November 2018 – Page 8 – Current Awareness

‘A law firm accounts clerk who faced false allegations of sexually harassing a fellow employee has accepted damages of £20,000 after winning his claim of unfair constructive dismissal.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 16th November 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Courts to pilot more flexible hours for the benefit of the public – Ministry of Justice

Posted November 16th, 2018 in courts, flexible working, pilot schemes, press releases by tracey

‘Early and late sittings will be piloted in civil and family courts, giving people greater access to hearings that can fit around their busy lives.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 16th November 2018

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Ian Naude: Cheshire PC convicted of raping 13-year-old girl – BBC News

Posted November 16th, 2018 in child abuse, news, police, rape by tracey

‘A policeman described as a “committed paedophile” has been convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl.’

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BBC News, 15th November 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Charles Bronson cleared of prison governor attack – The Independent

Posted November 16th, 2018 in attempts, grievous bodily harm, news, prison officers, prisons by tracey

‘Notorious inmate Charles Bronson has been cleared of trying to cause grievous bodily harm a senior prison officer.’

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The Independent, 15th November 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Baronesses’ husbands should be made Lords because current rules are sexist, says Fiona Shackleton – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 16th, 2018 in married persons, news, peerages & dignities by tracey

‘The peerage system is sexist because husbands of baronesses are still referred to as ‘Mr’, according to one of Britain’s leading divorce lawyers. While the wife of a male peer is known as ‘Lady’, husbands of female peers are not awarded courtesy titles. It is an enduring symbol of inequality, according to Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 15th November 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Doctors and teachers could face criminal charges for failing to report forced marriage – The Independent

Posted November 16th, 2018 in consultations, doctors, forced marriages, news, notification, prosecutions, teachers by tracey

‘Doctors, nurses and teachers could face criminal charges for failing to report forced marriage cases under plans being considered by the government. Ministers are weighing up the possibility of introducing a mandatory reporting duty to boost efforts to tackle the “hidden crime”. A Home Office consultation paper published this week seeks views on whether such a measure should be introduced, and if so, who it should apply to.’

Full consultation

Full Story

The Independent, 16th November 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

EE and Virgin Media fined £13.3m for overcharging customers – The Guardian

Posted November 16th, 2018 in consumer protection, contracts, fines, internet, news, telecommunications by tracey

‘Virgin Media and EE have been fined a combined £13.3m by the regulator Ofcom for overcharging nearly 500,000 phone and broadband customers who wanted to leave their contracts early.@

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The Guardian, 16th November 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Engineer suing BA for £10k after ‘obese passenger left him pinned to side of cabin’ on 12-hour flight – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 16th, 2018 in airlines, news, obesity, personal injuries by tracey

‘A civil engineer is suing British Airways for damages of up to £10,000 after he sat next to a passenger so “obese” it left him “pinned to the side of the cabin”.’

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Daily Telegraph, 15th November 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Enfield care home guilty over ‘predatory’ resident’s sex attacks – BBC News

Posted November 16th, 2018 in care homes, fines, news, sexual offences by tracey

‘A care home has been convicted and fined for failing to protect two vulnerable adults from a sexually predatory resident.’

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BBC News, 15th November 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Peers block Lord Lester’s suspension over harassment claims – The Guardian

Posted November 16th, 2018 in cross-examination, disciplinary procedures, harassment, news, parliament, peerages & dignities by tracey

‘A women’s rights campaigner has said she feels “victimised all over again” after the House of Lords voted to block the suspension of a Liberal Democrat peer who was found to have promised to make her a baroness if she agreed to sleep with him.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 15th November 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Tax tribunal rules that Arron Banks suffered political discrimination – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted November 15th, 2018 in budgets, human rights, news, Northern Ireland, political opinion discrimination, political parties, taxation, tribunals by tracey

‘Banks v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2018] UKFTT 617 (TC). Donations made by Arron Banks to the United Kingdom Independence Party (‘UKIP’) are subject to a tax regime which discriminates against the donor on grounds of his political opinion, the First-Tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) has found.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 14th November 2018

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Case Comment: Lee v Ashers Baking Company Ltd & Ors [2018] UKSC 49 – UKSC Blog

Posted November 15th, 2018 in appeals, equality, freedom of expression, homosexuality, human rights, marriage, news, Northern Ireland, political opinion discrimination, religious discrimination, sale of goods, sexual orientation discrimination, Supreme Court by tracey

‘It must be a rare moment in legal history, when cakes are at the centre of Supreme Court Knights_S_146668decisions in the same year on both sides of the pond.’

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UKSC Blog, 12th November 2018

Source: ukscblog.com

Court of Appeal clears way for Mastercard hearing – Litigation Futures

Posted November 15th, 2018 in appeals, banking, class actions, EC law, fees, judicial review, jurisdiction, news by tracey

‘The Court of Appeal has ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear an appeal against the decision that stopped the massive £14bn Mastercard class action – the biggest opt-out claim in English legal history.’

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Litigation Futures, 15th November 2018

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Susskind: Machines will replace lawyers if they deliver better outcomes – Legal Futures

Posted November 15th, 2018 in barristers, computer programs, legal profession, news, solicitors by tracey

‘Clients value lawyers for the outcomes they deliver and will switch to technology based alternatives if they produce the better or cheaper results, Professor Richard Susskind has claimed.’

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Legal Futures, 15th November 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Families whose loved ones died in NHS mental health care call for inquiry and reforms as police drop investigation – The Independent

Posted November 15th, 2018 in bereavement, corporate manslaughter, families, health & safety, inquiries, mental health, news, police, suicide, victims by tracey

‘A decision to drop the investigation into the deaths of up to 25 people in the care of NHS mental health services has been described by as a “bombshell” that leaves them without “accountability or recourse”, by their families. Essex Police had spent nearly two years investigating deaths across nine sites at North Essex Partnership University Trust since 2000.’

Full Story

The Independent, 15th November 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Man jailed for targeting grieving families with online abuse – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted November 15th, 2018 in bereavement, communicating false information, families, internet, press releases, sentencing by tracey

‘A man who admitted targeting Facebook memorial pages with sickening messages has been jailed for 14 months today (15 Oct) at Newcastle Crown Court.’

Full press release

Crown Prosecution Service, 15th November 2018

Source: www.cps.gov.uk