Woman who fled rape and torture in DRC wins UK citizenship case after Home Office U-turn – The Guardian

Posted December 16th, 2025 in news by sally

‘A woman who fled rape and torture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 18 years ago and was denied British citizenship because she entered the UK illegally has won her case after a government U-turn.’

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The Guardian, 15th December 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Children’s mentor guilty of sexually abusing five girls at London school – The Independent

Posted December 16th, 2025 in news by sally

‘A children’s mentor has been convicted of 14 sexual offences against former students in a London school, police said after an investigation into two decades of child sexual abuse.’

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The Independent, 15th December 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Thousands of drivers wrongly fined for speeding since 2021 – BBC News

Posted December 16th, 2025 in news by sally

‘Thousands of drivers could have speeding fines cancelled after a fault saw some cameras falsely triggered on English A roads and motorways.’

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BBC News, 16th December 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Exam board Pearson fined £2m for ‘serious’ breaches in standards – The Guardian

Posted December 16th, 2025 in news by sally

‘One of the world’s biggest providers of educational services has been fined more than £2m for a range of serious breaches related to examination standards that could have affected tens of thousands of students.’

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The Guardian, 15th December 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

R (Bhupinder Iffat Rizvi) v HM Assistant Coroner for South London and others [2025] EWHC 3014 (Admin) – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted December 15th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘In this case, the High Court considered the appropriate legal test for leaving findings of fact to juries in Article 2 inquests. Is it that such findings are arguable? Or is it that there is sufficient evidence to support them? The answer, quite firmly, is the latter.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 12th December 2025

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Major infrastructure planning regime changes to follow under finalised bill – OUT-LAW.com

Posted December 15th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘The bill was passed by parliament following months of scrutiny and takes aim at barriers to the development of national infrastructure, which the UK government consider stifles economic growth. The government has set a target of fast-tracking 150 planning decisions on major infrastructure projects by the end of the current parliament.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 15th December 2025

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Streamlined planning decisions in England envisaged under finalised law – OUT-LAW.com

Posted December 15th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘The time it takes for projects to clear the planning process in England could be cut under measures contained in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill approved by UK law makers on Wednesday. It is now awaiting royal assent.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 12th December 2025

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Tenant redress for abuse of possession grounds under the Renters’ Right Act – Nearly Legal

Posted December 15th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘One of the great controversies during the passage of the Renters’ Rights Act was the question of safeguards against landlords abusing the new grounds for possession. If a landlord evicts a tenant on the basis that they intend to sell up, move in, or instal a family member, and then re-lets the property (probably at a higher rent), what redress will tenants have?’

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Nearly Legal, 15th December 2025

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Judicial Review of the First-tier Tribunal: Overlapping Errors of law and errors of fact – Administrative Court Blog

Posted December 15th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘In the field of judicial review, courts have traditionally distinguished review for error of law and review for error of fact. When it comes to reviewing errors of law, courts have typically been comfortable with deciding matters for themselves. By contrast, when it comes to reviewing errors of fact, courts have been much more reluctant to intervene. This makes intuitive sense; determination of the law ought to be done by the reviewing judicial body, as it holds constitutional responsibilities and will typically have greater legal expertise. Determination of the relevant facts, in general, should primarily fall to the body or decision-maker which is closest ‘to the ground’, and thus best able to marshal and consider evidence.’

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Administrative Court Blog, 12th December 2025

Source: administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com

SDT throws out Carter-Ruck ‘SLAPP’ prosecution – Law Society Gazette

Posted December 15th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal today summarily dismissed an alleged SLAPP prosecution against a partner at a renowned defamation firm.’

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Law Society Gazette, 12th December 2025

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

When Might an Arbitration Not Be Entirely Private and Confidential? – Financial Remedies Journal

Posted December 15th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘It is beyond argument that one of the great virtues of family law arbitration is its ability to provide the parties with confidentiality and privacy for the resolution of their dispute. Unlike court proceedings, the parties will not face the risk of the hearing taking place in open court with curious members of the public present, or in private but with the media potentially in attendance (even if constrained in what they may report).’

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Financial Remedies Journal, 15th December 2025

Source: financialremediesjournal.com

Home Office urged to be transparent about deaths of asylum seekers in its care – The Guardian

Posted December 15th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘Human rights and refugee campaigners are calling on the Home Office to be transparent about the numbers of asylum seekers who die in its care by publishing quarterly data as other government departments do.’

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The Guardian, 14th December 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Man cleared of wife’s murder found guilty after child provides new evidence – The Guardian

Posted December 15th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘A man who was previously cleared of killing his wife on the grounds of self-defence has been found guilty of her murder after their child came forward with new evidence under double jeopardy rules.’

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The Guardian, 12th December 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Call for system that frees rape suspects as alternative to bail to be scrapped in England and Wales – The Guardian

Posted December 15th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘Hundreds of suspected rapists in England and Wales are spending years released under investigation, under a system that the government has been urged to scrap as it “doesn’t serve anyone’s interests apart from the police”.’

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The Guardian, 15th December 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Teen on murder charge set for trial 100 miles away – BBC News

Posted December 15th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘A teenage boy charged with murder could go on trial about 100 miles from the town where the crime was allegedly committed.’

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BBC News, 15th December 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Court of Protection considers correct legal test for assessing whether woman has capacity to make own decision as to whether or not to marry – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 12th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘A Court of Protection judge has considered the correct legal test for assessing whether an elderly woman with dementia has the capacity to make her own decision as to whether or not to marry, finding that the court should asses her capacity to marry in general, rather than her capacity to marry a particular person.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th December 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Family Court approves care plan entailing move to Jamaica amid concerns over immigration application risks – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 12th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘A Family Court judge has approved a care plan for a young looked-after British child to move to Jamaica to live with her maternal half-brother, who is in the care of his paternal aunt.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th December 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

High Court rules temporary chief constable appointment by police and crime commissioner was unlawful – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 12th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘A decision by a Police and Crime Commissioner to appoint a chief constable on a temporary basis was “unlawful”, the High Court has found.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th December 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Making work pay: why it’s important to monitor earnings by sex at the self-employed Bar – Bar Council

Posted December 12th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘The General Council of the Bar (GCB) has monitored barrister earnings since 2015, with the latest publication “Gross earnings by sex and practice area at the self-employed Bar 2025” being published in November. In this blog, Dr Rose Holmes, Bar Council Head of Research, and Rachel Krys, Bar Council Equality and Diversity Consultant, explain why it’s important to collect and analyse this data and how our work has evolved over the last decade.’

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Bar Council, 11th December 2025

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Half of people arrested in London could have undiagnosed ADHD, study finds – The Independent

Posted December 12th, 2025 in news by Simon

‘Neurodivergent individuals – particularly autistic people and those with ADHD – are overrepresented within prison populations, according to research.’

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The Independent, 12th December 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk