Court to decide over burial error – BBC News
“A church court is to decide whether to exhume a man’s body after he was buried in a plot reserved for a widow of another man.”
BBC News, 2nd December 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: burials and cremation
Who decides who owns your body? – BBC News
“Steve Blum’s son Christopher was buried last November but he did not go to the funeral.
Mr Blum, who has always disputed the the pathologists’ finding of cot death as the cause of four-month-old Christopher’s death, wanted his son to remain in the North London mortuary where he had lain for 21 years until he could have the inquest he feels his son deserves.”
BBC News, 23rd June 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Regina (Ghai) v Newcastle upon Tyne City Council – Times Law Reports
Regina (Ghai) v Newcastle upon Tyne City Council
Queen’s bench Division
“The orthodox Hindu belief in the necessity of open-air cremation as a manifestation of belief within the meaning of article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights was limited by statutory provisions which were justified under article 9.2 of the Convention.”
The Times, 18th May 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
R (Ghai) v Newcastle City Council (Ramgharia Gurdwara, Hitchin and another intervening) – WLR Daily
R (Ghai) v Newcastle City Council (Ramgharia Gurdwara, Hitchin and another intervening)
“The burning of human remains other than in a crematorium was a criminal offence under ss 2 and 8 of the Cremation Act 1902 and regs 2(1) and 13 of the Cremation (England and Wales) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/2841). Cremation of an orthodox Hindu on an open air pyre was a manifestation of his belief within the meaning of art 9 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the statutory provisions on cremation limited his freedom to manifest that belief. The statutory provisions governing open air funeral pyres were, however, justified under art 9(2) on the grounds of the protection of public morals and the rights and freedoms of others.”
WLR Daily, 13th May 2009
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Devout Hindu loses cremation bid – BBC News
“A bid by a devout Hindu for the legal right to be cremated on a traditional open-air funeral pyre has been rejected by the High Court in London.”
BBC News, 8th May 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Hindu elder in High Court bid for open-air cremation – Daily Telegraph
“In a test case on religious burials, Davender Ghai, aged 70, is challenging a refusal by Newcastle City Council to permit him to be cremated according to his Hindu faith.”
Daily Telegraph, 24th March 2009
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Stop unnecessary staking says minister – Ministry of Justice
“Too many burial grounds operators are staking or laying down memorials which are not a serious risk to the public. New guidance published today by Justice Minister Bridget Prentice makes it clear this should only be done as a last resort.”
Ministry of Justice, 16th January 2009
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
MP’s victory over grave toppling – BBC News
“New guidelines to help assess the safety of gravestones after councils carried out ‘over-zealous’ topple-testing have been welcomed by an MP.”
BBC News, 20th January 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Bereaved families get right to inspect medical forms in cremations cases – Ministry of Justice
“The right of families to inspect medical forms of a deceased relative completed by doctors before cremation takes place will start on 1 January 2009, Justice Minister Bridget Prentice said.”
Ministry of Justice, 17th December 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Mother’s campaign changes the law – BBC News
“A Dorset mother forced to wait 18 months to bury her two-year-old son has been celebrating after her six-year campaign led to a change in the law.”
BBC News, 4th December 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Cremation Regulations 2008: Your right to inspect the medical certificates – Ministry of Justice
“The Cremation Regulations 2008 come into effect on 1 January 2009. They modernise and consolidate all previous regulations, replacing the Cremation Regulations 1930 as amended.”
Ministry of Justice, 7th November 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Bereaved families get new rights to avoid another Shipman – Ministry of Justice
“New Cremation Regulations designed to help prevent another Harold Shipman-type murder have been published today.”
Ministry of Justice, 3rd November 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Father wins ruling to stop baby son being buried 22 years after his death – Daily Telegraph
“A judge ruled that Enfield Council should not bury Christopher Blum for at least three weeks to give his father time to prepare a legal case.”
Daily Telegraph, 25th September 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Body row to go to European court – BBC News
“The family of a Liverpool man stabbed to death in Spain are to go to the European Court of Human Rights in their campaign to help bring his body home.”
BBC News, 24th September 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Council to bury 21-year-old remains of infant without family consent – The Guardian
“The remains of a baby boy that have been kept in a mortuary for 21 years will be buried on Friday without any relatives present after his family withdrew their consent for the funeral to go ahead.”
The Guardian, 24th September 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Baby in mortuary since 1987 to be buried by council – The Guardian
“The remains of a baby boy that have been in a mortuary for more than 21 years because his parents refused to register his death are to be buried by a council without their consent.”
The Guardian, 28th July 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
After 21 years in a freezer, baby boy will be buried against his parents’ wishes – The Times
“The body of a baby boy that has been lying in a mortuary freezer for 21 years is to be buried against his parents’ wishes after a council used new powers to formalise his death.”
The Times, 28th July 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Reporting deaths to the coroner and modernisation cremation regulations – Ministry of Justice
“Bridget Prentice has made a written ministerial statement on the statutory duty to report deaths to the coroner and the modernisation and consolidation of the cremation regulations.”
Ministry of Justice, 21st May 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Widow sentenced to eternity with in-laws – Daily Telegraph
“A widow who does not want to be buried with her parents-in-law has failed in her attempt to have her husband’s ashes dug up.”
Daily Telegraph, 25th October 2007
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
New cremation regulations to prevent another Shipman – Ministry of Justice
“Bereaved families will have the right to inspect the medical forms of a deceased family member before cremation, under new proposals published today. The proposals are designed to help stop a repeat of the murders by Harold Shipman.”
Ministry of Justice press release, 16th July 2007
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
