Legal News Articles
Thomson pays compensation for holiday food poisoning on cruise ship (30 May 2014)
A couple from Stockton have been offered compensation by holiday giant Thomson, after falling ill on a Thomson cruise. Read more...
London property market facing “natural correction” (30 May 2014)
The chief executive of the Nationwide Building Society, Graham Beale, has said that there are sign of “natural correction” to London’s overheated property market. Read more...
Builder sentenced to two years for benefit fraud (30 May 2014)
A builder from Penryn in Cornwall has been found guilty of two benefit fraud charges, after the court heard that he claimed £40,000 in welfare benefits while working. Read more...
Doctor in Cornwall “reduced to tears” by report into children’s mental health services (30 May 2014)
Staff working in mental health services for children in Cornwall have blamed budget constraints for criticism in a report by the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee. Read more...
5m children “living in poverty in five years”, despite UK target to end child poverty by 2020 (29 May 2014)
A new report by charity Save the Children has said that, by 2020, as many as five million children could be living in poverty in the UK. Read more...
Call for tougher penalties for motorists caught speeding (29 May 2014)
A Freedom of Information Request to 39 police authorities across the country has revealed that the highest recorded incidence of speeding between April 2013 and May 2014 involved a motorist on the M25 at Swanley in Kent travelling at 149mph, according to the speed camera. Read more...
Drug gang members arrested in Westminster police dawn raid (29 May 2014)
A police crackdown on Class A drugs has resulted in the arrest of two brothers aged 14 and 15. Read more...
“Boris badge” landlord accreditation scheme launched (29 May 2014)
London Mayor Boris Johnson has launched the next stage of the London Rental Standard scheme, under which landlords and agents can become accredited. Read more...
Vulnerable migrants to be left “homeless” after Calais camps are cleared (28 May 2014)
The local prefect in Calais, Denis Robin, has said that in the next week he will be closing three makeshift camps on public property, currently housing around 650 illegal immigrants waiting to cross to Britain. Read more...
Four hospitalised in US, after teen driver “holds breath” and faints while driving through tunnel (28 May 2014)
A 19-year-old driver in the US crashed while playing a children’s game in which he tried to hold his breath while driving through a tunnel. Read more...
Pakistani woman stoned to death by family, after marrying without permission (28 May 2014)
A 25-year-old woman has been stoned to death by her own family outside a courtroom in Pakistan’s capital Lahore, after marrying a man she loved without first obtaining her family’s consent. Read more...
Council tax arrears “now major debt problem for Britons” (27 May 2014)
Citizen’s Advice has said that council tax debt has escalated to become the most common debt problem it has to deal with Read more...
Fairground ride owner fined after two teens are seriously injured (27 May 2014)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has successfully prosecuted the owner of a fairground ride, after two teenage boys were seriously injured in an incident involving the ride in July 2012. Read more...
Jail and suspended sentence for benefit fraud couple who claimed to be estranged (27 May 2014)
A single mother who fraudulently claimed more than £108,000 in welfare benefits has avoided a prison sentence because of her children, the South Wales Evening Post reports. Read more...
Refugees being refused cancer treatment funding by UN (27 May 2014)
A new report published by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has revealed that refugees fleeing Syria and other Middle East war zones are being forced to return home to obtain treatment for diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Read more...
MoD figures show Britain’s tradition of boy soldiers is “alive and well” (27 May 2014)
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is facing a backlash after it was revealed that many Army recruits are aged 16 or 17 – too young to participate in active combat. Read more...
An independent Scotland would need migrant workers, says government report (27 May 2014)
The Treasury has estimated that if Scotland votes for independence, an additional workforce of 24,000 new migrants would be needed every year to maintain Scotland’s net migration figure. Read more...
Help to Buy helping buyers avoid today’s rising house prices, says Mortgage Advice Bureau (27 May 2014)
The Mortgage Advice Bureau has claimed that the coalition government’s Help to Buy scheme is working by helping buyers sidestep escalating house prices across the UK. Read more...
Children as young as four being questioned over sex offence allegations (27 May 2014)
New statistics show that boys as young as four and five are being questioned by police over sexual crimes, including rape. Read more...
Catholic Roma couple labelled “bigots” by council, after claiming gay adoption would deprive sons of their culture (27 May 2014)
A Roma couple from Slovakia who are devout Roman Catholics have been branded bigots by social workers for objecting to a gay couple adopting their youngest children – two boys aged one and four. Read more...
Five hurt after unconnected wiring causes swimming pool “shock” (27 May 2014)
Online footage has emerged of the moment two children in Florida were dragged from a swimming pool by their father, after they suffered an electric shock in the water. Read more...
Mental health conditions can shorten life as much as smoking, say researchers (25 May 2014)
Researchers at Oxford University say that having a mental health condition may reduce life expectancy by between 10 and 20 years – and can be as detrimental to health as smoking. Read more...
“Jealous” domestic abuser jailed for life for murder of former partner (23 May 2014)
The family of a woman stabbed to death by her jealous former boyfriend in front of their two-year-old daughter has called for her killer to spend the rest of his life in jail. Read more...
CPS decides not to prosecute lorry driver involved in fatal cycle accident (23 May 2014)
Scotland Yard has revealed that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has decided not to take action against a lorry driver who was arrested after a collision involving his vehicle and a cyclist who died. Read more...
New report assesses impact of Bedroom Tax on social housing tenants (22 May 2014)
A new report has found that under-occupancy in social housing has not been improved during the first year of the government’s so-called Bedroom Tax. Read more...
LSC decision not to fund expert witness report “unlawful” (22 May 2014)
The Court of Appeal has ruled that the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) acted unlawfully when it refused to fund the full cost of an expert witness report for a child, which had been ordered by the Family Division of the Court. Read more...
Italy calls for more help from Europe, as Italian Navy rescues another 500 refugees crossing the Mediterranean (22 May 2014)
The Italian Navy has rescued more than 500 migrants – including 100 children – in an overnight operation off the coast of Sicily. Read more...
Memory and IQ may predict schizophrenia risk (21 May 2014)
Researchers in Ireland have discovered that IQ and memory tests may hold the clue to whether to a person might go on to develop schizophrenia. Read more...
Private management of Land Registry would give companies access to valuable data, says Law Society (21 May 2014)
The Law Society has said that transferring the Land Registry (LR) from being a publicly-run organisation to the private sector would not only pose a risk to conveyancers – which include both specialist law firms and licensed conveyancers – but would also give private firms access to “valuable data”. Read more...
Some criminal courts may not receive Wifi until 2017 (21 May 2014)
The digitalisation of courtrooms across England and Wales is being delayed as the timetable for rolling out Wifi in courtrooms falls behind schedule. Read more...
Magaluf death “not a holiday accident”, say parents (20 May 2014)
The parents of an aspiring DJ who died in a balcony fall in Majorca are to ask the Met Police in London to open an investigation. Read more...
Couples separated by immigration law call for change in rules on spouse visas (20 May 2014)
A woman from Crewe is fighting for her Algerian-born husband to be allowed to come and live in Britain. Read more...
Top judge vows to prosecute domestic violence perpetrators (20 May 2014)
Leading judge Simon Bourne-Arton QC has said that those who commit domestic violence offences will be prosecuted, even if the victims fail to co-operate with police inquiries and withdraw their complaints. Read more...
Tragic death of young father-to-be in work accident (19 May 2014)
A 25-year-old man whose partner is expecting a baby has been killed in an industrial accident at a firm near Chorley in Lancashire. Read more...
Backlash over taxpayer-funded driving lessons for prisoners (19 May 2014)
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is defending criticism from MPs over prisoners who have been signed up for driving lessons funded by the taxpayers and charities. Read more...
Bank of England Governor calls for more house building (19 May 2014)
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has said that the main problem that the UK housing market is facing is the lack of houses being built. Read more...
Children being denied the mental health services they need, says NHS England (19 May 2014)
An internal report by NHS England has found that only one-quarter of children with mental health conditions are being given the services they need. Read more...
JSA and Income Support benefit fraud and overpayments fall by £130m (19 May 2014)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has revealed that benefit fraud and overpayments for Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and Income Support have fallen by £130 million since last year. Read more...
Serco summoned before MPs over report into sexual assault allegations at Yarl’s Wood (19 May 2014)
MPs are to investigate Serco – which provides services to the Ministry of Justice and Home Office – after a secret report by the company revealed that it had failed to properly investigate allegations of assault on a detainee at Yarl’s Wood Immigration Centre by a member of Serco’s staff. Read more...
Labour deem Prime Minister David Cameron’s government “incompetent” as foreign inmates in the UK’s jails is continuing to grow. (19 May 2014)
Labour has called Prime Minister David Cameron’s government “incompetent”, after figures released in response to a Parliamentary question show that the number of foreign inmates in the UK’s jails is continuing to grow. Read more...
“Under-qualified police officers” drafted in to Brighton CID to lead serious crime investigations (19 May 2014)
A whistleblower at Sussex Police has revealed that the force is so understaffed that some police officers not qualified as detectives are having to take over investigations normally carried out by officers at Brighton CID. Read more...
Bluetooth Smartbike aims to improve cyclists’ safety and cut cycle theft (19 May 2014)
A new “smart” bicycle manufactured in Toronto in Canada will enable users to connect the bicycle to a Smartphone to monitor speed and performance, website TheCoolist.com reports. Read more...
Call for passport system to be updated, as 600,000 parents are stopped at UK ports because child has different family name (19 May 2014)
The Daily Mail reports that as many as 600,000 parents are being stopped and questioned at the UK’s airports and ports – as well as international railway stations such as Eurostar – because the passport system does not recognise that children and parents may have different surnames. Read more...
One in 10 inmates in open prisons “is a convicted murderer” (16 May 2014)
Government figures show that one in 10 prisoners being held in open prisons is a convicted murderer, The Sun reports. Read more...
37-year-old recovers after eight strokes and a cardiac arrest as a result of cosmetic procedure (16 May 2014)
A 37-year-old yoga instructor has recovered after suffering eight strokes and a cardiac arrest, as a result of having a cosmetic procedure involving a filler injection in her chin. Read more...
Two jailed over Hungarians trafficked to UK to work as slaves (16 May 2014)
A judge at Teesside Crown Court has jailed two men who preyed on vulnerable individuals from Hungaria and lured them to the UK with promises of work, only to treat them as modern-day slaves. Read more...
MPs call for benefit fraud and benefit overpayment figures to be published separately (15 May 2014)
An all-party committee of MPs is calling on the government to publish more accurate figures showing the true extent of benefit fraud. Read more...
Judge orders Heygate Estate affordable housing figures to be made public (15 May 2014)
An appeal judge has ruled that Southwark Council and its partner, private developer Lend Lease, must make public the financial details of the social housing component to the Heygate Estate regeneration scheme. Read more...
Immigration figures show fewer workers from Bulgaria and Romania in UK (15 May 2014)
New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that there were fewer workers from Bulgaria and Romania in the UK in the first quarter of 2014, compared with the first quarter of last year. Read more...
Nottinghamshire launches consultation to mark National Mental Health Awareness Week (14 May 2014)
National Mental Health Awareness Week 2014 (12th-18th May) is being marked in Nottinghamshire by the launch of a consultation into tackling poor mental health levels across the county. Read more...
Driver arrested after two passengers die in coach crash (14 May 2014)
The 57-year-old driver of a coach – which crashed resulting in the death of two elderly passengers – has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. Read more...
Family Court rules mother must say final farewell to toddler taken into care (14 May 2014)
A mother judged to have significant intellectual impairment has been told by the Family Court to say goodbye to her young son forever. Read more...
74-year-old suffers serious facial injuries in fall, after council redesigns road with “invisible” kerb (13 May 2014)
A 74-year-old woman suffered a broken nose and horrific facial injuries, after she tripped and fell on a concealed kerb, which the local council installed in Grimsby. Read more...
Libya in crisis over illegal immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa (13 May 2014)
The Libyan government has criticised EU countries for not doing more to help with the refugee crisis Libya is facing. Read more...
Dogs attacks on private property now a criminal offence (13 May 2014)
From Tuesday (13/05/14), the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is introducing tougher penalties for dog owners who fail to control their pets – including changes in the law which allow prosecution of an owner if a dog attacks someone in its own home. Read more...
“Cycle streets” with 15mph speed limit proposed by DfT (13 May 2014)
The Department for Transport (DfT) is proposing the introduction of “cycle streets” in London and other towns and cities in the UK, which would give cyclists priority over other road users – with drivers possibly banned from overtaking cyclists. Read more...
Convicted drug dealer “scarred” by West Bank childhood faces deportation (12 May 2014)
The government is to deport a Palestinian asylum seeker who was first given notice to leave the UK in 2006. Read more...
4,000 new migrants receiving NI numbers every week (12 May 2014)
New figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that every week 4,000 National Insurance numbers are issued to new migrants to the UK. Read more...
Mental health patients in East Anglia “driven to Cheshire for treatment” (12 May 2014)
Health workers in East Anglia have declared an emergency in mental services, after it was revealed that some mental health patients are still being sent hundreds of miles out of the area covered by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) for treatment. Read more...
People in work claiming housing benefit up by 60% (12 May 2014)
The number of people with a job claiming housing benefit in the UK has escalated by 60% – despite the government’s cuts to welfare benefits. Read more...
Fears that children may be at risk from colony of rare constrictor reptiles living along central London riverbank (12 May 2014)
Residents of Camden in London have reported a colony of six-foot long Aesculapian snakes living along the banks of Regent’s Canal at Camden Lock. Read more...
Plans to allow more time at pedestrian crossings prompt backlash over “clogged up” roads (12 May 2014)
The head of roads policy at motoring organisation the AA has said that MPs’ proposals to lengthen the time allowed for people to cross the road could result in roads being “clogged up”. Read more...
Doctor jailed for CV fraud (12 May 2014)
Newcastle Crown Court has jailed a fraudster who made 1,000 applications to the NHS to become a doctor, using a bogus CV. Read more...
Family rows may increase risk of death in middle age (12 May 2014)
Danish researchers at the University of Copenhagen say that regular rows with family and friends could lead to an early grave. Read more...
ONS figures show fall in number of stepfamilies (9 May 2014)
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that between 2001 and 2011, the number of stepfamilies in the UK fell by 14%. Read more...
Jail term mooted for those found carrying a knife twice (9 May 2014)
The Liberal Democrats have opposed plans by two Conservative MPs – and backed by Labour leader Ed Miliband – which would see the introduction of a six-month prison sentence for those found carrying a knife twice. Read more...
Herpes conviction stands after man “recklessly” infects woman (9 May 2014)
A man sentenced to 14 months in jail for infecting a woman with the herpes virus has lost his appeal against the conviction, but received a shorter sentence at the Appeal Court because he had already been held in custody before launching the appeal. Read more...
Lack of Highway Code knowledge may increase speeding offences (9 May 2014)
New research by More Than has revealed that one-third of motorists do not know basic Highway Code essentials such as the speed limit or the meaning of common road signs. Read more...
Mental health services in Coventry and Warwickshire “inconsistent” (8 May 2014)
A Care Quality Commission (CQC) report has said that mental health services in Coventry and Warwickshire are “inconsistent”. Read more...
MPs vote in favour of Home Secretary’s right to remove British citizenship (8 May 2014)
Home Secretary Theresa May has won the latest round of the government’s fight to be able to strip people of their British citizenship, after the House of Commons voted yesterday (07/05/14) to remove an Amendment to the Immigration Bill made by the House of Lords. Read more...
High Court victory for squatter could affect future rulings (8 May 2014)
A squatter who applied to take ownership of a property he had lived in illegally for 10 years has won the backing of a judge, who has said the case can be used as a test case. Read more...
“Judge-free divorces” will not undermine family justice (8 May 2014)
The President of the Family Division of the courts, Sir James Munby, has said that cuts to Legal Aid will not damage family justice. Read more...
£100,000 compensation possible for man given vasectomy in error (7 May 2014)
A man who went into hospital for a minor routine urological operation and who was given a vasectomy in error could be in line for an £100,000 compensation payout. Read more...
HSE prosecutes after worker’s hand is injured in machinery (7 May 2014)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has successfully prosecuted a firm in County Durham, after a 59-year-old employee injured his hand when it became trapped while he was cleaning a glue rolling machine. Read more...
Life for rapist who blamed wife for his crimes (7 May 2014)
The wife of a convicted rapist jailed for a minimum of 11 years has vowed to stand by him, after saying her husband was a “kind and sensitive” person. Read more...
Right to Build scheme “key” to government’s housing policy (6 May 2014)
Conservative Planning Minister Nick Boles is expected to announce today (06/05/14) that Local Authorities will have to make land available to enable residents to build their own homes if the Conservatives win the next election. Read more...
Care home fraud “almost doubles in a year” (6 May 2014)
The Audit Commission’s head of counter-fraud Alan Bryce has revealed that in the last year, care home fraud has increased by 82%. Read more...
Dubai flight met by ambulances at Heathrow, after 60 children develop sickness and diarrhoea on board (6 May 2014)
Investigations are underway after 60 children developed vomiting and diarrhoea on a flight from Dubai to London’s Heathrow. Read more...
21-year-old undergoes facial reconstruction after attack with stiletto shoe (6 May 2014)
A 21-year-old security guard with Asda supermarket has spoken out about how a “crazed” woman attacked him while he was waiting in a taxi queue after a night out in Poole, Dorset. Read more...
Hunger strike protest at Harmdonsworth (6 May 2014)
More than 100 detainees at Harmondsworth Detention Centre staged a hunger strike over the weekend, in protest at the government’s fast-track immigration policies. Read more...
Bank of England “vigilant and ready to act” if housing market overheats (6 May 2014)
The Bank of England is warning that the current housing boom may precipitate another property crash, as it emerged in London one in every 15 houses now sells for more than £1 million. Read more...
Usdaw union pledges support to members with mental health issues (6 May 2014)
The UK’s fourth largest trade union Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) has voted in favour of unanimously supporting members with mental health issues. Read more...
Court of Protection gags 94-year-old from speaking to the press about her fight to be cared for at home (6 May 2014)
A 94-year-old spinster locked in a legal battle with Redbridge Council over who should care for her has been “gagged” by the Court of Protection under a special declaration, to prevent her from speaking out about her case to journalists. Read more...
UK child mortality rate “among highest in Europe” (6 May 2014)
US researchers at the University of Seattle in Washington have found that the UK has the highest infant death rate and one of the highest child mortality rates in western Europe. Read more...
Immigration fraud couple must repay £400,000 after Proceeds of Crime ruling (6 May 2014)
A Birmingham couple who ran a visa fraud operation and claimed benefits which netted them more than £400,000 have been ordered to repay the money. Read more...
Company prosecuted after employee suffers “horrific” head injury in work accident (2 May 2014)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has successfully prosecuted a company, after an employee sustained an “horrific” head injury while investigating a fault on a hot wire cutting machine in June 2013. Read more...
Care provider prosecuted over death of mental health patient (2 May 2014)
A care provider has been prosecuted over the death of a mental health patient at a secure hospital in East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire. Read more...
Family Solicitors succeed in appeal against decision setting aside final matrimonial Order in financial remedy proceedings set aside in Nov 2013 (1 May 2014)
Duncan Lewis Family Solicitors have succeeded in an appeal against a decision setting aside final matrimonial Order in financial remedy proceedings, originally set aside in 4th Nov 2013 due the Judge not having jurisdiction to make the Final Order. Read more...
Court of Protection rules doctors can carry out C-section on mental health patient (1 May 2014)
The Court of Protection has given the go-ahead for doctors at Sunderland Council to sedate – and restrain by force if necessary – a pregnant woman in her thirties, so that her baby can be born by Caesarean section. Read more...
Luck runs out for motorist who clocked up 54 points before being banned (1 May 2014)
A court has banned a motorist who was allowed to continue driving, despite acquiring 54 points on his licence for previous motoring offences. Read more...
Brighton and Hove children’s mental health services “stretched by rise in new referrals” (1 May 2014)
The findings of a review of services for children with autism spectrum conditions in Brighton and Hove has found that Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in the region does not have the “expected checks and balances” in place to guarantee accountability in the provision of a public service. Read more...
President of Family Division calls for “no fault” divorces and equal rights for cohabitees (1 May 2014)
President of the High Court Family Division, Sir James Munby, is calling for a radical overhaul of divorce law, with “no fault” divorces for all. Read more...