Legal News Articles
New family visa changes not only saves more than £100 million of taxpayer’s money but speeds up visa process says immigration minister (30 April 2013)
Immigration Minister Mark Harper had recently said that changes to the family visit visa route would save taxpayers more than £100 million over the next decade and speed up the system for genuine applicants. Read more...
Living conditions in prisons would be tightened and inmates have to earn their perks (30 April 2013)
The common belief that the prisoners are living in prisons under conditions too comfortable will be ended in a move by the justice secretary who is to announce stoppage of perks such as television, the freedom to wear their own clothes and shorter working hours. Read more...
A woman is awarded money for the way social services handled her case while she was a child (29 April 2013)
In a child care gone wrong, the daughter of a prostitute won landmark £20,000 compensation after she sued social services for failing to take her into full time care when she was a child which would have protected her from her abusive mother. Read more...
Brussels proposes making it easier for migrants to move to EU nations (26 April 2013)
British protests over benefit tourism and abuse of EU free movement has been ignored by new Brussels proposals by making it easier for migrants to move to Britain including redress against any breach of rights.On Wednesday, Theresa May, the Home Secretary, with support from Germany, Austria and Holland wrote to the European Commission demanding tighter restrictions on access to welfare benefits and other state-funded services for EU migrants. Read more...
A court took just 65 seconds to grant divorce to a famous marriage break up (25 April 2013)
The divorce court today closed one of the most famous break ups in just 65 seconds when Ben Goldsmith, the son of billionaire financier Sir James, and wife Kate had fought a war of insults on Twitter.Their nine year old marriage was finally given a burial when Deputy District Judge Felicity Crowther granted a divorce nisi in court 5 of the First Avenue House annexe of the High Court in High Holborn. Read more...
Two illegal immigrants growing cannabis jailed (25 April 2013)
TWO illegal immigrants are facing deportation after convicted of gardening huge cannabis factory.The factory on the outskirts of Stourport was one of the biggest cannabis growing operations ever discovered in the West Mercia Police force area, producing a yield worth between £1.15 million and £2.3 million per year. Read more...
Benefit fraud claimant ordered to obey curfew (24 April 2013)
A council cleaner who committed benefit fraud by claiming £14,444 in disability benefit has been ordered to obey a curfew for 12 weeks.The 7pm to 7am curfew was imposed on Maria Millward, 50, after surveillance was arranged to check suspicions about the distance she claimed to be able to walk. Read more...
A council ordered to pay costs to two brothers who had to spent in foster care for 13 years (24 April 2013)
In a case where two brothers spent 13 years in foster care the Lancashire County Council was ordered to pay the costs of the applicants.In the case of A and S (Children) v Lancashire County Council [2012] EWHC 1689, Mr Justice Peter Jackson found Lancashire County Council liable for the degrading treatment, including physical assault, suffered by two brothers who had spent nearly all their lives in care. Read more...
Home office refused appeal permission by the court of appeals in Qatada’s deportation case (24 April 2013)
Court of Appeal has upheld the ruling of Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) last month when Siac had rejected home offices application for deportation of Abu Qatada. Read more...
Previous government has already cut legal aid for prisoners there is no need for further cuts say experts (24 April 2013)
The claim of justice secretary that millions were being spent on lawyers for thousands of prisoners who wanted to make complaints was not true.Eric Allison the prison correspondent for Guardian has said it did not match the reality. Read more...
Husband fighting wife’s claim for maintenance filed 20 years after divorce (23 April 2013)
Dale Vince a green energy entrepreneur founder of a multi million pound eco electricity company is fighting his ex-wife’s claim for maintenance 20 years after they divorced claims that he had none of his current wealth when he split from his wife Kathleen Wyatt in 1992. Read more...
After conviction Ex minister Huhne and his ex wife facing legal costs by CPS (23 April 2013)
The prosecution is claiming more than £100,000 in legal costs from Ex minister Chris Huhne following his conviction for perverting the course of justice. His ex-wife Vicky Pryce convicted along side Huhne is also facing a bill of more than £48,000. She was jailed for accepting his speeding points. Read more...
HMP Hewel unsafe with degrading environment says Chief Inspector of Prisons (23 April 2013)
The performance of a Worcestershire prison has deteriorated sharply since it was last inspected three years back a report has said.The report says the inspectors found HMP Hewel was “unacceptably dirty” and that there were high levels of assaults and some staff appeared to lack motivation. Read more...
Other areas of employment to be concentrated on after changes to tribunals functioning (22 April 2013)
The head of the employment law review at Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) has said that the department would be issuing a call for evidence on whistleblowing and the Public Interest Disclosure Act later this year. Read more...
Community sentencing being toughened (22 April 2013)
A penal reform charity has said that some magistrates’ courts in England and Wales are four times likely to send offenders to prison than others.The study found that 58% of adults who completed a prison sentence of less than a year in 2010 / 2011 reoffended. Ministers have said that greater supervision and rehabilitation would tackle the problem. Read more...
A 22 year old separation agreement is upheld by the High Court it says the agreement is of ‘magnetic importance’ (19 April 2013)
A husband’s application that a separation agreement signed by the parties in 1991 should be made an order of court has been granted by Mrs Justice Parker.In T v T [2013] EWHC B3 (Fam), the court heard that an agreement was signed by the parties and conformed with all the requirements of a concluded agreement, but had never been put before the court for approval in the form of a consent order. Read more...
Children of detained immigrants split from their parents by the UKBA says a report (19 April 2013)
According to a new report the UK Border Agency (UKBA) has continuously failed to uphold its statutory duty to safeguard children of immigrants during their parent’s detention and had separated 200 of them from their family.The study has been published by the immigration charity Bail for Immigration Detainees (BiD) which found 200 children of 111 parents faced appalling consequences as a result of the UKBA’s inability to take basic steps to protect them. Read more...
National minimum wages rate increased for apprentices contrary to recommendations (15 April 2013)
The national minimum wage has been increased by 12p an hour for adults to £6.31 from October, the Government has announced.The rate for 18 to 20-year-olds will rise by 5p to £5.03, and by 4p to £3.72 for 16 and 17-year-olds. Read more...
Two illegal immigrants sent to jail for using forged EU passports (15 April 2013)
Two illegal immigrants working at a Leicester dye works who were arrested by the immigration officers in a raid of the Colours Dyers UK Ltd, in Greenhithe Road, Aylestone, have each been sentenced to serve six months in the prison. Read more...
Another LGBT asylum seeking woman is waiting deportation tonight (10 April 2013)
An asylum seeker who claims she would be at risk in her native country Uganda and subjected to homophobic persecution if removed is being prepared for deportation today evening at 8pm from Heathrow Airport. Read more...
Small firms and sole practitioners find difficult in getting new business a survey reveals (9 April 2013)
A survey by LexisNexis has found that sole practices and small firms were finding it very difficult to get new business.The firms had to deal with too much of paperwork and solicitors were not finding support from the SRA or the Law Society, hence were turning to LinkedIn and other online forums for advice. Read more...
Excessive debit and credit card charges banned by the government (9 April 2013)
From April 6th the ban on excessive debit and credit card charges have come into effect which means payment surcharges will have to reflect the actual cost to the retailer of processing the card transaction. Read more...
Benefit fraud pensioner jailed for nine months (8 April 2013)
A pensioner Peggy Scaum who committed benefit fraud by claiming benefits over a ten year period while keeping silent about her substantial savings has been jailed.The 65 year old York pensioner pocketed £56,000 while her savings had reached £15,000 in various accounts when a City of York Council investigation discovered her swindling. Read more...
Rise in women’s drinking habit cause for more number of divorces says family law experts (3 April 2013)
According to a leading family lawyer the number of divorces is increasing because of women’s drinking habits which have risen by 70 per cent in five years.The culture of social drinking and the increasing number of women turning to alcohol to cope with stress has turned on the old school thought where wife was seen as a house hold creature waiting at home whilst her husband whiled away his time at the pub. Read more...
Home Secretary pledges to relax visas for Chinese visitors and businessmen (3 April 2013)
After Prime Minister David Cameron promised to relax visa restrictions for Indian businessmen and students it is now the turn of the Home Secretary to pledge to improve the visa system offered to Chinese nationals wishing to visit or to do business in Britain. Read more...
The Muslim family facing deportation to Pakistan have been given leave to stay in the UK as refugees (3 April 2013)
Deportation of a Muslim missionary family to Pakistan has been stalled and they have been allowed to stay as refugees in Bradford.Tanweer Akhtar, 47, said that the support he received from hundreds of campaigners in Bradford had been crucial. Read more...
A confidence trickster embezzles funds of a debt counselling charity faces jail (2 April 2013)
A conman who committed a £78,000 fraud on a Bradford-based debt counselling charity and its vulnerable clients is facing the prospect of being sent to the prison as the judge warned. Simon Warner-Hodgkin who took up a job as a team leader with Christians Against Poverty after lying about his academic and financial qualifications had siphoned off the charity’s bank accounts, Bradford Crown Court was told. Read more...
A claims firm to make horsemeat scandal an issue for consumers to claim payouts (2 April 2013)
After whiplash injuries it was payment protection insurance and now a claims management company has turned its attentions to the horsemeat scandalMidlands-based JIC PPI is now trying to create business from people who feel they have been affected by the horsemeat scandal, promising they may be in line for compensation from supermarkets and fast-food chains. Read more...
National Teachers Union criticises terming of migrant students as ‘education tourists’ by IMG (2 April 2013)
The policy proposal being weighed up by ministers, who constitute the inter-ministerial group (IMG) on migrants^ access to benefits and public services, has been criticised by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) the largest teachers union.Ministers have been considering a plan to require schools to check the immigration status of their pupils, as part of a crackdown on "education tourists. It was revealed through leaked emails written by the officials of the Department for Education (DfE) in the past week. Read more...
A police officer sues a owner for injuries she received during investigating on his property (1 April 2013)
An angry petrol station owner has hit out at the compensation culture after he was sued by a policewoman for damages after she tripped on a kerb while on a 999 call at his property.The owner Steve Jones was shocked when he came to know that WPC Kelly Jones was seeking a potential five figure payout from him after claiming he failed to keep her safe as she went to investigate a possible break-in. Read more...
Genuine whiplash victims would set to lose out more on their claims as new regime takes over (1 April 2013)
Lawyers have warned that the new laws to tackle the growing compensation culture making UK the ‘whiplash capital of Europe’ would hit genuine victims. Those who suffer personal injury will have to pay their legal costs to claim compensation as ‘conditional fee agreements’ or much familiarly known ‘no-win, no-fee’ deals would start from today. Read more...
Action against law breaking ‘payday’ firms to be delayed (1 April 2013)
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) this month had warned 50 loan firms that they had to clean up their acts before 12 weeks of receiving notices or face losing their licences. It was supposed to be steps towards ‘a top enforcement priority’. Read more...