Legal News Articles
Government has no plans to decriminalise drug possession, after Home Office report prompts heated debate (31 October 2014)
The government has said it has no plans to change drugs laws, after a report published by the Home Office suggested there was no link between stringent laws on drugs offences and a decline in illegal drug use. Read more...
“Generation rent” continues as young adults consider moving abroad to afford their own home (31 October 2014)
Research from Santander Mortgages has revealed that nearly one-quarter (23%) of young adults aged 18-24 would be prepared to move – including moving abroad – to be able to afford a home of their own. Read more...
NHS pledge to military veterans is failing, say leading clinicians (31 October 2014)
Veterans who have lost limbs in live combat or suffered other life-changing injuries while serving in the Armed Forces are not receiving the care promised by the government, say two leading professors. Read more...
DoH denies NHS is relying on migrant nurses more than ever (30 October 2014)
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has revealed that the number of nurses from overseas registering in the UK rose by 45% in the last year – showing how much the NHS is relying on overseas recruitment to maintain services. Read more...
Software tycoon in property battle with ex-wife (30 October 2014)
A software tycoon has told a divorce court that his former wife is a “psychopath” – while she has alleged he is “cruel, spiteful and wicked”. Read more...
Senior Tory backs limit on access to social housing for new migrants (30 October 2014)
Former Foreign Secretary William Hague – who became leader of the House of Commons in a Cabinet reshuffle – has responded to claims by the Mayor of Calais that for migrants waiting to cross the UK, the generous welfare system in Britain makes it “El Dorado”. Read more...
Mental health trust emphasises the importance of physical health for mental health patients (30 October 2014)
A public event organised for Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust’s Mental Health Month has heard from mental health professionals on the importance of maintaining good physical health for those with a mental health condition. Read more...
Amnesty criticises UK decision to end search and rescue missions in Mediterranean (29 October 2014)
Amnesty International UK has condemned the UK government’s decision to stop funding search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean, which save migrants who get into trouble making the crossing. Read more...
Gene link to violent crime (29 October 2014)
A study of 794 prisoners in Finland has identified two genes which may be partly responsible for violent crimes. Read more...
New asylum applications rise by 70% in first quarter, as immigration backlog grows (29 October 2014)
A report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee has revealed that waste and poor management within the UK’s immigration system has led to 50,000 asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected disappearing into the community – and a failed IT system which may have cost the taxpayer up to £1 billion. Read more...
Divorce judge rules wife an “unreliable witness” as couple battle over assets (29 October 2014)
A divorce court has been told that there is no evidence that a director of a wildlife trust set up to save the Chinese tiger used the charity’s income to fund a lavish personal lifestyle. Read more...
Mind calls for more Local Authority spending on mental health (28 October 2014)
Mental health charity Mind has said that local authorities are spending too little on mental health services. Read more...
Manchester firm fined £125,000 after employee is crushed to death in industrial accident (28 October 2014)
A Manchester-based firm has been fined £125,000 after an employee was killed when a steel container hit him. Read more...
Operation Mare Nostrum ends, prompting fears more migrants will drown crossing the Mediterranean (28 October 2014)
An announcement that the UK is cutting funding for migrant rescue services in the Mediterranean has prompted a backlash. Read more...
GPs now asked to identify child abuse, cyber-bullying and radicalisation (27 October 2014)
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has issued guidance to GPs on how to spot the signs of child abuse, cyber bullying, child trafficking and children who are being groomed in extremism. Read more...
Government consultation on building mental health units inside prisons (27 October 2014)
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling in considering plans to treat prisoners with mental health conditions inside specialist prison mental health units. Read more...
Amateur footballer may be jailed for assault on opponent during match (27 October 2014)
A footballer may be jailed after he headbutted an opponent so hard the victim was unconscious for six minutes. Read more...
Movember report finds men still “suffering in silence” about mental health issues (27 October 2014)
A new report published by Leeds Metropolitan University ahead of next month’s Movember campaign has revealed that less than one-third of men would confide in their partner if they were worried they had a mental health problem. Read more...
Home Secretary orders review into use of Tasers (27 October 2014)
Home Secretary Theresa May has ordered an official review into the use of Tasers by police forces across England and Wales, over concerns that the weapons are being used too often against the black community and people who are potentially vulnerable. Read more...
Couple fight over London property following Islamic divorce in Saudi Arabia (27 October 2014)
A Saudi sheikh is battling his ex-wife over a £20 million penthouse apartment in London, which she says she needs as a home, having moved to the capital after the collapse of her marriage. Read more...
Four years jail for man who defrauded brother of inheritance (27 October 2014)
A court has jailed a man for four years and three months, after he cheated his brother out of his £1.5 million inheritance. Read more...
Landmark council decision on basement development could protect more residents from nuisance and construction noise (27 October 2014)
Residents in a road in Kentish Town, northwest London, have won a legal battle to prevent a neighbour tunnelling under his existing property to create a basement bedroom. Read more...
Met Police launch special unit to tackle cyber crime and online fraud (27 October 2014)
The Metropolitan Police in London are launching a new initiative to tackle cyber crime, which costs the UK an estimated £56 billion every year. Read more...
Governments must focus more on protecting and promoting the fundamental human rights of migrants says UN special rapporteur (27 October 2014)
The UN special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, François Crépeau, has said that governments must focus more on protecting and promoting the fundamental human rights of migrants. Read more...
Norfolk student awaits Home Office decision on deportation to Afghanistan (27 October 2014)
Staff and pupils at East Norfolk Sixth Form are calling on two local MPs to help prevent the deportation of a student at the college back to Afghanistan. Read more...
Coroner calls for “Jade’s Law” to tighten up control of dangerous dogs (27 October 2014)
A Coroner is calling for dog licences to be re-introduced, following the death of a 14-year-old girl who was mauled by a pack of dogs at a friend’s house in Atherton, Manchester. Read more...
Living Rent Campaign demands fairer rents and five-year tenancies in Brighton and Hove (24 October 2014)
Campaigners have protested outside a council meeting in Brighton and Hove, where councillors were discussing a fair rent petition. Read more...
London’s Mayor’s affordable homes target may be missed (24 October 2014)
London Mayor Boris Johnson has admitted that his target of building 55,000 affordable homes in the capital by March 2015 may be missed. Read more...
Better communication with families of mental health patients’ urged by coroner (24 October 2014)
Assistant Coroner for Cornwall Andrew Cox has told Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust that its staff must communicate better with the families of mental health patients, following the death of a woman who had been detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act in the weeks before she died. Read more...
EU President calls for more freedom of movement across EU, as UK sees surge in support for membership (23 October 2014)
New research by pollsters Ipsos MORI has revealed that more people in the UK wish to remain in the EU as a result of the rise of UKIP. Read more...
Scrap metal firm fined after ignoring warnings about lead poisoning (23 October 2014)
A scrap metal firm based in Darwen, Lancashire has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), after workers were diagnosed with lead poisoning. Read more...
Nine-month jail term for law student who slapped sleeping woman round the face at a party (23 October 2014)
A student who assaulted a woman at a party by slapping her in the face with his penis while she was asleep has been jailed for nine months at Nottingham Crown Court. Read more...
More protection needed for wills and probate clients, says Ombudsman (23 October 2014)
The Legal Ombudsman is calling for more consumer protection for clients of wills and probate services. Read more...
Court of Protection rules schizophrenia patient can undergo planned Caesarean (22 October 2014)
A Court of Protection judge has ruled that a woman in her thirties who has paranoid schizophrenia can undergo a forced Caesarean section to protect her and her baby’s wellbeing. Read more...
More families refurbishing homes to accommodate adult children, says FMB (22 October 2014)
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has estimated that families in Britain will spend up to £6 billion on refurbishing their homes in the next three years, as spiralling property prices prevent many families from moving to a larger home. Read more...
69% increase in prison suicides in 2013-14 (22 October 2014)
The Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick has said that safety outcomes for prisoners have “significantly declined” in the last ten years, as prisons experience overcrowding, “unprecedented levels of violence” – and the highest level of suicide among inmates in a decade. Read more...
House prices rise in southeast, as homebuyers are forced out of London (21 October 2014)
New figures from online estate agent Rightmove show that homebuyers who have been forced out of London are fuelling a steep rise in house prices in the southeast of England. Read more...
Government considers changing law to ensure white collar crime is prosecuted (21 October 2014)
The government is reported to be considering making changes to the evidence required for prosecuting white collar crime, over concerns that too many company directors are avoiding prosecution even when their firms have broken the law. Read more...
New dangerous dog laws could see owners fined £20,000 or sentenced to 14 years in jail (21 October 2014)
Dog owners who fail to control their dogs could face fines of up to £20,000 in new legislation introduced on Monday (20/10/14). Read more...
Six-month driving ban for HGV driver who “miscalculated” low bridge (21 October 2014)
An HGV driver whose lorry became stuck under a low bridge has been banned from driving for six months by a court in Manchester. Read more...
UK proposals to cap EU migration “illegal” (20 October 2014)
The outgoing president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, has said that David Cameron’s proposals to limit EU migration to the UK are illegal. Read more...
Government acts on Internet trolls by quadrupling sentence to two years (20 October 2014)
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has announced that prison sentences for online trolls are to be increased from six months to two years. Read more...
Report into North Wales NHS dementia ward reveals “harrowing” catalogue of patient abuse (20 October 2014)
An independent report has concluded that there was institutional abuse of elderly dementia patients at a North Wales hospital – with some patients left to crawl on the floor in their own faeces and others being taunted by staff. Read more...
Home Office “in chaos” over Home Secretary’s withdrawal of asylum decisions (20 October 2014)
A document files in the Parliamentary Library shows that in the course of just one year, Home Secretary Theresa May withdrew thousands of Home Office decisions refusing asylum seekers the right to remain in the UK – leaving many migrants seeking asylum in Britain in “legal limbo”. Read more...
Career criminal avoids repaying £26,000 under Proceeds of Crime Act (20 October 2014)
A convicted criminal who as a teenager was described as a “one-boy crime wave” has avoided having to repay £26,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act, after he told Nottingham Crown Court the money had been stolen. Read more...
Boys and girls as young as ten brawl outside Tesco store (20 October 2014)
A ten-year-old boy was treated in hospital for facial injuries after a fight between 15 youths outside a branch of Tesco supermarket on Thursday (16/10/14). Read more...
MPs call for “urgent investigation” into missing Rotherham child abuse files (20 October 2014)
A report by the Home Affairs Select Committee into files which went missing from a researcher’s office during the Rotherham child abuse scandal has called for an urgent investigation into how the files went missing. Read more...
Landlords to check tenants’ immigration status from 1 December in West Midlands (20 October 2014)
The government has announced that the area chosen to pilot its scheme whereby private sector landlords have to check the immigration of tenants is the West Midlands. Read more...
Malaysian couple’s multi-million pound divorce “can be heard in UK” says High Court (20 October 2014)
Judges sitting in the Family Division of the High Court have ruled that the divorce of a Malaysian couple can be heard in London. Read more...
Speed limit for tractors will increase from March 2015 (20 October 2014)
The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that the speed limit for tractors will rise to 25mph from March 2015. Read more...
Birmingham and Solihull mental health patients “sent 200 miles” for inpatient crisis care (20 October 2014)
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust has said that demand for services has meant some mental health patients are being sent out of the area for treatment – and in some cases, Birmingham mental health patients are being forced to travel 200 miles to access crisis mental health services. Read more...
Migrants “more likely” to donate to charity and volunteer than native citizens (20 October 2014)
A Gallup poll has shown that immigrants in high-economy societies are more likely to give to charities than citizens from that country. Read more...
Family of newlywed who died from CO poisoning release film to warn others of dangers (20 October 2014)
The father of a new bride who died from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning has made a film to warn others of the dangers of CO poisoning. Read more...
Announcement about more support for litigants in person expected before Christmas (20 October 2014)
Justice Minister Simon Hughes has said the government is expected to make an announcement in the near future about addressing issues raised as a result of an increasing number of litigants in person in the civil court. Read more...
High Court grants Judicial Review of Legal Aid for inquests (17 October 2014)
The High Court has granted permission for a judicial review of Legal Aid for inquests. Read more...
Woman bailed after three-year-old is found alone on Kent road at midnight (17 October 2014)
A 28-year-old woman has been released on police bail after a three-year-old child was found wandering alone near Chatham Station in Kent at midnight on Wednesday (15/10/14). Read more...
Rise in benefit fraud attributed to split responsibility for fraud detection (17 October 2014)
The National Audit Office (NAO) has revealed that overpayments of Housing Benefit as a result of fraud rose from £980 million in the year 2010-2011 to nearly £1.4 billion in the year 2013-2014. Read more...
DPP clarifies guidance on assisted suicide and healthcare professionals (17 October 2014)
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Alison Saunders has clarified the position of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) regarding healthcare professionals and cases of assisted suicide, which is illegal in the UK. Read more...
Cycling accidents in London may be reduced by encouraging more women and elderly people to cycle (17 October 2014)
The London Mayor’s Cycling Commissioner Andrew Gilligan is calling fro a less “macho” approach by cyclists on London’s roads to try and help reduce road traffic accidents involving cyclists. Read more...
NHS trust denied the right to withdraw its compensation offer to brain-injury patient (16 October 2014)
A judge sitting in the High Court in London has refused to allow an NHS trust to withdraw an offer it made to a patient who suffered permanent brain injury after a fall. Read more...
Law Society-backed residential conveyancing portal from next Spring (16 October 2014)
The chief executive of a new residential conveyancing website has announced that the site – due to launch in spring 2015 – will be called “Veyo”. Read more...
Victim of FGM tells MPs safe houses are needed for at-risk girls (16 October 2014)
A victim of female genital mutilation (FGM) had told MPs that African girls at risk of FGM need safe houses to protect them from being cut. Read more...
Serious Fraud Solicitor Rajvindervinder Dayal joins Duncan Lewis Solicitors (15 October 2014)
Duncan Lewis Solicitors are pleased to announce that Serious Fraud Solicitor Rajvindervinder Dayal has joined the firm’s Crime Department. Read more...
Southwark Council agrees out-of-court settlement with unlawfully evicted tenant, whose possessions were destroyed (15 October 2014)
An asylum seeker has won substantial damages against Southwark Council in southeast London, after a court agreed that the council had conspired to evict him from his home – as well as destroying all of his possessions. Read more...
Youngsters should only be admitted to adult mental health units as a “rare event” (15 October 2014)
New NHS draft guidelines say that young adults and children in Wales with mental health problems should only be admitted to adult mental health units as a “rare event”. Read more...
G4S takes over healthcare in immigration detention centres (15 October 2014)
G4S has taken over healthcare at immigration detention centres across England, after being awarded seven-year contracts worth £24.3 million by NHS England. Read more...
“UK should relax immigration regulations” to tackle engineering shortages (14 October 2014)
A report by industry journal The Engineer reveals that the UK is being forced to recruit qualified engineers from overseas because of a shortage of trained engineers in Britain. Read more...
12-month community order for student convicted of “reckless handling” of five-week-old baby (14 October 2014)
A final year student at Sunderland University has pleaded guilty to assaulting a baby, after lifting the five-week-old infant into the air without supporting the child’s head. Read more...
World Mental Health Day celebrated in North East (14 October 2014)
Mental health professionals, campaigners and patients have marked World Mental Health Day in Newcastle with a day of action involving live performances, stalls and testimonies from former mental health patients. Read more...
“Revenge porn” criminal charge to be introduced (13 October 2014)
The government is to introduce a law which would make publishing pornographic photos of a sexual partner or former partner without their permission a criminal offence. Read more...
Human rights barrister calls for those on bail for sex offences to be charged within three months (13 October 2014)
Leading human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson QC has called for police to drop cases against those accused of historic sex crimes if charges cannot be brought within three months. Read more...
Government offers 22 councils more borrowing power to build affordable homes (13 October 2014)
Housing Minister Brandon Lewis has announced more government loans to help local councils build affordable housing. Read more...
Britain “now the single-parent capital of Western Europe” (13 October 2014)
New figures obtained from the EU data organisation Eurostat show that Britain has more single parent families than any other EU country, apart from Latvia in Eastern Europe. Read more...
Prison inquiry into why elderly and frail convicted killer was restrained during medical treatment (13 October 2014)
A prison watchdog has launched an inquiry into why a convicted paedophile in his eighties remained chained to a bed while undergoing chemotherapy and kidney dialysis. Read more...
Kent man jailed for three years for assisting dating fraud gang (13 October 2014)
The UK-based aide to a gang which used dating websites to defraud victims of thousands of pounds has been jailed by Southwark Crown Court in southeast London. Read more...
Landlords prosecuted after young family suffers carbon monoxide poisoning in rented house (13 October 2014)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted two landlords, after a couple and their baby were taken to hospital suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. Read more...
Patients with schizophrenia “should expect same quality of care” as NHS patients with physical conditions (13 October 2014)
The Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals and CQC lead for Mental Health, Dr Paul Lelliott, has said that helping people “lead full and active lives” is a goal that must be shared by those who provide care to schizophrenia patients. Read more...
UK adds another £330,000 funding to Britain’s campaign against FGM (13 October 2014)
The UK government has pledged a further £330,000 to help eradicate female genital mutilation (FGM) in Britain. Read more...
Jail for mother who stole £400,000 from boss who was son’s godfather (13 October 2014)
A mother who stole £400,000 from her employer has been jailed for three years and nine months at Exeter Crown Court. Read more...
UKIP leader suggests migrants with “threatening diseases” should not receive free healthcare in Britain (13 October 2014)
UKIP leader Nigel Farage has prompted a backlash over a comment he made suggesting migrants with HIV should not be allowed into Britain. Read more...
Labour to resist amending immigration policy following UKIP successes (13 October 2014)
Labour leader Ed Miliband has said he will not make “false promises” about changing his immigration policy, after Labour narrowly took the Heywood & Middleton seat in northern England on Thursday. Read more...
Road worker in suffers burns after road marker vehicle explodes (13 October 2014)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has successfully prosecuted a road marking company, after a worker suffered minor burns after a road marking vehicle caught fire and exploded. Read more...
Strathclyde University launches Asylum Seeker Scholarships (10 October 2014)
A Scottish University is offering three annual bursaries to asylum seekers to enable them to study for a degree. Read more...
Toddler hospitalised with food poisoning on “nightmare” Thomson holiday (10 October 2014)
A young family whose baby ended up in hospital on a drip after contracting food poisoning on a package holiday has been offered just £130 as a “goodwill gesture” by tour operator Thomson. Read more...
Mental health trust CEO welcomes national waiting times (10 October 2014)
The chief executive of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) has welcomed the announcement by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg that from April 2015, mental health patients will be given appointments under national waiting time standards. Read more...
Writ issued against Virgin Holidays after woman loses gallbladder following holiday illness (10 October 2014)
A British holidaymaker is suing Virgin Holidays, after illness she contracted on a luxury package holiday in Antigua led to her having her gallbladder removed. Read more...
Child abuse linked to witchcraft on the rise in UK (10 October 2014)
The UK is seeing a steep increase in the number of child abuse cases involving witchcraft. Read more...
Children in temporary accommodation at higher risk of hunger (10 October 2014)
A study of families in London has found that children whose families are housed in temporary accommodation are most like to suffer from food poverty. Read more...
QC says men must do more to prevent FGM (10 October 2014)
A leading human rights barrister is calling on men to help prevent the practise of female genital mutilation (FGM). Read more...
Deputy Prime Minister announces national waiting times for mental health patients (9 October 2014)
The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has announced that from April 2015, target waiting times will be introduced for NHS patients awaiting mental health services in England and Wales. Read more...
Met Police figures show gun crime is falling across London (8 October 2014)
New figures from the Metropolitan Police have revealed that gun crime in the capital peaked in 2011, the same year as the London riots erupted across the capital. Read more...
£119,000 compensation for two families still suffering holiday food poisoning symptoms after four years (8 October 2014)
A family has been awarded £119,000 in compensation, after their package holiday to Bulgaria turned into a cockroach-infested nightmare. Read more...
More youth workers heading for A&E units to help gang members quit (8 October 2014)
Home Office Minister Norman Baker has announced that youth workers and A&E staff are to work together more to offer immediate help to gang members who attend A&E with knife injuries. Read more...
Mesothelioma campaigners win High Court battle (8 October 2014)
Campaigners for victims of asbestosis and mesothelioma have won a High Court challenge against the Secretary of State for Justice, regarding cost provisions imposed on mesothelioma claims under the government’s Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act. Read more...
Somalia deemed safer for returns by the Upper Tribunal (7 October 2014)
The Upper Tribunal has on Friday 3 October 2014 ruled in the latest Somalia Country Guidance case that Mogadishu is deemed safe for returns from the United Kingdom. Read more...
Kent businessman’s family “trapped” in Ukraine after embassy tells him he is “not British” (7 October 2014)
A British businessman whose family is trapped in a war zone in Ukraine has called on the British government to resolve a misunderstanding which led to his wife and children being denied a visa to enter the UK to join him. Read more...
LibDems propose Council Tax re-banding for properties worth £2m or more (7 October 2014)
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has defended proposals to take tax payments for Council Tax from the estates of deceased homeowners. Read more...
Channel island financier calls on UK to remain in Europe (7 October 2014)
A leading financier based offshore has told London newspaper the Evening Standard that the UK must remain within the European Union to prevent war breaking out across continental Europe. Read more...
Former Broadmoor patient detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act on firearms charges (7 October 2014)
A 70-year-old who killed five people in a killing spree in 1978 has been told that he may be detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act by Mr Justice Blair at Birmingham Crown Court. Read more...
Duncan Lewis is praised as a leading law firm in Fraud: white-collar crime work by Legal 500 UK 2014 edition; Hardeep Dhaliwal recommended. (6 October 2014)
Legal 500 2014 has ranked Duncan Lewis Solicitors as a leading law fir for its practice in White-Collar Fraud with Director Hardeep Dhaliwal acknowledged for his excellence. Read more...
Legal 500 2014 recognises Duncan Lewis as a top-tier leading law firm for its Immigration & Asylum Human rights work in Wales; Vinita Templeton recommended. (6 October 2014)
Legal 500 2014 has ranked Duncan Lewis Solicitors as a top-tier firm in the Wales Immigration & Asylum practice area with Immigration Solicitor Vinita Templeton receiving individual recognition. Read more...
Abattoir bull shot by farmer to prevent animal attack (6 October 2014)
A terrified bull which escaped from an abattoir has been shot by a farmer in East Lancashire, over fears it might attack a member of the public. Read more...
Firm fined £13,000 after worker has finger partially amputated (6 October 2014)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a West Midlands firm after an employee lost a fingertip while using an unguarded drill. Read more...
£3.1m mental health centre planned for Middlesbrough (6 October 2014)
A £3.1 million health centre is being planned for central Middlesbrough to replace existing mental health facilities. Read more...
Five-year sentence for man who threatened to kill partner in domestic violence attack (6 October 2014)
A man who launched a vicious attack on his female partner has been jailed for five years for Section 18 wounding. Read more...
“Near miss” between British planes at Malaga Airport investigated (6 October 2014)
The Spanish Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that two aircraft came within 500ft of each other at Malaga Airport in Spain on 17 September. Read more...
Suspended sentences for benefit fraud in which one partner was passed off as landlord (6 October 2014)
A woman who passed her partner off as her landlord to benefits officers has been found guilty of benefit fraud and given a suspended sentence and community service. Read more...
Road and tramline layout blamed for Croydon cyclist’s death (6 October 2014)
The death of a cyclist in Croydon has led to a coroner calling for a rethink of “confusing” tram lines in the town. Read more...
London councils spending “millions” to house homeless families in temporary accommodation (6 October 2014)
New government figures show that the government’s welfare cuts have resulted in a sharp increase in the amount local councils are spending on temporary accommodation for homeless families. Read more...
Backlash over UK’s proposed amendments to Human Rights Act (6 October 2014)
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has clarified how the UK would amend human rights law if the Conservative Party won a majority at the 2015 General Election. Read more...
“Good neighbour” in imported toxin case hauled off for police questioning while still wearing pyjamas (6 October 2014)
A teenager trying to be a good neighbour by signing for a parcel when his neighbour was out has described how police arrested him and took him to a police station for questioning while he was still wearing his pyjamas. Read more...
900 London letting agencies fail to register with Ombudsman to comply with change in law (6 October 2014)
The impact of a change in the law on 1 October has meant that some letting agents are failing to register with one of three approved Ombudsman schemes, as required under the law. Read more...
£4.8m for 10-year-old boy requiring lifelong care after developing septic shock at birth (6 October 2014)
The High Court has awarded £4.8 million in compensation to a 10-year-old boy who needed a kidney transplant as a toddler, following a medical blunder at a private hospital in London. Read more...
Trust fined after mental health patient is paralysed (3 October 2014)
A mental health trust has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), after a vulnerable mental health patient was paralysed following a fall from height. Read more...
Justice Secretary to consider “very carefully” anonymity for sex offence defendants (3 October 2014)
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has suggested that defendants proved innocent in sexual offence cases should remain anonymous in the same way victims do. Read more...
Call for divorce petitions to be centralised, after Burnley court clerk unravels divorce scam (3 October 2014)
A total of 180 “quickie” divorces taken out by Italian couples in the English court have been declared void. after widespread fraud was discovered by a court clerk in Burnley, Lancashire. Read more...
Rise in number of people trafficked, as gangs start to tattoo those trafficked with numbers (2 October 2014)
Recent figures from the National Crime Agency (NCA) show there has been a dramatic rise in the number of children being trafficked within the UK. Read more...
Number of vacancies for social workers “may be putting children at risk” (2 October 2014)
An investigation by the BBC has found that a high number of vacancies for social workers across the country may be putting the safety of vulnerable children at risk. Read more...
Families of women murdered by abusive partners call for change in stalking laws (2 October 2014)
The families of two women murdered by ex-partners who stalked them have called for stalkers to sign a register similar to the Sex Offenders’ Register. Read more...
Homeless EU migrants build their own “affordable homes” on London canal bank (2 October 2014)
Residents in Edmonton, north London are said to be upset by a “shanty town” set up by homeless migrants on the banks of the Regents Canal. Read more...
Cameron pledges action on reducing EU immigration – and withdrawal from European Court of Human Rights (2 October 2014)
The Prime Minister has told the annual Conservative Party Conference that if the party wins the 2015 General Election, the UK’s relationship with the EU will be renegotiated – including limits on the number of EU migrants allowed to come to the UK to live and work. Read more...
Single practice GPs in the firing line, after CQC inspections (1 October 2014)
More than 200 GP practices across England could be facing closure, according to a report by Sky News. Read more...
London Mayor pledges homes for Londoners before overseas investors (1 October 2014)
London Mayor Boris Johnson has joined the housing debate, after saying at the Conservative conference in Birmingham that he would build more new homes in London which would be for Londoners and not overseas investors. Read more...
Criminal gangs paying “cyber-crime-as-a-service” experts to help with crimes (1 October 2014)
A report published by Europol’s European Cyber-crime Centre has warned that organised gangs of criminals are hiring the services of computer hackers and cyber-crime experts to help them plan and carry out serious and organised crime. Read more...
Public consultation opens on redesign of mental health services across southwest London (1 October 2014)
There are fears that some mental health services across southwest London could be lost when services are “redesigned”. Read more...