‘Police custody deaths have hit their highest level in a decade with police, campaigners and experts warning that austerity and a crisis in mental health services have driven the figure up.’
The Guardian, 25th July 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Days after it emerged that a national board set up to improve the performance of the family justice system and chaired by government ministers had not met for 17 months, a national unit set up only three years ago to support a pioneering problem-solving court service for families is shutting down due to lack of government support.’
Law Society's Gazette, 21st June 2018
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘The “smoke and mirror” tactics of defence lawyers in drink-driving cases have been criticised by the government’s forensic science regulator, who has launched an investigation into the work of a number of expert witnesses.’
The Guardian, 18th June 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A British Airways pilot has been jailed for eight months after being caught more than four times over the alcohol limit while on duty.’
The Guardian, 12th June 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Offenders who commit minor crimes after drinking will be given the chance to attend a course rather than face court.’
BBC News, 7th June 2018
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘James Sparham has been jailed for five years after driving his car at high speed through the living room wall of a family home. The 29-year-old was almost three times the drink drive limit when he crashed through the wall of the home owned by David Garnett, 54 and his wife Claire, 50, in the early hours September 3 2017.’
Daily Telegraph, 30th April 2018
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘The TV presenter Ant McPartlin has been fined £86,000 and disqualified from driving for 20 months after admitting drink-driving.’
The Guardian, 16th April 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A drunk driver has been jailed for 13 years after killing three boys as they walked to a 16th birthday party in London. Jaynesh Chudasama pleaded guilty in February to three counts of causing death by dangerous driving over the incident near a bus stop in Hayes.’
The Independent, 28th March 2018
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A man who drank nine pints of lager and took cocaine before crashing into a group of schoolchildren, killing a 16-year-old girl, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving and given a nine year driving ban.’
Crown Prosecution Service, 20th March 2018
Source: www.cps.gov.uk
‘Domestic abusers could be banned from drinking alcohol and electronically tagged under a Government crackdown. New civil orders will expand the potential restrictions courts and police can impose on criminals who torment partners, spouses and other family members.’
Daily Telegraph, 8th March 2018
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘The Family Drug and Alcohol Court ( FDAC) is to expand in London after a partnership of nine boroughs, led by Merton Council, commissioned the service from the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.’
Local Government Lawyer, 28th February 2018
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The FDAC National Unit (NU) coordinates quarterly meetings for all FDAC substance misuse workers, to provide a forum for discussing issues arising from working in FDAC, which is a very different experience to working within adult treatment services. Issues that arise include being part of a multi-disciplinary team, working within the tight timescales of care proceedings, and the need to focus on the welfare of the child and the child’s timescales rather than solely on the parent/s. Issues relating to testing are also discussed regularly.’
Family Law, 9th January 2018
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘Family analysis: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced that it is treating some hair strand test results as potentially unreliable. Maud Davis, partner at TV Edwards LLP looks at what this could mean for proceedings involving children where there was a reliance on hair strand testing, and suggests next steps for family practitioners advising in this area.’
Family Law, 7th December 2017
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘On 21 November the Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal’s Service issued advice for those concerned about potentially unreliable forensic toxicology (drug) tests in some family cases. The advice also relates to criminal trials, but this post looks at the issue for people who have been involved with a family court case and who are worried that the test results may have been dodgy.’
Transparency Project, 23rd November 2017
Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk
‘The government’s forensic regulator has called for fresh scrutiny of drug and alcohol testing carried out for the family courts, after a scandal at a Manchester laboratory raised doubts about the quality of evidence used in thousands of child custody proceedings.’
The Guardian, 24th November 2017
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) and partner local authorities are to receive £6.2m over seven years through a social impact bond to support its work within the family court system, the Government has announced.’
Local Government Lawyer, 18th October 2017
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Ministers confirm plans to introduce tougher sentences for those who drive irresponsibly and devastate lives.’
Ministry of Justice, 15th October 2017
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
‘Former prisoners could be barred from drinking alcohol after their release from custody under new measures aimed at reducing reoffending rates. The proposals would give probation officers across the country, the power to enforce tailored restrictions on criminals when they are released.’
The Independent, 12th October 2017
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A drunk driver who killed a mother-of-three has been jailed for four years. Debbie Masters, 37, was pushing her seven-month-old son in a pram in Battle, East Sussex, on 19 March when she was hit by Naomi Oxley’s car.’
BBC News, 5th October 2017
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A judge who spared an aspiring Oxford University student from jail after she stabbed her boyfriend has been investigated over three complaints relating to the case.’
Daily Telegraph, 29th September 2017
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
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