Debt advice firm that made 1m unsolicited calls fined £120,000 – The Guardian

‘A company that made more than1m unsolicited calls in a month offering to write off people’s debts has been fined £120,000 by a government watchdog.’

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The Guardian, 10th November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Home Office criticised over delays in immigration cases – BBC News

Posted November 10th, 2015 in complaints, delay, government departments, immigration, news, ombudsmen, reports by sally

‘The Home Office has been accused of delays and poor decision making in its handling of immigration cases.’

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BBC News, 10th November 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

CPS fine sparks call for data protection rethink – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Data protection arrangements should be reviewed in the modern world of social media and cybercrime, a specialist solicitor has said, after it emerged the Crown Prosecution Service delivered unencrypted DVDs to a film studio for 12 years.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 9th November 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

IPCC could investigate Bradford City fire after police referral – BBC News

Posted November 9th, 2015 in complaints, fire, inquiries, news, ombudsmen, police, sport by sally

‘West Yorkshire Police has referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) over the 1985 Bradford City fire disaster.’

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BBC News, 6th November 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Criminals may be behind TalkTalk’s cyber breach, but it can still be penalised by regulators – Technology Law Update

‘The revelations emerging about a major cyber attack on telecoms and broadband supplier TalkTalk are every CIO’s worst nightmare. But hard-working companies that are doing their best to stay ahead of the hackers shouldn’t be criticised, should they?’

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Technology Law Update, 23rd October 2015

Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk

Charity Commission and terrorism suspect campaigners Cage in high court – The Guardian

‘The right to fund unpopular causes is at the heart of a key case heard in the high court on Wednesday, in a legal battle that pits controversial campaigners Cage against the charity regulator.’

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The Guardian, 21st October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The Sun’s ‘cleavage week’ ads escape ban – The Guardian

Posted October 21st, 2015 in advertising, complaints, jurisdiction, media, news, ombudsmen, photography, women by sally

‘A competition in the Sun inviting readers to submit a photo of their cleavage for the chance to win £1,000 has escaped a ban from the advertising watchdog.’

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The Guardian, 21st October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Georgia Williams murder: Killer not stopped after previous attack – BBC News

‘A teenager hanged by a man obsessed with asphyxiating girls was failed by police and social services assigned to her killer after an earlier attack, a serious case review has found.’

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BBC News, 14th October 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

New fast-track eviction powers could breach human rights, warns watchdog – The Guardian

‘Government proposals to legally require landlords to check the immigration status of their tenants risk a serious breach of human rights, an official watchdog has warned.’

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The Guardian, 12th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Jayden Parkinson: Police employee cleared of misconduct – BBC News

Posted September 30th, 2015 in murder, news, ombudsmen, police, professional conduct by sally

‘A Thames Valley Police employee has “no case to answer” for misconduct over the investigation into the disappearance of Jayden Parkinson, watchdogs said.’

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BBC News, 30th September 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Prisoners’ legal letters opened by prison staff, admits ombudsman – The Guardian

Posted September 29th, 2015 in confidentiality, news, ombudsmen, postal service, prisons, privacy, privilege by sally

‘Prisoners’ confidential legal letters to and from their lawyers and the courts have been wrongly opened by prison staff in half of cases investigated by the prisons ombudsman in the past year.’

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The Guardian, 29th September 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

IPCC reform: the challenges – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 25th, 2015 in complaints, consultations, media, news, ombudsmen, police by sally

‘Keen observers of UK policing issues will be forgiven for having missed one of the biggest stories of the year so far: the planned complete overhaul of the police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), including the introduction of a national police ombudsman supported by regional ombudsmen.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 23rd September 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Judge awards parents £20k over accommodation of children in foster care – Local Government Lawyer

‘A judge has ordered a London council to pay £20,000 in damages for breaching the claimant parents’ human rights when it unlawfully continued to keep their eight children in foster care.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 24th September 2015

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Broadmoor Hospital inspection reveals ‘urgent’ changes required – BBC News

‘Broadmoor Hospital has been told to make urgent changes after a report which highlighted the “overuse” of face-down restraints on patients. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated the high-security hospital in Berkshire “inadequate” after an inspection.’

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BBC News, 16th September 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Council criticised over refusal of direct payments based on Working Time Regulations – Local Government Lawyer

‘A council has admitted wrongly using the Working Time Regulations to refuse the direct payments they assessed a young man as needing, following an investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 6th August 2015

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Watchdog asks DWP for ‘objective and impartial’ sanctions statements – The Guardian

Posted August 10th, 2015 in benefits, complaints, government departments, news, ombudsmen, sanctions, statistics by sally

‘The UK statistics watchdog has asked the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure its statements on jobseeker sanctions are “objective and impartial” following a series of complaints by leading experts.’

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The Guardian, 7th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Wine fraudster who duped doctor out of £500,000 is jailed – Daily Telegraph

Posted July 31st, 2015 in compensation, fraud, news, ombudsmen, sentencing by sally

‘The conman fooled even ‘experienced’ investors by promising 50pc returns. But victims could have been alerted had they checked an official database.’

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Daily Telegraph, 30th July 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Poltergeist posters cleared despite more than 70 complaints over clown image – The Guardian

Posted July 15th, 2015 in advertising, complaints, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘People afraid of clowns have failed in a bid to get “distressing” posters for the film Poltergeist banned. More than 70 coulrophobics and parents complained about posters and bus ads featuring the head of a scruffy, smiling clown doll with the tagline “They know what scares you”.’

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The Guardian, 15th July 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Suspended chief constable found guilty of eight misconduct charges – The Guardian

‘A chief constable suspended for a more than a year after being accused of “inappropriate advances” to women has been found guilty of eight charges of misconduct but is to be allowed to return to work.’

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The Guardian, 9th July 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

More than a third of police child abuse investigations ‘inadequate’, says watchdog – Daily Telegraph

Posted July 2nd, 2015 in child abuse, child neglect, news, ombudsmen, police, standards, statistics by sally

‘Inspection of response to paedophilia and other types of abuse a ‘damning indictment’ of police.’

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Daily Telegraph, 2nd July 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk