Deaths of people on benefits prompt inquiry call – BBC News
‘The family of a woman who took a fatal overdose after her benefit payments were cut say they have begun a legal claim against the government.’
BBC News, 10th May 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: suicide
Teenage refugee killed himself in UK after mental health care failings – The Guardian
‘A teenage refugee killed himself after the serious nature of his mental illness was not recognised, a coroner has concluded.’
The Guardian, 7th April 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
Fatal truth: how the suicide of Alex Reid exposed the hidden death toll of domestic violence – The Guardian
‘Nine months after the outgoing and talented nurse started dating Peter Yeung, she was dead. Her story highlights a shockingly common but overlooked cause of death among women.’
The Guardian, 24th March 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
Judge hits out at lack of regulated placement for vulnerable, suicidal 16 year old, despite 11 High Court hearings and sending series of judgments to ministers – Local Government Lawyer
‘An exasperated High Court judge has sent a fourth judgment to ministers over the continuing unavailability of a regulated placement for a vulnerable 16 year old with multifaceted difficulties and at a high risk of serious self-harm or suicide.’
Local Government Lawyer, 12th February 2021
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Number of prisoners in England and Wales on suicide watch rises steeply – The Guardian
‘The number of prisoners put on suicide or self-harm watch has risen dramatically over the past decade, a Guardian investigation has found, as experts warn the scale of the mental health crisis in prisons has escalated during the coronavirus pandemic.’
The Guardian, 10th February 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
Inquest finds mother took overdose after removal of disability benefits – The Guardian
‘A severely mentally ill young mother died from a deliberate overdose after the removal of her disability benefits left her destitute, trapped in a months-long state of high anxiety and haunted by suicidal thoughts, an inquest has concluded.’
The Guardian, 27th January 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
Assange cannot be extradited, but free speech arguments dismissed — an extended look – UK Human Rights Blog
‘In The Government of the United States v Julian Assange (2021), the District Judge sitting at Westminster Magistrates’ Court discharged the American extradition request against the founder of WikiLeaks because there is a substantial risk that he would commit suicide. Given Julian Assange’s political notoriety as an avowed whistle-blower, however, the judgment is significant for its dismissal of the defence’s free speech arguments. This article analyses why these human rights submissions were unsuccessful.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 21st January 2021
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
Oxfordshire boy groomed by gangs ‘failed’ by authorities – BBC News
‘A boy found dead in his bedroom was groomed into a world of drug trafficking and “failed” by the authorities, a serious case review said.’
BBC News, 20th January 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
A duty of care – what does the new standard of proof in inquests mean? – 5SAH
‘On the 11th of July 2016 a prisoner Mr James Maughan was found dead in his prison cell having hanged himself. The investigation into the factual circumstances surrounding his death found that he had a history of mental health issues and had previously made threats of self-harm. The evening before his death he had been in an agitated state.’
5SAH, 7th January 2021
Source: www.5sah.co.uk
Article 3 psychiatric cases: history and latest developments (Part 1) – Ruby Peacock – UK Human Rights Blog
‘In this two-part article, Ruby Peacock, an aspiring barrister and currently a legal and policy intern at the Legal Resources Centre in Cape Town, examines the history of medical claims brought under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 7th January 2021
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
Julian Assange: Wikileaks founder extradition to US blocked by UK judge – BBC News
‘Wikileaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the United States, a court in London has ruled.’
BBC News, 4th January 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Online harms bill: firms may face multibillion-pound fines for illegal content – The Guardian
‘Social media companies will need to remove and limit the spread of harmful content or face fines of billions of pounds, the UK government has announced, as it finally reveals the details of its proposed internet regulation. The online harms bill, first proposed by Theresa May’s government in April 2019, sets out strict new guidelines governing removal of illegal content such as child sexual abuse, terrorist material and media that promotes suicide, which sites must obey or face being blocked in the UK.’
The Guardian, 15th December 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Hate targeted at Gypsy, Traveller and Roma linked to rise in suicides – report – The Guardian
‘Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities are experiencing hate incidents on an almost daily basis, while mental health issues and suicide are leading to an “epidemic of needless deaths”, a government-funded report has found.’
The Guardian, 10th December 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Suicide and the burden of proof – Law Society’s Gazette
‘Although suicide was decriminalised more than 60 years ago, it was still always necessary to meet the criminal standard of proof when reaching a finding that someone had taken their own life. But this month, in a departure from this common understanding, the Supreme Court in R (Maughan) v HM Coroner for Oxfordshire [2020] UKSC 46 found that the ‘degree of conclusivity’ required was, in fact, the civil standard – the balance of probabilities.’
Law Society's Gazette, 30th November 2020
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
UK government pays out to family of IPP prisoner who killed himself – The Guardian
‘The family of a prisoner who killed himself after being handed a controversial “never-ending” sentence has received damages from the government in an out-of-court settlement, the Guardian has learned.’
The Guardian, 30th November 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Supreme Court reduces standard of proof for suicide and unlawful killing in inquest conclusions – Park Square Barristers
‘The Supreme Court has on 13 November 2020 handed down the judgment in this case concerning the appropriate standard of proof for conclusions at inquests.’
Park Square Barristers, 13th November 2020
Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk
Facebook’s Instagram ‘failed self-harm responsibilities’ – BBC News
‘Children’s charity the NSPCC has said a drop in Facebook’s removal of harmful content was a “significant failure in corporate responsibility”.’
BBC News, 19th November 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
More Likely Than Not: The Civil Standard of Proof Applies to All Short-Form and Narrative Conclusions at Inquests – Ropewalk Chambers
‘By a majority of three to two, the Supreme Court has held that the standard of proof for findings of suicide and unlawful killing at an inquest is the balance of probabilities: R (Maughan) v Her Majesty’s Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire [2020]
UKSC 46.’
Ropewalk Chambers, 16th November 2020
Source: www.ropewalk.co.uk
Supreme Court lowers standard of proof for inquests – Law Society’s Gazette
‘The Supreme Court has today lowered the standard of proof for all conclusions in inquest proceedings, including unlawful killing and suicide, in a decision that could have wide-reaching implications for the recording of deaths in England and Wales.’
Law Society's Gazette, 13th November 2020
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Case Comment: R (on the application of Maughan) v HM Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire [2020] UKSC 46 – UKSC Blog
‘The Supreme Court has given judgment in R (on the application of Maughan) v HM Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire [2020] UKSC 46, a case dealing with the applicable standard of proof for reaching a narrative verdict of suicide or unlawful killing. A detailed case preview by my colleague Tim James-Matthews is available here, as a useful starting point for the issues arising in the appeal. By a 3-2 majority (with Lady Arden giving the leading judgment), the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, holding that the applicable standard of proof is the civil standard (i.e. the balance of probabilities). Lord Kerr gave the dissenting judgment, with which Lord Reed agreed: they would both have allowed the appeal.’
UKSC Blog, 16th November 2020
Source: ukscblog.com
