Juries have no place at rape trials – victims deserve unprejudiced justice – The Guardian

Posted August 15th, 2016 in criminal justice, juries, media, news, rape, sexual offences, statistics, trials by sally

‘The myths surrounding rape in our society are deep-rooted, persuasive and perpetuated daily in the media. As a result, many offenders are walking free.’

Full story

The Guardian, 12th August 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Worker rights watchdog fails to bring a single prosecution in a year – The Guardian

Posted August 15th, 2016 in budgets, complaints, employment, enforcement, news, ombudsmen, prosecutions, statistics by sally

‘A workers’ rights watchdog has had its funding cut by more than half since 2010 and has failed to bring a single prosecution in the past year, according to research by Labour.’

Full story

The Guardian, 14th August 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Hundreds of compensation claims against British soldiers could be abandoned after controversial law firm announces closure – Daily Telegraph

‘Hundreds of compensation claims against British soldiers are likely to be abandoned after a controversial law firm accused of “hounding” troops announced that it is closing.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 15th August 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

‘Zombie knives’ ban to come into force – BBC News

‘A ban on the sale of so-called “zombie knives” is set to come into force in England and Wales later this week.’

Full story

BBC News, 15th August 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Police to hire law firms to tackle cyber criminals in radical pilot project – The Guardian

‘Private law firms will be hired by police to pursue criminal suspects for profit, under a radical new scheme to target cyber criminals and fraudsters.’

Full story

The Guardian, 14th August 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New powers to cut off illicit mobile phones used in prisons – The Guardian

Posted August 12th, 2016 in budgets, enforcement, news, prisons, statistics, telecommunications by sally

‘New powers to cut off illicit mobile phones used by prisoners to run criminal operations have been introduced in jails across England and Wales.’

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The Guardian, 11th August 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New BSB report shows more targeted use of enforcement powers – Bar Standards Board

‘The Bar Standards Board has, today, published its Enforcement Annual Report for 2015-16.’

Full press release

Bar Standards Board, 8th August 2016

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Brexit prompts public & businesses to seek legal advice from barristers – The Bar Council

Posted August 10th, 2016 in barristers, brexit, EC law, internet, press releases, referendums, solicitors, statistics by sally

‘New figures from the Bar Council’s Direct Access Portal , the free to use “find a barrister” website, show that the public and businesses are turning to barristers to help them with a wide range of legal issues.’

Full press release

The Bar Council, 5th August 2016

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Troubled Families report ‘suppressed’ – BBC News

‘An unfavourable evaluation of the government’s flagship policy response to the 2011 riots has been suppressed, BBC Newsnight has learned.’

Full story

BBC News, 8th August 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Two-thirds of young women suffer sexual harassment at work, survey finds – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 10th, 2016 in employment, equality, harassment, news, sex discrimination, statistics, women by sally

‘The level of sexual harassment in the workplace is “shameful”, with women being subjected to unwelcome jokes, verbal advances, suggestive remarks and even demands for sexual favours, a report has found.’

Full story

TUC report

Daily Telegraph, 10th August 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Trading standards institute: consumers are no longer protected – The Guardian

‘Trading standards officers have accused the government of failing to protect consumers after it emerged that the local council budget for policing rogue traders has fallen to just £1.99 a year per citizen.’

Full story

The Guardian, 7th August 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

How the Iraq Inquiry failed to follow the money – OUP Blog

Posted August 8th, 2016 in corruption, inquiries, international law, Iraq, news, statistics, war, war crimes by sally

‘In 2007, I published an article that sought to show in detail how the Iraqi economy had been opened up to allow the transformation of the economy and the routine corruption that enabled a range of private profit-making companies to exploit the post-invasion economy. The article argued that the illegal war of aggression waged by a ‘coalition’ headed by George Bush and Tony Blair was tied to a series of subsequent crimes of pillage and occupation. These included the transformation of the economy and the political system that was explicitly illegal under the terms of the Geneva and Hague Convention; and the mobilisation of political and economic instruments to ‘liberate’ the oil. The recently published Chilcot Report recognizes this corruption – and indeed UK joint legal responsibility for the corruption – and yet the evidence for it has been buried. – See more at: http://blog.oup.com/2016/07/iraq-inquiry-chilcot-money/#sthash.UiY9VxUh.dpuf

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OUP Blog, 31st July 2016

Source: www.blog.oup.com

What you’re reading should be no business of the police – but our freedom of expression is at risk – The Independent

‘Think carefully before you pack your holiday reading. As The Independent reported earlier this week, Faizah Shaheen was detained under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act last month after cabin crew on her Thomson Airways flight spotted her reading a book about Syria.’

Full story

The Independent, 7th August 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Threefold rise in number of sex offences in schools reported to police – The Guardian

‘The number of sex offences in schools reported to police has almost trebled in four years, a study has shown.’

Full story

The Guardian, 8th August 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Banking watchdog to announce measures to boost competition – The Guardian

Posted August 8th, 2016 in banking, competition, consumer credit, fees, news, ombudsmen, statistics by sally

‘Overdraft fees and an easier system of moving personal and small business accounts are expected to be at the centre of measures intended to bolster competition in the banking sector.’

Full story

The Guardian, 8th August 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Child abuse: One in 14 adults ‘abused as children’ in England and Wales – BBC News

Posted August 5th, 2016 in child abuse, news, sexual offences, statistics by sally

‘One in every 14 adults in England and Wales suffered sexual abuse as a child, a survey suggests.’

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BBC News, 4th August 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

London 2011 riots: Stop and search change ‘led to knife crime’ – BBC News

‘It is “highly likely” a drop in police stop and search usage has led to a rise in knife crime, a member of the panel which advised the government following the 2011 riots has said.’

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BBC News, 4th August 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Modern Slavery Act 2015 review: one year on – Home Office

‘An independent review into the effectiveness of the criminal justice provisions in the Modern Slavery Act 2015 one year after coming into effect.’

Full press release

Home Office, 31st July 2016

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Rise in child sexual abuse cases threatens other policing, warns chair of commissioners – The Guardian

‘Police struggling to cope with a huge escalation in the number of child sexual exploitation cases fear it “may grow to threaten other aspects of effective policing”, the new chair of police commissioners has warned.’

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The Guardian, 1st August 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Women’s prison suicide rate soars as charity warns of ‘horrifying’ self-harm – The Independent

Posted July 29th, 2016 in news, prisons, self-harm, statistics, suicide, women by sally

‘The number of women killing themselves in prison has “risen alarmingly”, new government figures have revealed – prompting warnings from top charity leaders over unsafe jail conditions. Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) show the total number of deaths classed as “self-inflicted” rose by 28 per cent over the past 12 months compared with the previous year.’

Full story

The Independent, 28th July 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk