Teenager’s death after being given antipsychotic was ‘potentially avoidable’ – The Guardian

‘The death of a teenager who was given antipsychotic medication though he and his family warned that the drug might cause him serious harm could have been avoided, an independent review has concluded.’

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The Guardian, 20th October 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Council hit with costs order after Court of Protection judge finds it failed autistic 18 year old – Local Government Lawyer

Posted October 6th, 2020 in autism, care orders, costs, Court of Protection, local government, news by tracey

‘A Court of Protection judge has ordered Shropshire Council to pay the costs of the Official Solicitor and a father after finding that the local authority had failed an 18 year old man (ND) with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 6th October 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘He cannot cope’: More than 100,000 people call for deportation of severely autistic man to be halted – The Independent

Posted October 6th, 2020 in autism, deportation, Jamaica, learning difficulties, news by tracey

‘Brown, 21, is a severely autistic Jamaican-born UK resident who is currently in prison a two-and-a-half-hour drive from his mother’s home in Dudley. He is nearing the end of a five-year prison sentence, and faces removal to a country he hasn’t set foot in since he came to the UK aged four.’

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The Independent, 5th October 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Report raises alarm over police detention of vulnerable suspects in England and Wales – The Guardian

‘Police officers detained and interviewed hundreds of thousands of vulnerable suspects last year in England and Wales in breach of mandatory safeguards, according to the body that sets standards for those who support vulnerable adults in police custody.’

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The Guardian, 28th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Family Court judge allows autistic mother to type evidence in witness box during care proceedings – Local Government Lawyer

‘A Family Court judge has hailed the success of allowing an autistic mother’s oral evidence in care proceedings to be given by presenting her with written questions whilst in the witness box and for the answers to be typed in real time.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 25th August 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Watchdog exposes ‘unacceptable’ treatment of children in English court cells – The Guardian

‘Children with Down’s syndrome and autism were among those left for hours in court cells while they waited for legal representation or transport, a custody watchdog has revealed in a damning report.’

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The Guardian, 7th August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Autism in children: ‘Many families face council discrimination’ – BBC News

‘More than a quarter of English councils are acting unlawfully by discriminating against children with autism, according to a report by disability law experts.’

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BBC News, 4th August 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Council loses High Court battle over level of support for disabled young woman – Local Government Lawyer

‘The London Borough of Southwark has lost a High Court case over a disabled young woman’s care plan after a judge found aspects of the council’s case to be materially flawed or erroneous.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 30th July 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Clearer guidelines issued in UK for sentencing offenders with mental health disorders – The Guardian

‘Clearer guidelines have been published for courts sentencing offenders who have schizophrenia, depression or other mental disorders.’

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The Guardian, 22nd July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Judge criticises council for failure to implement recommendations of First-tier Tribunal – Local Government Lawyer

Posted July 16th, 2020 in autism, children, community care, local government, news by tracey

‘The London Borough of Barnet gave “disingenuous” and “erroneous” reasons for departing from the recommendations of the First-Tier Tribunal (FTT) in a case concerning an autistic boy’s care, a judge has ruled.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 16th July 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Tate Modern: Jonty Bravery jailed for 15 years for attempted murder – The Guardian

‘A teenager who threw a six-year-old child off a viewing platform at the Tate Modern gallery in London will serve at least 15 years in prison, the Old Bailey was told on Friday.’

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The Guardian, 26th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Solicitor fined after conviction for abusive Facebook messages – Legal Futures

‘A junior solicitor diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome who was convicted after sending a woman he briefly dated a series of abusive Facebook messages has been fined £10,000 by a disciplinary tribunal.’

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Legal Futures, 24th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Council agrees to pay out £60k after Ombudsman report into failure to support autistic woman – Local Government Lawyer

Posted June 18th, 2020 in autism, compensation, local government, mental health, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘A council has agreed to pay a woman with autism, severe anxiety disorder and associated mental health disorders £60,000 after it failed to provide her with support for more than five years.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 15th June 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Court overturns ‘right to sex’ ruling on man who cannot understand consent – The Guardian

‘The court of appeal has overturned a controversial ruling that a man has a “fundamental right to sex” even though he cannot understand the issue of consent.’

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The Guardian, 11th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Campaigners in legal threat over “failure to collect data on deaths of those with learning disabilities and autism during COVID-19” – Local Government Lawyer

‘Disability campaigners have sent a letter before action to five public bodies over what they say has been a failure to mandate the collection and publication of data on the deaths of people with learning disabilities and autism during the coronavirus pandemic.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 21st May 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Government changes how outdoor exercise guidance applies to people with specific health needs – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Government has changed its leaving home guidance to permit people with specific health needs to exercise outside more than once a day and to travel to do so where necessary, following the threat of a judicial review challenge.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 14th April 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

NICE amends Covid-19 critical care guideline after judicial review threat – Local Government Lawyer

‘The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (‘NICE’) has changed the COVID-19 guideline for clinical care after being threatened with a judicial review challenge.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 1st April 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Families of disabled children threaten legal challenge over government limit on outdoor exercise – Local Government Lawyer

‘A pre-action protocol letter has been sent to the Government calling on it to reconsider the policy that all citizens are only permitted to leave the house for exercise once per day.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 1st April 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Met to face judicial review over role of school police officers – The Guardian

‘A London family has launched legal action over the role of police officers in schools, amid concerns that their presence could have disproportionately negative consequences for black and minority ethnic groups.’

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The Guardian, 30th March 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Sarah Witham (as Executrix of the Estate of Neil Witham, deceased) v Steve Hill Ltd. What counts as a dependency under the 1976 Act and how should you value it? – 12 King’s Bench Walk

‘Neil Witham died at the age of 55 from mesothelioma leaving behind his wife (the Claimant) and his two foster children. At the heart of the dispute between the parties in this case was the width and breadth of the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 and the proper method to quantify the dependency if it fell within the scope of the Act.’

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12 King's Bench Walk, 14th February 2020

Source: www.12kbw.co.uk