‘A police inquiry has found no evidence of a cover-up of historical sexual abuse at a residential school linked to the late politician Cyril Smith, prompting criticisms from an MP.’
The Guardian, February 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘A retired dentist who tried to strangle his wife with a tie after he was conned out of £200,000 has been spared jail after she begged the judge not to send him to prison.’
Daily Telegraph, 7th February 2017
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘A private member’s bill to protect rape victims from being cross-examined in court about their sexual history is to be introduced to the House of Commons.’
The Guardian, 8th February 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Rape complainants are being routinely questioned in court about their sexual histories and even the way they were dressed on the night they were attacked, according to a damning dossier of case studies to be presented to MPs this week. The findings have triggered calls for the law to be tightened to protect complainants better.’
The Guardian, 4th February 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘At least 14 former inmates of a detention centre who made allegations of historical sexual and physical abuse against prison officers claim that their complaints were ignored by police.’
The Guardian, 5th February 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘More than nine out of 10 victims and witnesses are now satisfied with the support provided to them at court by the CPS, following the implementation of a ground-breaking initiative. Since April 2016, the CPS has been rolling out a new nationwide programme in which prosecution staff or advocates provide essential information to witnesses at court in order to assist them in giving their evidence. This rollout was completed across all courts last Autumn.’
Crown Prosecution Service, 2nd February 2017
Source: www.cps.gov.uk
‘Report to the President of the Family Division by The Hon. Mr. Justice Cobb.’
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 20th January 2017
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
‘The president of the Family Division has berated the state of equipment in family courts, including his own court in London’s Royal Courts of Justice.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 23rd January 2017
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘he UK’s main Jehovah’s Witnesses charity has dropped efforts to block an investigation into how it handled allegations of sexual abuse, including of children, after a legal fight lasting more than two years.’
The Guardian, 2r3d January 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The mother of murdered soldier Lee Rigby has said she was threatened with arrest unless she attended the appeal hearing of a man who harassed her over her son’s death.’
The Guardian, 22nd January 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The jury in a criminal case must believe the accused is guilty ‘beyond reasonable doubt’, meaning that a victim can be believed and yet a ‘not guilty’ verdict is still returned. This is part of the reason that many cases never reach trial: the police or CPS think the evidence may not fulfil the tough requirements of the criminal courts.’
The Independent, 18th January 2017
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Relatives of murder victims where an individual is acquitted after a trial will be offered enhanced support under a scheme launched today (17 January). Justice After Acquittal (JAA) has worked with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and police to draw up new National Standards of Support (NSS). JAA is a voluntary organisation set up to provide support to families who suffer the double trauma of the murder of a loved one and the subsequent acquittal of the alleged perpetrator.’
Crown Prosecution Service, 17th January 2017
Source: www.cps.gov.uk
‘All victims of crime should be given the chance to make a statement in court about the impact the offence has had on their lives, the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales has said.’
BBC News, 18th January 2017
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘UK authorities must do more to prioritise the recovery of assets that have been defrauded from businesses, an expert has said.’
OUT-LAW.com, 16th January 2017
Source: www.out-law.com
‘The Foreign Office is to review its policy on forced marriage after the Guardian revealed that victims are ordered to repay the government the costs of their repatriation.’
The Guardian, 11th January 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The independent review into allegations of child abuse in football has made its first call for evidence. Set up by the Football Association and led by Clive Sheldon QC, the review has written to all football clubs in England and Wales, amateur and professional, asking for information about allegations of child sexual abuse between 1970 and 2005.’
The Guardian, 11th January 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary and former director of public prosecutions, is being prevented by parliamentary rules from speaking in a debate about the rights of crime victims.’
The Guardian, 9th Janaury 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Claimant lawyers have mounted an all-out attack on the government’s plans to overhaul the personal injury sector as the deadline approaches for responses to a consultation.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 4th January 2017
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘The Justice Secretary has set up an emergency review to find the quickest way to ban perpetrators of domestic abuse from directly cross-examining their victims within the family court system.’
The Guardian, 4th January 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘I have been raising since 2014 the pressing need to reform the way in which vulnerable people give evidence in family proceedings. I have made clear my view that the family justice system lags woefully behind the criminal justice system.’
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 30th December 2016
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
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