Constance Marten and Mark Gordon found guilty of two charges – The Guardian

‘Constance Marten and her partner, Mark Gordon, have been found guilty of concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice after the body of their baby daughter was found following a high-profile search, it can now be reported.’

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The Guardian, 26th June 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Four teenagers convicted over fatal stabbing of Kennie Carter in Manchester – The Guardian

‘Four teenagers have been found guilty of killing a 16-year-old boy who was stabbed in the chest in what prosecutors described as a “cowardly” revenge attack in Manchester.’

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The Guardian, 26th June 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Court of Appeal hands down ruling on use of medical research literature in care proceedings – Local Government Lawyer

Posted June 27th, 2024 in causation, children, evidence, families, news, personal injuries by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has allowed appeals brought by a mother and a father against findings made by a judge that their infant son sustained an injury through an acceleration/deceleration event – attributable to “a lack of reasonable parental care”.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 26th June 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Pornography, the Online Safety Act 2023 and the need for further reform – Journal of Media Law

Posted June 27th, 2024 in child abuse, children, internet, media, news, obscenity, pornography by sally

‘The UK’s Online Safety Act 2023 regulates pornography in a range of new ways which could radically alter both how pornography is accessed and the nature of the content available. However, while the Act ostensibly represents a new form of regulation focusing on the systems and processes of online platforms, in practice it is content-based. Our analysis reveals that the Act generates eight new classifications of pornography, each associated with a distinct legal framework, thereby creating a confusing and unnecessarily complex regulatory regime. Accordingly, we recommend further reforms to fortify and clarify the regulatory regime, as well as a more comprehensive review of pornography regulation in general, with the overall aim of reducing the harms of pornography.’

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Journal of Media Law, 5th June 2024

Source: www.tandfonline.com

Court of Appeal finds Family Division judge failed to adhere to “fundamental principle” of justice being seen to be done – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Court of Appeal has criticised a judge for her “blatantly unfair conduct”, finding that an interchange with a father demonstrated a “complete failure of proper judicial process”.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 25th June 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Curbs on expert cross-examination could lead to wrongful removals, family silks warn – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 25th, 2024 in child abuse, children, cross-examination, expert witnesses, news, pilot schemes by tracey

‘Senior family lawyers have warned that a little-known pilot project centring on the role and use of expert evidence will see children wrongly taken from their families. The Department for Education-funded pilot is up and running at NHS trusts in Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham with little information available to either the public or family law specialists.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 24th June 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Boy who attacked sleeping children at private school Blundell’s with hammer guilty of attempted murder – The Independent

Posted June 24th, 2024 in attempted murder, children, news, school children, teachers, young offenders by tracey

‘A boy has been found guilty of attempted murder after attacking two sleeping students and a teacher with hammers in a devastating rampage in the middle of the night at a private school.’

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The Independent, 22nd June 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Teenager detained for life for murdering boy, 15 – BBC News

‘A 15-year-old boy who murdered Leeds teenager Alfie Lewis in a knife attack outside a primary school has been detained for life with a minimum term of 13 years.’

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BBC News, 21st June 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Teacher given life ban after having sex with pupil – BBC News

‘A teacher who repeatedly had sex with a vulnerable 16-year-old pupil has been told by a judge he will never be allowed to teach again.’

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BBC News, 14th June 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Wolverhampton guilty verdicts raise issue of naming child killers – The Guardian

‘Some believe naming convicted children acts as deterrent, while others say it could glorify horrific acts.’

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The Guardian, 15th June 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office’s failure to collect and monitor data on asylum accommodation for pregnant and new mothers held to be unlawful – Landmark Chambers

‘The High Court’s decision in DXK v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2024] EWHC 579 (Admin) is a welcome addition to the growing body of case law concerning the ambit and application of asylum support duties. The Court’s findings on academic claims, standing, systemic challenges, and the public sector equality duty (“PSED”) will be of wider practical application in other public law contexts.’

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Landmark Chambers, 13th May 2024

Source: www.landmarkchambers.co.uk

One in three parents in care proceedings cases involving babies have learning disabilities or difficulties, researchers find – Local Government Lawyer

‘A study by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (NFJO) has found that 34% of parents who are at risk of having their babies removed from their care have learning disabilities or difficulties, which are often not identified until court.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 13th June 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Lancashire childminder who killed baby in her care jailed for more than 12 years – The Guardian

‘A Lancashire childminder who killed a nine-month-old baby by shaking him to death has been sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison for manslaughter.’

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The Guardian, 13th June 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

OAC’s case – the need to “wait and see” before attempting settlement – Exchange Chambers

Posted June 13th, 2024 in accidents, chambers articles, children, compensation, news, road traffic by sally

‘This case was recently approved following a joint settlement meeting where the terms of settlement were that the Claimant (C), a protected party, was to be compensated by the payment of the lump sum of £4.5 million. The date of accident was in 2005. C met with her accident as the infant back seat passenger restrained in a child seat, when a car driven by her father was involved in a collision with a lorry. C’s father was severely brain injured in the accident. C at the time was only 15 months old, she was born in 2004, she is now 20 years old. Proceedings were issued in March 2013.’

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Exchange Chambers, 31st May 2024

Source: www.exchangechambers.co.uk

What happens when Child Maintenance is not enough? – Becket Chambers

‘Child maintenance refers to the financial support which is made by a parent towards a child’s living costs and expenses after the parents separate. It is usually an amount which is paid to the resident parent who cares for the child most of the time.’

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Becket Chambers, 9th May 2024

Source: becket-chambers.co.uk

Contact in Domestic Abuse Cases – Becket Chambers

‘This short article focuses upon the Court of Appeal’s recent decision in the case of Re H (A Child: Domestic Abuse) 2024 EWCA Civ 326 in which it considered the father’s appeal against a child arrangements order under which he was to have no face to face contact with his 3 year old son for an indefinite period of time.’

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Becket Chambers, 7th May 2024

Source: becket-chambers.co.uk

Gary Glitter ordered to pay more than £500,000 to woman he abused – BBC News

Posted June 12th, 2024 in child abuse, children, damages, news, rape, sentencing, sexual offences, victims by sally

‘The paedophile former pop star Gary Glitter has been ordered by a high court judge to pay more than £500,000 in damages to one of the women he abused.’

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BBC News, 11th June 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Campaigners issue judicial review challenge over closure of two “vital” children’s centres in Hackney – Local Government Lawyer

Posted June 11th, 2024 in children, consultations, education, judicial review, local government, news by tracey

‘A group of parents have issued a judicial review challenge to the proposed closure of two children’s centres in Hackney, arguing that the council’s consultation process was “unfair and unlawful”.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 10th June 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Vulnerable children locked up and ‘gravely damaged by the state’, former top family judge warns – The Guardian

‘Vulnerable children with complex needs are being locked away in unregulated placements and are being “gravely damaged by the state” while their parents are driven to despair, according to England and Wales’s former top family judge. Sir James Munby terms the lack of provision of safe and therapeutic homes “a shocking moral failure”.’

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The Guardian, 9th June 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Two 12-year-old boys who murdered stranger with machete are ‘UK’s youngest knife killers’ – The Independent

Posted June 11th, 2024 in children, murder, news, offensive weapons, young offenders by tracey

‘Two 12-year-old boys who used a machete to mercilessly stab an “utterly defenceless” teenager have been found guilty of murder. On Monday, jurors unanimously convicted the youths, who are believed to be the youngest defendants convicted of murder in Britain since Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both aged 11, were found guilty in 1993 of killing two-year-old James Bulger.

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The Independent, 10th June 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk