Elderly man ‘held prisoner’ in care home – Daily Telegraph

‘An elderly man suffering from dementia was treated like a “prisoner” after social workers dispatched him to a nursing home against his and his family’s wishes without going through proper legal processes, a formal investigation has found.’

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Daily Telegraph, 28th January 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Regina v Chinegwundoh – WLR Daily

Regina v Chinegwundoh [2014] EWCA Crim 2649; [2015] WLR (D) 18

‘A finding that a person under a disability had done the acts charged against him was not an acquittal and did not therefore give the court the power to make a restraining order under section 5A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.’

WLR Daily, 20th January 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Nonagenarian unlawfully detained in care home for nearly two years – UK Human Rights Blog

‘The Court of Protection has castigated the actions of a County Council in depriving an old person of his liberty and dignity in their overreaction to reports that he might be subjected to financial exploitation. This, said the judge, amounted to punishing the victim for the acts of the perpetrators.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 22nd January 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

£60k compensation for pensioner, 91, locked away from his cat – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 22nd, 2015 in care homes, compensation, costs, detention, elderly, mental health, news, social services by sally

‘Judge says it is ‘hard to imagine a more depressing and inexcusable’ case than that of the WWII veteran taken from his home against his wishes by Essex council.’

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Daily Telegraph, 21st January 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Pledge to end locking up mentally ill in police cells – BBC News

Posted January 19th, 2015 in detention, hospitals, mental health, news, police, quality assurance, statistics by sally

‘Authorities in England have pledged to bring an end to the practice of detaining people with mental health problems in police cells. The NHS, councils and police are now set to come up with plans for how they will achieve this, the government said.’

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BBC News, 18th January 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Female detainees at Yarl’s Wood routinely humiliated, claims report – The Guardian

‘Women detained in the Yarl’s Wood immigration detention centre are routinely humiliated by male staff who monitor them while they are dressing, showering and using the toilet, or are naked in their rooms, a report into the treatment of female asylum seekers reveals. The report, by the charity Women for Refugee Women, noted that many female asylum seekers detained at Yarl’s Wood, in Bedfordshire, have been victims of sexual violence in their home countries.’

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The Guardian, 14th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Gloucester hospital killer Ryan Matthews given whole life order – BBC News

Posted January 12th, 2015 in inquiries, mental health, murder, news, sentencing by sally

‘A convicted murderer who stabbed to death a worker at a mental health unit has been sentenced to a whole life order.’

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BBC News, 9th December 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Call for publication of review into man who killed himself after benefits cut – The Guardian

Posted January 12th, 2015 in benefits, disabled persons, disclosure, inquiries, mental health, news, reports, suicide by sally

‘The sister of a partially sighted man who killed himself after his benefits were cut is calling on the UK government to publish details of its review into his case, one of 60 internal investigations of suicides linked to benefit changes it has carried out since 2012.’

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The Guardian, 11th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Is the Cart-threshold being set too high? – Garden Court Chambers Blog

‘Desmond Rutledge and Zubier Yazdani consider the hurdles facing welfare benefit claimants seeking to use the Cart test.’

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Garden Court Chambers, Blog, 6th January 2015

Source: www.gclaw.wordpress.com

Gemma Simpson death: Martin Bell jailed for 11 years – BBC News

Posted December 19th, 2014 in diminished responsibility, guilty pleas, homicide, mental health, news, sentencing by sally

‘A killer who bludgeoned and stabbed a woman to death, then kept the location of her remains secret for 14 years, has been jailed.’

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BBC News, 19th December 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Supreme Court homeless appeals – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Three landmark appeals being heard this week should clarify who is ‘vulnerable’ and entitled to priority rehousing by local authorities.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 16th December 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Mentally-ill teenagers no longer to be held in cells – BBC News

Posted December 18th, 2014 in children, detention, mental health, news, police, young persons by sally

‘Teenagers experiencing mental health problems will no longer be detained in police cells as a “place of safety”.’

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BBC News, 18th December 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Leslie Gadsby, paranoid schizophrenic who murdered his parents, was ‘failed’ by mental health services – The Independent

Posted December 17th, 2014 in families, homicide, mental health, news, reports by sally

‘A man with paranoid schizophrenia who killed both his parents in separate attacks was let down by mental health services in Liverpool, a report has concluded.’

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The Independent, 16th December 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Stigma of dementia leading to rise in will disputes – Legal Futures

Posted December 17th, 2014 in elderly, mental health, news, solicitors, wills by sally

‘Expert will dispute lawyers have revealed that people hiding their dementia due to the stigma of mental illness is leading to a rise in the number of wills being disputed by friends and families and say that vulnerable people need more support to avoid being taken advantage of.’

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Legal Futures, 16th December 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Mentally ill teenagers will no longer be held in police cells – The Guardian

Posted December 15th, 2014 in complaints, detention, mental health, news, police, statistics, young offenders by sally

‘Mentally ill teenagers will no longer be taken to police stations and detained in cells under reforms to be announced by the home secretary, Theresa May, this week.’

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The Guardian, 15th December 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

DWP urged to publish inquiries on benefit claimant suicides – The Guardian

‘The Department for Work and Pensions has been urged by mental health and disability charities to publish its secret investigations into suicides that may have some link to benefit changes, following revelations that it has carried out internal reviews into 60 such cases.’

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The Guardian, 14th December 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Policing cuts put public safety at risk, warns Met chief – Daily Telegraph

‘The head of the Metropolitan Police has warned that large cuts to police budgets and other services will put public safety at risk.’

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Daily Telegraph, 14th December 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Managing mental health issues – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted December 11th, 2014 in employment, equality, health, mental health, news, sick leave by sally

‘In 2006, it was estimated that 35% of all GP consultations involved a mental health problem and by 2011 stress had become the most common cause of long-term sickness absence for both manual and non-manual workers. If these figures are not reason enough for employers to address their employees’ mental health issues, there are plenty more statistics that may convince them:

It is estimated that three in ten people will experience a mental health problem in any one year, and this figure is likely to increase.
Work-related stress costs Britain 10.4 million working days per annum, with a disconcerting 91 million days per year lost to mental health problems generally.
The Centre for Mental Health estimates that the total cost of mental health problems at work is over £30 billion a year.
When working long hours, more than a quarter of employees feel depressed (27%), one third feel anxious (34%) and more than half feel irritable (58%).’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 11th December 2014

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Statement from the Director of Public Prosecutions on Eleanor de Freitas – CPS News Brief

‘Eleanor de Freitas’ tragic death was just days before she was due to stand trial for perverting the course of justice. The pending inquest will deal with the circumstances surrounding her death and I do not want to interfere with that process. However the case has understandably raised questions about private prosecutions in these types of cases and why the CPS took over and continued this particular case.’

Full story

CPS News Brief, 9th December 2014

Source: http://blog.cps.gov.uk

CPS ‘right’ to pursue De Freitas case after rape allegation – BBC News

‘The UK’s top prosecutor has defended pursuing a woman who killed herself days before appearing in court accused of making a false rape allegation.’

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BBC News, 9th December 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk