Legal News Articles
Number of Indian students receiving visas to study in UK set to rise (30 April 2014)
The British Deputy High Commissioner for western India, Kumar Iyer, has said that students from India wishing to study in the UK need not worry about not being given a student visa if they have applied for a reputable college or university. Read more...
Judge orders mother on murder charge to be detained under Mental Health Act (30 April 2014)
The mother charged with murdering three of her four children has been detained at a secure mental health unit after a preliminary court appearance on Tuesday (29/04/14). Read more...
Lack of intervention in employee mental health issues “may impact on business” (30 April 2014)
New research has shown that employee absence as a result of mental health issues can impact on business just as seriously as physical illnesses, such as cancer. Read more...
Reading Council investigators uncover £500m-worth of benefit fraud (30 April 2014)
Reading Borough Council’s benefit fraud investigators have uncovered £500 million of welfare overpayments resulting from benefit fraud. Read more...
£815 compensation for murderer whose personal possessions were lost (29 April 2014)
A prison guard inured in an attack by a convicted killer in jail has criticised a compensation award of £815 made to him after the Prison Service lost and damaged some of his personal possessions during a move between jails. Read more...
TUI to pay compensation for cruise liner illness (29 April 2014)
Passengers who fell on a cruise ship operated by travel giant TUI are to receive thousands of pounds in compensation. Read more...
School security under spotlight as Leeds teacher is murdered in school (29 April 2014)
The murder of a Leeds schoolteacher has opened up the debate over whether schools should routinely screen pupils for weapons. Read more...
How tenants and landlords can protect themselves in the volatile private rented sector (28 April 2014)
As a second London council introduces mandatory licensing for landlords, we offer tips and solutions to private sector landlords and tenants alike, in the ever changing housing market. Read more...
Children removed from foster carers after “being held too tightly by the wrist” as they crossed the road (28 April 2014)
Social workers have removed two children from the care of foster parents, after social workers claimed they had “manhandled” them by holding onto their wrists “too tightly” as they crossed the road. Read more...
Buyers now paying 97% of seller’s asking price (28 April 2014)
A shortage of homes for sale means that it is now a seller’s market, with homebuyers forced to pay the asking price for homes rather than negotiating. Read more...
Bedroom tax is waging war on “the old, the sick and the disabled” (28 April 2014)
Delegates to the CWU conference unanimously backed a motion to raise awareness of issues round the government’s “Bedroom Tax”. Read more...
Army helicopter crash in Afghanistan “accidental” (28 April 2014)
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said that a routine helicopter flight which ended in the deaths of five servicemen in Afghanistan was a “tragic accident”. Read more...
Failed asylum seekers separated from children “to effect immigration enforcement” (28 April 2014)
Children’s charity Barnardo’s has said that the children of failed asylum seekers are being housed separately from their parents as part of asylum control procedures at Cedars removal centre near Gatwick airport in south London. Read more...
Failed asylum seekers separated from children “to effect immigration enforcement” (28 April 2014)
Children’s charity Barnardo’s has said that the children of failed asylum seekers are being housed separately from their parents as part of asylum control procedures at Cedars removal centre near Gatwick airport in south London. Read more...
Government to block legal loophole allowing download of child abuse materials (28 April 2014)
The government has announced that it will close a loophole in the laws governing child abuse, which would in effect allow paedophiles who download child abuse manuals to be treated in the same way terrorists are. Read more...
Medical students oppose NHS cuts for mental health budgets (28 April 2014)
The annual BMA medical students’conference has called for an end to cuts to the mental health budget. Read more...
OTC holiday sickness drug facing prescribing restrictions (28 April 2014)
Over-the-counter (OTC) drug domperidone – used to treat vomiting and heartburn – is facing restrictions after an EU investigation focused on the deaths of nearly 60 patients who suffered cardiac events while taking the medication. Read more...
£42,500 compensation for dental negligence (28 April 2014)
A father of two has been awarded £42,500 in compensation, after a dentist failed to treat decay in his teeth, despite regular check-ups. Read more...
Apple files US patent for device to prevent drivers from texting (28 April 2014)
Technology giant Apple has filed a US patent for an in-car device which would prevent motorists from texting while driving. Read more...
Mortgage applicants face more financial checks from this weekend (25 April 2014)
Intrusive new checks on expenditure by mortgage applicants are due to come into force this weekend – including the amount of money a mortgage applicant spends on lifestyle choices such as gym fees or even mobile top-ups. Read more...
Toddler injured in dog attack has lip sewn back (25 April 2014)
A toddler from Stoke-on-Trent attacked by a dog in the local park has had her bottom lip stitched back on, after it was left hanging off in the dog attack. Read more...
Death of Duchess of Cornwall’s brother “accidental” (25 April 2014)
The brother of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwell was taking a “cocktail” of drugs to lower his blood pressure at the time he was killed after hitting his head, the Daily Mail reports. Read more...
Miner “ran for his life” as flooded mine claimed the life of four colliery workers (25 April 2014)
A court has heard how a miner in South Wales ran for his life after water flooded a coal mine he was working in. Read more...
Deport foreign criminals to save money, say MPs (25 April 2014)
The Commons Public Accounts Committee is calling for action on sending home foreign criminals rather than keeping them in British jails at the taxpayers’ expense. Read more...
Young offender with mental health issues hanged himself just days into nine-week sentence (24 April 2014)
A 20-year-old man who hanged himself from his bunk bed just two days after starting a prison sentence had shown signs of having a mental health condition before he was sent to jail. Read more...
Two-year sentence for young offender who called police to check on drug charges (24 April 2014)
A prisoner in a young offender’s institution has landed a two-year jail term after phoning police and asking what they were planning to do about crack cocaine he had been found with when arrested for driving a stolen car. Read more...
Asylum seeker housing contracts “poorly planned and badly managed” (24 April 2014)
The Public Accounts Select Committee has criticised the management of contracts to provide housing for asylum seekers, saying the overhaul of contracts was “poorly planned and badly managed”. Read more...
More support needed for West Devon families hit by welfare reforms, says CAB (24 April 2014)
The Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB) in West Devon is calling for more government support to help low-income families affected by benefit changes. Read more...
New crime statistics survey reports reduction in violent crime (23 April 2014)
A new survey of crime statistics has found that nearly 33,000 fewer people were treated for violent crime-related injuries in 2013. Read more...
LibDem Justice Minister calls for British families to care for elderly relatives (23 April 2014)
Liberal Democrat Justice Minister Simon Hughes has said that families in the UK should follow the example of many migrant families from Africa and Asia and take greater responsibility for caring for elderly relatives, instead of relying on care homes. Read more...
Damp and overcrowded housing in London “costs the NHS £56m every year” (23 April 2014)
A new report by the BRE Trust has revealed that overcrowded, cold and mouldy housing in London is costing the health service £56 million every year. Read more...
Damp and overcrowded housing in London “costs the NHS £56m every year” (23 April 2014)
A new report by the BRE Trust has revealed that overcrowded, cold and mouldy housing in London is costing the health service £56 million every year. Read more...
Strongest housing market for five years, says CML (22 April 2014)
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has recorded another rise in the number of mortgages being approved in March this year. Read more...
Fraud concerns as HMRC announces plans to share tax details with third parties (22 April 2014)
Proposals by HMRC to share the data of British taxpayers has provoked a backlash among some MPs and civil rights campaigners, who claim sharing personal tax details could make individuals vulnerable to fraud. Read more...
£2,760 for seven-year-old who contracted splinter injury at school (22 April 2014)
A schoolboy who contracted a splinter injury from a school bench has been awarded nearly £3,000 in compensation. Read more...
Teenage mental health patients “refused access to NHS places of safety” (22 April 2014)
Figures from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) show that mental health patients under the age of 16 are being refused access to acute care units. Read more...
Couple escape jail for benefit fraud because of son’s ill health (22 April 2014)
A couple who fraudulently claimed nearly £40,000 in benefits by setting up a false claim have escaped a jail term because their nine-year-old son has a heart condition and needs care. Read more...
UN rapporteur accused of focusing on UK immigration policy, rather than violence against women (22 April 2014)
United Nations (UN) Inspector Rashida Manjoo has told MPs that Britain has a “boys’ club sexist culture” ? and a worse sexism culture than any other country. Read more...
Justice Secretary calls for limited access to Legal Aid for migrants (22 April 2014)
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has warned that migrants to the UK must not use the Legal Aid Agency to fight cases through the British courts. Read more...
Retired colonel stabs wife to death (22 April 2014)
A retired army officer has appeared in court charged with the murder of his wife, who was stabbed in the chest in a domestic incident on Friday (18/04/14). Read more...
Italian woman forced to undergo C-section vows to fight for her daughter (17 April 2014)
A mother whose daughter was taken from her after a forced Caesarean section has said she loves her daughter and hopes to see her again one day. Read more...
Benefits mother encouraged daughter to fall pregnant “to get a house of her own and have a better life” (17 April 2014)
A mother who first fell pregnant when she was 15 says that the benefits system makes it “pointless” for her to work – and she is now encouraging her two daughters to “work the system”. Read more...
Company prosecuted after roofer falls from height (17 April 2014)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has successfully prosecuted a stone quarrying company after a roofer fell 4.5 metres while replacing roof lights on a fragile roof. Read more...
“Brick-shaped” lorries to be phased out to improve road safety (17 April 2014)
A European Parliament vote on Tuesday (15/04/14) could see HGVs and lorries redesigned with more rounded cabs and larger windscreens and side windows to help improve road safety. Read more...
Four million are one pay cheque away from losing their homes, says Shelter (16 April 2014)
A new survey of working adults by homeless charity Shelter has revealed that as many as four million working families could be just one pay cheque away from losing their homes. Read more...
Boiler room fraudster jailed for £4m scam (16 April 2014)
The last of five conspirators convicted of defrauding investors in boiler room scams based in Ireland and Spain was jailed for three years on Monday (14/04/14) at Southwark Crown Court. Read more...
“Bedroom tax” victims still waiting to move to smaller properties (16 April 2014)
Research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has shown that most people affected by the bedroom tax have remained in their homes – although half of them are in rent arrears. Read more...
RSPCA warns public not to approach escaped bird stalking Hertfordshire countryside (16 April 2014)
A dangerous South American bird is roaming the Hertfordshire countryside after escaping from its owner. Read more...
Two-thirds of new mums have faced criticism over their baby crying in public (15 April 2014)
A survey of new mothers commissioned by Colief Infant Drops has found that one in 20 has been reproached by members of the public over their baby crying – but 90% of those questioned have never been offered any help by members of the public when their baby cries. Read more...
Crackdown on human trafficking and modern-day slavery in Wales (15 April 2014)
Police in Wales are cracking down on criminals who exploit vulnerable individuals and treat them as modern-day slaves. Read more...
Lesbian asylum seeker may face homophobic violence if deported to Uganda, say supporters (15 April 2014)
The case of a lesbian asylum seeker facing deportation to Uganda is being taken up by Labour MP John Cryer. Read more...
Charity prosecuted by HSE after child loses finger in school door (15 April 2014)
The Bolton-based Birtenshaw charity has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a child lost a finger when his hand became trapped in a school door. Read more...
Sussex mental health trust “runs out of beds” due to rise in demand for services (14 April 2014)
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is currently placing 20 mental health patients with private healthcare providers because of a shortage of mental health beds in the region. Read more...
MP cleared of sex offence allegations calls for review of victim’s right to anonymity (14 April 2014)
MP Nigel Evans ? who has been cleared of sex offence charges ? has said that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) should pay his £130,000 legal costs, and has called for a review of an alleged victim‘s right to anonymity. Read more...
Currys recalls microwaves with potential fire risk (14 April 2014)
Technology and electrical retailer Currys is recalling 50,000 microwaves sold more than eight years ago, over fears that they could overheat and catch fire. Read more...
Personal injury claim fails in High Court because of claimant’s contributory negligence (14 April 2014)
A mother-of-two who fell over a wall at a historic site while looking for somewhere to urinate after a night out drinking has lost her claim at the High Court in London for damages against the Dover Roman Painted House Trust and Dover District Council. Read more...
Woman plagued with pain killed herself after titanium screw is left in her ankle after surgery (14 April 2014)
A coroner has been handed a metal screw found in the ashes of a woman who killed herself because of unbearable pain she attributed to a surgical pin left in her ankle. Read more...
Disabled tenants “should receive long-term DHPs” if unable to share a bedroom (14 April 2014)
The Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee has been told that disabled social housing tenants cannot be exempted from the government’s housing benefit changes. Read more...
Student visa regulations may be putting off some student from coming to study in UK (14 April 2014)
The Lords’Science and Technology Committee has said that government rhetoric and “overblown” media coverage of immigration is deterring overseas students from coming to Britain to study maths, engineering and technology subjects. Read more...
Jail for motorists who seriously injured cyclist while racing each other (14 April 2014)
A mother-of-two who was seriously injured after being hit by a motorist racing a friend at 70mph has asked for an image of her lying in hospital to be published to highlight the dangers of speeding on roads. Read more...
Tax avoidance to become criminal offence (14 April 2014)
The Chancellor has announced that tax avoidance using overseas tax havens is to become a criminal offence, the Daily Mail reports. Read more...
Accidental verdict for driver killed after council fails to maintain tree (14 April 2014)
An inquest has heard how a council employee was killed when a tree left to rot by the council was snapped in two during a storm ? and crushed him to death after falling on his car. Read more...
Buy-to-let Landlords rush to remortgage before Bank Rate hike (14 April 2014)
New research by broker Mortgages for Businesses has shown that buy-to-let landlords are racing to remortgage properties in anticipation of a hike in interest rates in the next year. Read more...
Rambler killed in bull attack on public footpath (10 April 2014)
A farmer is facing manslaughter charges after a bull subjected a terrified couple to a 20-minute attack in which the husband died. Read more...
More debt in southwest London than the whole of Wales, says CML (10 April 2014)
A new report by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has revealed that southwest London now has more debt than the whole of Wales. Read more...
Treasury announced restrictions on child benefits for EU migrants (10 April 2014)
The Treasury has announced that from July, EU migrants will face restrictions on receiving child benefit in the UK. Read more...
The Facts about Immigration (9 April 2014)
As solicitors and with one of our focus areas being on immigration, we represent a wide range of clients who are affected by migration rules. There has been a large backlash against immigration in the media and online and our clients have been feeling this every day. It would be a start to separate fact from fiction regarding this hot topic. Read more...
Birmingham City Council pays out nearly £1m compensation for school accidents (9 April 2014)
Birmingham City Council has paid out nearly £1 million in compensation as a result of school health and safety claims. Read more...
Mouse study could lead to paralysis treatments (9 April 2014)
Researchers from University College London and King’s College London have modified embryonic stem cells to restore movement to paralysed muscles in mice. Read more...
Legal Aid cuts mean more litigants in person in family courts, says Lord Chief Justice (9 April 2014)
The Lord Chief Justice Sir John Thomas has told a group of MPs that cuts to Legal Aid budgets have resulted in more people in the Family Court representing themselves in court rather than hiring a solicitor and barrister. Read more...
Women could be fighting on frontline in British Army (8 April 2014)
Women could soon serving on the frontline, after General Sir Peter Wall, the Army’s highest ranking officer, said it was time for the Armed Forces to “seriously consider” allowing women to fight in frontline combat roles. Read more...
Business Secretary calls for “regionalised” housing policy (8 April 2014)
Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable has warned that a regionalised housing policy and Help to Buy scheme are needed to address the issue of some areas of the country’s property markets “overheating”. Read more...
Royal Marine to appeal murder conviction (8 April 2014)
A Royal Marine convicted of killing an injured Afghan insurgent is to appeal his conviction. Read more...
Homeless family to be evicted for “squatting” (8 April 2014)
The owner of a Southend property allegedly occupied by squatters has said the local council paid them housing benefit when they moved into her property without having a tenancy agreement. Read more...
Health experts say Immigration Bill could pose a risk to public health – and cost the NHS more (7 April 2014)
A group of health experts writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine has said that the Immigration Bill could result in risks to public health – and add to NHS costs and stress for NHS staff. Read more...
Campaigners walk 52 miles to highlight cuts to Norfolk and Suffolk mental health budget (7 April 2014)
Protests against cuts to mental health budgets in Norfolk and Suffolk continue, as 12 campaigners completed a 52-mile walk on Thursday (03/04/14) to raise awareness of the issue. Read more...
Milly Dowler murderer wins £4,500 compensation for prison attack (7 April 2014)
The killer of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler has been awarded £4,500 in compensation after he was attacked in prison. Read more...
Help to Buy “may be reviewed” to prevent house prices overheating (7 April 2014)
A government source has told the Daily Mail that the government’s Help to Buy scheme may be “scaled back” to prevent the property market from overheating. Read more...
Baby dies after suffocating in a baby sling (7 April 2014)
An inquest into the death of a five-week-old baby has heard how he suffocated in a baby sling as his parents took him for a short walk to try and soothe him. Read more...
Jail for mum and her partner, after baby dies from broken spine (7 April 2014)
A man who killed his partner’s young son by shaking him until his back broke has been jailed for eight years. Read more...
Mental health staff begin work in police stations in first pilot schemes (7 April 2014)
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust and the Northumberland and Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust have launched pilot schemes which offer support to mental health patients as they are processed through the criminal justice system. Read more...
UN investigator to research domestic violence in UK (7 April 2014)
The United Nations (UN) has announced that it is to launch an investigation into domestic violence against women in the UK. Read more...
“Suppressed” immigration report may be published before European elections (4 April 2014)
A suppressed government report – which suggests that migrants to the UK have less impact on the jobs market than some sources claim – may be published before the European Parliament elections on 22 May. Read more...
Housing minister welcomes rise in house prices (4 April 2014)
Housing Minister Kris Hopkins has welcomed the rise in housing prices across the UK, saying that house prices are “nowhere near the peak at this moment in time”. Read more...
Prisoner’s fraudulent personal injury claim results in extra jail term (4 April 2014)
A 22-year-old prisoner serving a sentence for dealing heroin in Manchester has been convicted of fraud, after he tried to claim he had sustained head injuries after rolling off his bunk bed while in Strangeways Prison. Read more...
MP warns waiting lists for mental health service in Devon “could cost lives” (3 April 2014)
Labour MP for Exeter Ben Bradshaw has warned that two-year waiting lists for mental health patients to access services in Devon will put lives at risk. Read more...
Mum-of-five escapes jail for £76,000 benefit fraud (3 April 2014)
Snaresbrook Crown Court has heard how a mother-of-five committed benefit fraud amounting to more than £76,000, after continuing to claim benefits after she got married without advising the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of her change in circumstances. Read more...
Migrants killed trying to reach Britain from Calais (2 April 2014)
Desperate migrants are risking their lives to reach the UK by trying to stow away on – or even under – moving lorries about to cross the Channel from Calais to Dover. Read more...
12-year-old killed in school accident after wall collapses (2 April 2014)
A 12-year-old girl from Edinburgh has died after a wall in a school changing room collapsed on top of her. Read more...
Student must be deported to Mauritius, says Immigration Minister (2 April 2014)
The student at the centre of the Home Office debacle over her deportation to Mauritius has learned that she will be sent back to her home country after all. Read more...
London buses to trial sensor devices to detect cyclists and pedestrians (1 April 2014)
London Mayor Boris Johnson has published his Pedestrian Safety Action Plan to help reduce the number of pedestrians killed or injured in road traffic accidents (RTAs) in London. Read more...
New law to protect children from emotional neglect (1 April 2014)
The government is to introduce a new law which would make emotional neglect – as well as verbally abusing or belittling a child – a criminal offence. Read more...
Childcare costs make work “not financially viable” for many London parents (1 April 2014)
The UK’s largest charity for parents, the NCT, has found that nearly one-third of parents in London who returned to work after having children say the costs of childcare and travel made working not viable financially. Read more...
Man shot in Islington days after knife attack on Upper Street (1 April 2014)
Police say that a 23-year-old man has suffered life changing injuries after being shot on a busy street in Islington, north London at around 1pm on Monday (31/03/14) afternoon. Read more...
Law Society defends guidance on Islamic wills (1 April 2014)
The president of the Law Society has defended its move to issue guidelines to its members on wills made under Islamic law. Read more...