’ Court.< Read more...
16-year-old Manchester girl pleads guilty to terrorism charges (27 August 2015)
A 16-year-old schoolgirl from Manchester has pleaded guilty to two offences under section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000 at Manchester Magistrates’ Youth Court. Read more...
Former intelligence agent wins battle against eviction by Islington Council’s housing department (26 August 2015)
A former MI5 officer has won his battle against eviction by Islington Council, after being told that he was spending too much time away from his council property. Read more...
Home Office deports Canadian woman married to British man for 45 years (26 August 2015)
A 67-year-old woman from Canada has been banned from entering the UK to be with her husband of 45 years because Border Agency officials say they do not have evidence their relationship is “genuine”. Read more...
Young mother dies as a result of being too young for cervical cancer test (26 August 2015)
A 24-year-old mother from Blackpool has died from cervical cancer, after doctors refused her a smear test because she was too young. Read more...
EU exit referendum fears spark rise in UK nationality applications (25 August 2015)
According to Guardian research applications for UK nationality are on the rise ahead of next year’s EU referendum. Read more...
Investigation finds councils taking children into care over parents’ gaming, smoking habits and dental health neglect (25 August 2015)
An investigation by The Sun has found that children are being taken into care over fears they may become addicted to playing computer games. Read more...
DoH rejects Labour figures suggesting CCGs have cut mental health funding this year (25 August 2015)
The Department of Health (DoH) has rejected allegations by Labour that mental health budgets in England have fallen in the year 2015-2016 – and the government has failed to keep its promise to boost mental health spending. Read more...
London landlord fined more than £75,000 for Housing Act breaches (25 August 2015)
Ealing Council in west London has fined a landlord more nearly £70,000, after council officers visited four unlicensed HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) in 2014, owned by Gunapalan Vamathevan, also known as Mr Bala. Read more...
Inquest hears how alleged neighbour dispute drove pensioner to take his own life (25 August 2015)
An inquest has heard how a 69-year-old widower took his own life because he felt ashamed at not being able to cope with the alleged bullying of neighbours. Read more...
Inquest hears how alleged neighbour dispute drove pensioner to take his own life (25 August 2015)
An inquest has heard how a 69-year-old widower took his own life because he felt ashamed at not being able to cope with the alleged bullying of neighbours. Read more...
A year after Jay Report, few Rotherham abuse survivors “seeking help” (24 August 2015)
A year after the Jay Report into sexual abuse in Rotherham, it is reported that just a few survivors of the abuse have sought help in dealing with the effects of the abuse. Read more...
Average UK rent now £937 per month, as number of “tax haven” landlords spirals (24 August 2015)
Research by the UK’s largest property service company Countrywide shows that, in July, the average UK monthly rent rose to £937, with central London seeing the largest rise in rents at 6.8%. Read more...
Changes to fostering rules a “spectacular success”, as more children remain with foster parents after age of 18 (24 August 2015)
Children and Families Minister Edward Timpson has hailed a new government scheme under which local councils are required to support children who stay with their foster parents beyond the age of 18 as “a spectacular success”. Read more...
Elderly benefit fraudsters spared jail (24 August 2015)
A court has spared an elderly couple from jail, after they committed a £75,000 benefit fraud. Read more...
Court hears how “jealous and controlling” ex-boyfriend paid others to disfigure woman who dumped him (24 August 2015)
Jurors at Ipswich Crown Court have heard how a beautician has been left permanently scarred and also lost an ear after her jilted boyfriend organised two attacks on her in revenge. Read more...
HSE prosecutes after elderly tenant is put at risk of CO poisoning by faulty gas work (24 August 2015)
A Gloucester firm has been successfully prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), after work carried out on a gas heater left an elderly tenant at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Read more...
British Skin Foundation issues warning about black henna tattoos (24 August 2015)
The British Skin Foundation has issued a warning about the dangers of henna tattoos and reactions some people may have to them. Read more...
Hackney tenant evicted for anti-social behaviour after breaching SPO (24 August 2015)
A social housing tenant in Hackney, east London has been evicted after physically assaulting neighbours and causing “relentless” verbal abuse. Read more...
Housing (Wales) Act 2014 may have wider implications for UK policies on homelessness (24 August 2015)
The findings of a state-of-the nation report in Wales – The Homelessness Monitor: Wales 2015 – has found that welfare reforms and cuts introduced by the UK government could undermine any progress achieved in supporting homeless people in Wales. Read more...
Duncan Lewis Solicitors obtain unprecedented generic injunction from the Court of Appeal in relation to removals to Afghanistan. (24 August 2015)
Duncan Lewis Solicitors obtain unprecedented generic injunction from the Court of Appeal in relation to removals to Afghanistan. A significant portion of those due to removed on charter flight on 25 August 2015 have been granted a stay on their removal. Read more...
Jail sentence for former social housing officer who committed £66,000 fraud (21 August 2015)
A former social housing employee has been given a two-and-a-half year prison sentence, after being convicted of housing fraud in July at Kingston Crown Court. Read more...
Five-figure payout for cruise passenger suffering from Legionnaire’s disease (21 August 2015)
Cruise operator Fred Olsen Lines had denied liability for Legionnaire’s disease contracted by a passenger, but has agreed a five-figure out-of-court settlement. Read more...
Important Information for Any Afghan Detainee Due to be Removed on Charter Flight to Afghanistan on 25th August 2015 (20 August 2015)
On the 19th August 2015, Lord Justice Clarke granted permission to appeal in the case of Naziri & Ors, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (JR – scope - evidence (IJR) [2015] UKUT 437 (IAC) (27 July 2015). Read more...
Property tycoon “heading for one of UK’s largest divorce settlements” (20 August 2015)
A property tycoon worth an estimated £200 million is facing one of the UK’s largest divorce payouts, after separating from his wife of 18 years. Read more...
Paper mill prosecuted after operations manager dies in unguarded machinery (20 August 2015)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has successfully prosecuted a paper mill, after a worker died after becoming trapped in unguarded machinery. Read more...
Jail for money laundering bar worker with fake driving licences and passport (20 August 2015)
Council officers who visited a shisha bar in Huddersfield to check smoking regulations uncovered fake documents, including fake driving licences, which were being used to launder money. Read more...
Tougher visa rules for foreign workers could backfire, say immigration advisors (19 August 2015)
Moves by the Prime Minister David Cameron to toughen visa rules for foreign workers could backfire by forcing British companies to expand overseas and hitting the quality of university research, the government’s immigration advisers have warned. Read more...
Police who use stop and search without reasonable suspicion may face sanctions from community panels (19 August 2015)
Police officers who make unnecessary stop and searches will face a community panel if a member of the public complains – and will have to apologise face-to-face to the complainant. Read more...
Suspended sentence for £33,000 benefit fraud (19 August 2015)
A 57-year-old woman from Cumbria has been spared jail after being convicted of a £33,000 benefit fraud. Read more...
Child rapist recalled to prison after new girlfriend contacts police about his past (19 August 2015)
A man convicted of child sex offences has been jailed after being released from prison and going on to commit a further offence under the Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). Read more...
Company accountant hands himself in after defrauding firm of £20,000 (19 August 2015)
A company accountant who handed himself into police on the day there was an audit of the company he worked for managed to defraud his employers of £20,045.78, a court has heard. Read more...
Lambeth Council bans use of “laughing gas” in public places (18 August 2015)
Lambeth Council has become the first local authority to ban the use of nitrous oxide – laughing gas – as a recreational drug in public places. Read more...
Fine for woman after bull mastiff breaks man’s shoulder and attacks his dog (18 August 2015)
A woman who was walking her daughter’s bull mastiff dog has admitted a charge of having a dog dangerously out-of-control causing injury, after the dog attacked another owner and his dog in a country lane. Read more...
Government investigates “pull factor” of Britain’s free State schools in immigration crackdown (18 August 2015)
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has ordered an investigation into how much of a “pull factor” Britain’s State schools are for migrants settling in the UK. Read more...
Four-year prison sentence for mother who branded “Smiley face” on baby daughter’s cheek with cigarette lighter (18 August 2015)
A mother who “branded” her baby’s face with a “Smiley face” using a cigarette lighter has been jailed for child cruelty at Leicester Crown Court. Read more...
Mother calls for training review after inquest rules Tasering contributed to son’s death (18 August 2015)
A mother whose son died after being Tasered by police officers is calling for more to be done to prevent another such death. Read more...
Cancer misdiagnosis for teenager told by GPs she had a sports injury (17 August 2015)
A 16-year-old girl diagnosed as having a pulled muscle by her GP was later told by A&E doctors that she had the rare cancer Ewings Sarcoma. Read more...
Coroner to investigate death of soldier on training exercise (17 August 2015)
The death of a solder who died in a canoeing accident on a training exercise is to be investigated by the Coroner. Read more...
Shelter claims MoJ eviction data show “human cost of housing crisis” (17 August 2015)
Housing charity Shelter has criticised the latest Ministry of Justice (MoJ) eviction figures, which the charity claims show the “human cost” of the housing crisis. Read more...
Engineering firm fined for bypassing safety guards on machines (17 August 2015)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has successfully prosecuted a northeast engineering firm for deliberately compromising the safety guards on machinery for production reasons. Read more...
Six-year-old whose GP diagnosed “poorly tummy” has golfball-sized brain tumour removed (17 August 2015)
A six-year-old boy diagnosed by a GP as having “a poorly tummy” was later found by doctors to be suffering from a brain tumour the size of a golf ball. Read more...
Seven arrested in UK’s largest gun smuggling seizure (17 August 2015)
Police have arrested seven people in the UK’s largest ever seizure of gun smuggled into Britain. Read more...
“Hound of Hounslow” City trader released on £2.5m bail (17 August 2015)
A City trader who was dubbed “The Hound of Hounslow” has been released on bail, after admitting he had £30 million-worth of assets. Read more...
Magistrates’ Courts “in crisis” over Criminal Court Charge (17 August 2015)
Magistrates are warning that the Criminal Court Charge introduced by the Ministry of Justice earlier this year has resulted in the resignation of 30 magistrates in the last few weeks. Read more...
Asylum activist says reduction in weekly support rates will lead to asylum seekers going without food (17 August 2015)
The chair of Huddersfield-based DASH (Destitute Asylum Seekers Huddersfield) has criticised the government for deciding to end “lifeline” support for destitute children. Read more...
Grade A student unable to apply for student loan because of immigration status (17 August 2015)
A student with four grade A’s at A level has been told he will not be eligible for a student loan because of his immigration status. Read more...
Manchester mother who abducted sons five years ago arrested and charged in Canada (17 August 2015)
A mother who abducted her two sons and threatened to take them back to her home country of Somalia five years ago has been arrested in Canada. Read more...
Mesothelioma patient “dies with dignity” at Swiss clinic, after calling for decriminalisation of assisted suicide (17 August 2015)
A man who wanted his death to bring about a change in assisted death laws has died at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland. Read more...
Lack of housing supply continues to fuel house prices, says RICS (17 August 2015)
The latest RICS UK Residential Market Survey for July has found that house prices are continuing to rise due to continued demand and lack of stock. Read more...
Social housing vacancies across England and Wales “at their highest in Blackpool” (17 August 2015)
New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the London Borough of Newham in east London has the highest average social rent in England and Wales – and Blackpool has the highest proportion of empty social housing across England and Wales. Read more...
New guidance on mental health disclosure published today (17 August 2015)
The Home Office has issued new guidance on disclosure of mental health conditions to employers. Read more...
Figures show NHS is frequently missing cancer targets, ambulance targets and routine surgery targets (14 August 2015)
New figures show that NHS patients’ lives are being put at risk, as delays in cancer scans, surgery delays and missed ambulance targets worsen. Read more...
Report suggests raising minimum salary for Tier-2 skilled workers might help government achieve immigration target (14 August 2015)
A report by the Home Office Migration Advisory Committee has proposed new rules on the recruitment of workers from overseas, which could prevent British firms from recruiting skilled Tier-2 workers from non-EU countries. Read more...
New figures show that NHS patients’ lives are being put at risk, as delays in cancer scans and surgery and missed ambulance targets worsen. (14 August 2015)
Delays for some procedures have reached their worst level for seven years, the Daily Mail reports. Read more...
Pair jailed for fraudulent whiplash claim (13 August 2015)
A semi-pro football player and former Miss England contestant has been jailed for two months, after being convicted of making a fraudulent insurance claim for whiplash following a car accident in Birmingham City Centre. Read more...
Gym enthusiast takes legal action after losing a stone in weight from salmonella holiday illness (13 August 2015)
A holidaymaker who had to take more than a month off work after contracting salmonella in Egypt is suing the tour operator for compensation. Read more...
Council investigates landlord for renting out room with mat on the floor (13 August 2015)
A landlord is to be investigated after housing officers from Newham Council in east London were informed about a tiny bedroom he was renting to a tenant for £500 a month, which only had a mat on the floor to sleep on. Read more...
Glasgow bin lorry driver may face prosecution in England or Wales (13 August 2015)
An inquiry into the Glasgow bin lorry crash has heard that the driver of the refuse lorry, Harry Clarke, 58, may be tried in England or Wales after escaping prosecution in Scotland. Read more...
Police force refuses to name suspects wanted for violent crimes, citing data protection rules (12 August 2015)
West Midlands Police have refused to give the names of suspects on the run for serious crimes like murder and rape, saying that revealing their identities would breach data protection laws. Read more...
Pensioners sold “Frankenstein” investment to lose home after Treasury asset company threatens repossession (12 August 2015)
A couple who were mis-sold a “foolproof” investment plan and ended up £376,000 in debt are to lose their home, despite not owing any mortgage arrears and the Financial Ombudsman Service finding in their favour. Read more...
Yarl’s Wood immigration detention centre now “of national concern” (12 August 2015)
The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Nick Hardwick has said Yarl^s Wood immigration detention centre in Bedfordshire is failing vulnerable women. Read more...
Duncan Lewis Solicitors Welcome Birmingham Childcare Director Richard Gray (11 August 2015)
Legal 500 "Top-Tier" law firm Duncan Lewis Solicitors are pleased to announce the recent arrival of Childcare Director Richard Gray to the firm^s Birmingham branch. Read more...
Aina Khan to discuss whether to challenge the status of the Nikkah at To Register or Not to Register (11 August 2015)
Aina Khan will be discussing whether to challenge the status of the Nikkah at To Register or Not to Register event on the 2nd October 2015. Read more...
Couple take legal advice over Egypt holiday illness (11 August 2015)
A couple are taking legal action after developing severe symptoms of sickness and diarrhoea while on holiday at the Jaz Mirabel Hotel in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt. Read more...
14-year-old receives 11-year extended sentence for stabbing teacher (11 August 2015)
Bradford Crown Court has handed down an 11-year extended sentence to a 14-year-old boy who stabbed a teacher in a racially motivated attack. Read more...
Polish workers to stage “unofficial strike” over fears they are being blamed for UK’s economic problems (11 August 2015)
Polish workers in the UK are set to stage a strike in protest over concerns they are being blamed for the UK’s economic problems. Read more...
Minister pledges on crackdown on “rogue employers” hiring illegal immigrants (10 August 2015)
Immigration Minister James Brokenshire has warned companies that employ illegal workers will face the “full force of government machinery”. Read more...
Landlords renting to illegal immigrants to face five years prison (10 August 2015)
Landlords renting property to illegal immigrants could face up to five years in jail in a move as part of a drive to make it harder for migrants to live in the UK with no right to be in the country. Read more...
Gang plead guilty to £30,000 crash for cash motor insurance scam (10 August 2015)
A gang which nearly netted £30,000 from a crash for cash insurance scam was caught out when a motorist who had heard about the scams installed a dash-cam in his car and filmed one of the road collisions. Read more...
Former senior council manager spared jail for £21,000 fraud (10 August 2015)
A senior manager at Manchester City Council has been spared jail after being convicted of fraud against the council. Read more...
Jail for former detective who committed mortgage fraud to pay gambling debts (10 August 2015)
A former Norfolk police officer has been convicted of charges relating to mortgage fraud and an endowment policy he and his former wife held. Read more...
Caution for Manchester mother who left her children “home alone” without food or heating to go on winter holiday (10 August 2015)
A mother who left her two young children alone at home without food, gas or heating has been spared court action and has been given a caution. Read more...
Biochemist turned bigamist spared jail (10 August 2015)
A court has spared a leading biochemist jail, after he was found guilty of committing bigamy. Read more...
Father fights three-year battle for daughter he was told had been aborted (10 August 2015)
A court has jailed a mother and her gay friend, after she duped the father of the child she had given birth to into believing she had aborted their daughter. The mother had gone on to have the baby – but had given her daughter to a gay friend. Read more...
UK more receptive to migration than other countries – with 3 in 10 Brits feel immigration “benefits Britain” (10 August 2015)
A new survey from Ipsos Mori on global attitudes towards migration has found that the UK is more positive than the US or Germany towards immigration – with three out of ten saying migration benefits Britain. Read more...
Failings in mental health services in Cumbria “putting children and young adults at risk” (10 August 2015)
The National Autistic Society (NAS) has said that serious systemic failings in mental health services for children and young people in Cumbria are putting patients at a higher risk of self-harm and suicide. Read more...
Cross-party councils’ challenge to new housing policies ends with High Court quashing “government gift” to developers (10 August 2015)
A High Court ruling has quashed the government’s plans to “banish the blight” of empty buildings to boost house building – and release developers from stealth taxes which “hinder regeneration”. Read more...
Five nurses at South Wales care home found guilty of misconduct by NMC (10 August 2015)
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has said that patients at the centre of the UK^s biggest inquiry into alleged neglect, died as a result of poor care in a care home in South Wales. Read more...
Family take legal advice after daughter falls ill from sleeping in “mouldy” hotel room on dream holiday to Florida (10 August 2015)
A family’s dream holiday to Florida has allegedly left their daughter suffering ill health as a result of mould in their hotel room. Read more...
25-month jail sentence for domestic abuser judge called “cowardly, violent, manipulative and abusive” (10 August 2015)
A man who carried out violent attacks on his partner and sent her letters when he was in jail which made her feel “there was no escaping him” has been jailed at Bristol Crown Court. Read more...
Council tenant jailed for illegally subletting home and benefit fraud (10 August 2015)
Wood Green Crown Court in north London has jailed a council tenant found to be illegally subletting his three-bedroom council house in Canning Town, east London. Read more...
Plumber fined for error which caused explosion at residential property (10 August 2015)
The Health and Safety Executive has successfully prosecuted a self-employed plumber for safety failings which caused an explosion at a domestic property in Cambrian Way, Haslingden in Lancashire. Read more...
Building contractor fined after employee without harness or safety equipment falls from height (10 August 2015)
A building contractor from Norfolk has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), after an employee without a harness or safety equipment fell seven metres through a fragile roof. Read more...
Patients claim compensation after neurosurgeon is jailed for sexual abuse (7 August 2015)
Patients who were sexually abused by a leading neurosurgeon are suing the hospital where he worked for compensation. Read more...
Three UK fans arrested after rival football supporters clash in Netherlands (7 August 2015)
Southampton football club supporters have been involved in a violent clash with Dutch football fans in Arnhem, leading to the arrest of three Southampton fans and 50 supporters from the Netherlands. Read more...
More than one-third of UK motorists “oblivious to speed limits on roads” (7 August 2015)
A new survey by Co-op Insurance has found that many motorists do not know the speed limits on Britain’s roads, with 36% not able to say what the national limit is on a dual carriageway – 70mph. Read more...
MPs’ inquiry to look at Right-to-buy extension for housing association tenants (7 August 2015)
An inquiry by MPs into housing associations (HA) is to focus on the government’s proposed extension of right-to-buy, as well as the viability and sustainability of housing associations. Read more...
Phoney US general facing jail, after scamming £300,000 out of British women in romance fraud (6 August 2015)
A Nigerian national is facing a jail sentence after Scotland Yard uncovered a “sophisticated global network” which defrauded British women out of thousands of pounds in a romance fraud scam. Read more...
Ex-husband on trial for alleged revenge porn threat in child maintenance dispute (6 August 2015)
A court has heard how a divorced man threatened to publicly embarrass his ex-wife and ruin her employment chances by making public revenge porn after a dispute over child maintenance payments. Read more...
Students “put at risk” by landlords failing to carry out electrical repairs (6 August 2015)
The charity Electrical Safety First is warning that student lives are being put at risk by landlords who fail to carry out essential electrical maintenance in their properties. Read more...
Jail sentence for fraudulent claimant who claimed £85,000 in benefits to fund lavish lifestyle abroad (5 August 2015)
A benefits claimant who fraudulently claimed thousands of pounds while living in the Philippines has been jailed for 32 months by Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. Read more...
Military chief cannot have CCTV evidence of cycle collision “because he didn’t die” (5 August 2015)
A cyclist who was knocked unconscious in a hit-and-run collision as he cycled to work has written to the chairman of Transport for London (TfL) – London Mayor Boris Johnson – asking him to make available CCTV footage of road traffic incidents to those injured. Read more...
Small rise in high street lenders’ interest rates (5 August 2015)
Figures from online publisher Moneyfacts reveal that high street lenders have increased some of their mortgage rates – with an average two-year fixed rate mortgage with a 40% deposit rising from 1.81 per cent in June to 1.86 per cent in July. Read more...
Mother alleges son died from meningitis after 111 operator failed to despatch paramedics as a matter of urgency (5 August 2015)
A mother whose son died from meningitis after a mix up between the NHS 111 non-emergency phone line service and the London Ambulance Service has said that she has been let down by the NHS. Read more...
Private landlords to face five-year jail sentence for not evicting failed asylum seekers (4 August 2015)
The government has announced that private sector landlords who do not evict failed asylum seekers will face a prison sentence of five years. Read more...
ONS data show paramedics have 25 days off sick every year on average (4 August 2015)
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that paramedics are taking an average of 25 sick days off every year – an increase from 14.8 days the previous year. Read more...
UK among top six developed countries for retained surgical instrument errors (4 August 2015)
A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has revealed that hospitals in the UK are among the worst in the Western world for leaving surgical instruments inside patients after surgery. Read more...
ONS figures show private sector rents in England increased by 2.5% last year (4 August 2015)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) index of private housing rental prices has revealed that, in the last 12 months, private sector rents have risen by 2.5% across England. Read more...
51% of Europeans “optimistic” about the future of the EU despite immigration concerns (3 August 2015)
A Eurobarometer survey carried out across all 28 EU member states has shown that immigration is a concern for all EU countries, but most EU residents are “optimistic” about the future of the EU. Read more...
UK set to be the most populated EU member state by 2050 (3 August 2015)
New figures from Eurostat have suggested that the UK will become the EU’s most populated country by 2050, according to current immigration estimates. Read more...
Millionaire’s ex-wife jailed, after defying court order to leave her home (3 August 2015)
A millionaire’s ex-wife has been jailed, after she defied a court order to leave her home so that it could be sold as part of a clean break divorce settlement. Read more...
Police investigate London case involving FGM carried out on baby (3 August 2015)
Police in London are investigating the case of a baby from a British family of Malaysian origin, who was allegedly taken overseas for FGM when just a few months old. Read more...
More than half of Londoners want lorry ban during rush hour to prevent cycle accidents (3 August 2015)
A YouGov poll for London newspaper the Evening Standard has found that 55% of adults living in London think that HGVs should be banned from roads used by lorries during the rush hour, to protect cyclists. Read more...
London Ambulance Service launches new paramedic training academy (3 August 2015)
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) is to set up its own training academy to encourage more people from the UK to consider a career as a paramedic. Read more...
£143m boost for children’s mental health services (3 August 2015)
The government has announced that a further £143 million is to be spent on improving children^s mental health services in England this year. Read more...
Total of 38 years in jail for Bolton drug gang (3 August 2015)
A court in Manchester has jailed two brothers who ran a criminal network for more than 25 years, along with three accomplices. Read more...
Two convicted of manslaughter, following brawl which left off duty police officer dead (3 August 2015)
A court has convicted two men on manslaughter charges, after killing an off duty policeman in Liverpool last December – while a third man was acquitted of all charges. Read more...
88-year-old pensioner “tormented by local youths” is jailed after police officer spots antique gun in his car (3 August 2015)
An 88-year-old grandfather from Norfolk has been jailed for two years, after an antique gun was found fully loaded in his car, after he stopped to speak to a police officer about youths who were tormenting him. Read more...
Former housing association employee told to expect jail sentence for £66,000 social housing fraud (3 August 2015)
A former housing association employee is likely to be jailed for a £66,000 fraud she committed using her knowledge of the social housing sector. Read more...
Disabled pensioner fights parking fine after ticket machine was “out-of-order” (3 August 2015)
A disabled woman who was unable to buy a parking ticket at Shoreham Airport in Sussex because the nearest machine was out of order is fighting a parking fine of £60. Read more...
CPS to apologise for not rescheduling trial because witness was on holiday (3 August 2015)
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is to apologise to a school, after a case in which a man charged with stealing iPad tablet computers from the school was acquitted, after a member of staff who was a witness was found to be on holiday during the trial. Read more...