‘Lawyers are refusing to represent people charged with certain crimes amid a crisis over solicitors’ pay, with one burglary suspect turned away by 12 legal firms, the Law Society president has said.’
The Guardian, 16th December 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Court backlogs are forcing alleged offenders to spend up to five years in jail awaiting trial and driving innocent people to plead guilty, two prison watchdogs have revealed.’
The Guardian, 9th December 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Women are less likely than men to appeal their convictions because they fear “rocking the boat” and doing anything that could increase their sentence, the Criminal Cases Review Commission has revealed.’
Law Society's Gazette, 2nd December 2024
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Despite Alex Henry running from the scene and being diagnosed with autism, he remains behind bars.’
The Independent, 23rd November 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Andrew Malkinson, who spent 17 years in jail for a crime he did not commit, says the Ministry of Justice has left him “to rot” after telling him he is likely to have to wait months before learning if he is even eligible for compensation.’
The Guardian, 14th November 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The decision to release the man who brutally killed a young woman in a flat in Cardiff will not be reviewed, the Ministry of Justice has said. Jeffrey Gafoor, 59, is set to leave prison on parole after attempts to change the decision to release him failed.’
BBC News, 10th November 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘One night 50 years ago, on 21 November 1974, five men boarded a train from Birmingham New Street station heading for the Lancashire port of Heysham to catch a ferry to Belfast. They were going to the funeral of an IRA bomber who had blown himself up in Coventry the week before. The train left shortly before 8pm. Around 20 minutes later, a bomb exploded at a pub in Birmingham city centre called The Mulberry Bush. It was followed by a second explosion at The Tavern in the Town, another pub nearby. Twenty-one people were killed and 220 injured. The five men who had left the city by train – and a friend who waved them off at the station – were detained hours later on suspicion of being behind the bombings. They would become known as the Birmingham Six.’
BBC News, 4th November 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The backlog of people left waiting to know whether they will be allowed to reappeal an alleged miscarriage of justice has soared by nearly half in just four years, The Independent can reveal.’
The Independent, 2nd November 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A “draconian” practice that stops crime victims challenging last-minute decisions to drop their cases is leading to miscarriages of justice and must urgently be reformed, campaigners say.’
The Guardian, 21st September 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A controversial decision to refuse refunds to wrongly convicted prisoners who were charged for bed and board while in jail was made in part to save money, the Guardian has learned.’
The Guardian, 21st August 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The efforts of the chancellor Rachel Reeves to get control of Britain’s finances are being hampered by a massive £47bn bill in outstanding compensation claims which could balloon even further, The Independent can reveal. Analysis of a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) showed £84bn has been pledged by previous governments, with 12 compensation schemes for injustice, cover-ups and negligence.’
The Independent, 11th August 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Victims of historic miscarriages of justice have been told by the government they must have “bed and board” costs for the time they spent in prison deducted from their compensation payments.’
BBC News, 9th August 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A report on the Criminal Cases Review Commission’s handling of the Andrew Malkinson case has laid bare “a catalogue of failures”, finding that he could have been exonerated almost a decade earlier.’
The Guardian, 18th July 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Largely thanks to the prime-time ITV dramatization, the Post Office Horizon scandal has brought to light the serious shortcomings in the way the Post Office handled the private prosecution of sub-postmasters. Whilst this has shocked the nation, unfortunately the actions of the Post Office in its role as prosecutor comes as no surprise for those with experience of public prosecutors.’
Mills & Reeve, 26th June 2024
Source: www.mills-reeve.com
‘On 11 June 2024, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights handed down its judgment in Nealon and Hallam v United Kingdom. The case is important for two reasons: firstly, because it provides a long-awaited clarification of the law relating to the presumption of innocence under Article 6 of the Convention; secondly, because it allows Strasbourg to perform a “return shot” after UK courts were very hostile to its earlier judgments on this issue.’
Constitutional Law Association, 13th June 2024
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘Most victims of miscarriages of justice will still be denied compensation in Britain after the European court of human rights ruled the government’s test for payouts was lawful.’
The Guardian, 11th June 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘For the first time, by way of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act (“the Act”), Parliament has legislated to quash criminal convictions. In this post I will argue that, no matter how understandable, indeed laudable, the intention behind this legislation, in its haste to offer a speedy and comprehensive correction to mass injustice, Parliament has crossed a constitutional line and ventured into territory that is properly the preserve of the courts.’
UK Constitutional Law Association , 3rd June 2024
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘The Conservatives and Labour have held talks to work out what outstanding legislation can be rushed through parliament to become law before the Commons closes for the general election.’
The Independent, 23rd May 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Andrew Malkinson says he could have been spared “20 years of darkness and despair” if the jury system had not been changed to allow majority verdicts.’
The Guardian, 9th May 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘At least 56 miscarriages of justice have occurred in cases in England and Wales where the jury was split, according to a charity, which says jury unanimity should be reintroduced to safeguard against wrongful criminal convictions.’
The Guardian, 7th May 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
© Inner Temple Library 2024