Man jailed for rape, strangling and stalking – BBC News
‘A man has been jailed for more than 14 years after he admitted raping, strangling and stalking as well as other offences.’
BBC News, 12th August 2026
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Knotty problems – the importance of causation in Japanese knotweed cases – Local Government Lawyer
‘The decision in Jethiga Sateeshkumar v Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council [2026] considers when Japanese knotweed encroachment amounts to a private nuisance, and whether treatment costs are recoverable where knotweed has already encroached before the defendant came under a duty to act. ‘
Local Government Lawyer, 12th August 2026
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Man who targeted barristers with fake bombs fails in appeal – Legal Futures
‘Appeal judges have upheld the conviction and sentence imposed on the man who hired an ex-Royal Marine to plant fake bombs outside the chambers of two barristers who had acted in proceedings against his wife.’
Legal Futures, 12th August 2026
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Is the legal profession ready for agentic AI? – Legal Futures
‘Everyone’s talking about agentic AI.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is actively exploring the benefits and challenges of embedding it in legal services, but the Law Society’s April 2026 foresight report made the somewhat awkward finding that there is currently no evidence that agentic AI is actually being used in legal practice.’
Legal Futures, 12th August 2026
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Serious failings found in new military crimes unit, leaked report finds – BBC News
‘A leaked Ministry of Defence (MoD) report, obtained by the BBC, has highlighted serious failings in a new military command set up to investigate the most severe crimes, including rape and sexual assault.’
BBC News, 12th August 2026
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
University of Cambridge whistleblower who reported alleged bullying wins employment tribunal – The Guardian
‘The tribunal said its job was not to “conduct a public inquiry into alleged bullying or misogyny within the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge” but concluded it was “satisfied that the claimant genuinely believed that there was a problem within the institute about the way female administrators were being treated”.’
The Guardian, 11th August 2026
Source: www.theguardian.com
Meta glasses banned from courts in England and Wales – The Guardian
‘Courts in England and Wales have joined a number of restaurants, theatres and pubs in banning Meta glasses, amid a mounting backlash against what has been described as “spyware”.’
The Guardian, 11th August 2026
Source: www.theguardian.com
Cohabiting couples could enter marriage-style arrangements ‘without knowing’ amid new proposals – The Independent
‘Proposed legal reforms on relationships risk inadvertently drawing cohabiting couples into marriage-style commitments without their knowledge, critics have warned.’
The Independent, 12th August 2026
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Abusive’ man found guilty of harassing Stella Creasy MP on tube train – The Guardian
‘A 63-year-old man has been found guilty of harassing the Labour MP Stella Creasy after he was “abusive and aggressive” to her on a tube train.’
The Guardian, 11th August 2026
Source: www.theguardian.com
Government facing legal action after UN rules prisoners trapped on indefinite jail terms are being unlawfully detained – The Independent
‘The human rights watchdog said that their long incarceration beyond their original tariff amounts to arbitrary detention under international human rights law and they are entitled to compensation and other reparations.’
The Independent, 11th August 2026
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Ferry worker whose request to work on land was ignored wins almost £50,000 compensation – The Independent
‘A senior boatswain at a ferry company has won almost £50,000 after bosses refused to let him work on land when he complained that working at sea aggravated his arthritis because of the vibrations on the ship.’
The Independent, 11th August 2026
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Treasury ‘materially contributed’ to suicide of personal assistant, coroner finds – The Guardian
‘Anna Crawford also found there was a risk of future deaths within the civil service from flawed handling of disciplinary proceedings. She said she would send a prevention of future deaths report to the head of the civil service, the Treasury, and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).’
The Guardian, 10th August 2026
Source: www.theguardian.com
BAILII: Recent Decisions
Court of Appeal (Civil Division)
Sucden Financial Ltd v TMT Metals AG & Ors [2026] EWCA Civ 1080 (10 August 2026)
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
Hossen, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 1065 (07 August 2026)
Watkin, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 1081 (29 July 2026)
Harris, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 1082 (29 July 2026)
Hanlon, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 1064 (28 July 2026)
Burt, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 1059 (28 July 2026)
High Court (Administrative Court)
High Court (Chancery Division)
SQN Global Ltd v Hughes & Ors [2026] EWHC 2056 (Ch) (10 August 2026)
Euroresins UK Ltd v TLC Investment Ltd [2026] EWHC 2105 (Ch) (07 August 2026)
High Court (Family Division)
Blackburn With Darwen Borough Council v AD [2026] EWHC 2148 (Fam) (05 August 2026)
High Court (King’s Bench Division)
Haines v Talbott [2026] EWHC 2130 (KB) (10 August 2026)
High Court (Technology and Construction Court)
Wallace Estates Ltd v Durkan Estates Ltd [2026] EWHC 2133 (TCC) (10 August 2026)
Source: www.bailii.org
Work-life balance in the Employment Rights Act: more of the same? – King’s Law Journal
‘Work–life balance rights are in the odd position of being regularly legislated on and amended but rarely significantly changed. Every so often a new right, usually building on an existing one, is introduced, eligibility to use a right is widened, or a right is slightly strengthened. Reform takes place in silos: there is rarely consideration of how the rights fit together to allow work–life reconciliation over a person’s (working) life course or of more radical reform such as making carer status a protected characteristic for the purpose of discrimination law. The Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA) continues this trend of incremental reform by making changes to several existing rights. Although the direction of travel is clearly in the direction of extending the scope and eligibility to rights, overall it is yet another lost opportunity.’
King's Law Journal, 7th August 2026
Source: www.tandfonline.com
A Quiet Revolution in Crown Court Sentencing – 2 Hare Court
‘The Sentencing Act 2026 emerged from crisis. By early 2026, the prison population had exceeded 87,000, approximately 25 per cent above certified capacity. Every local prison was overcrowded and every probation course oversubscribed.’
2 Hare Court, 10th August 2026
Source: www.2harecourt.com
R (North Warwickshire Borough Council) v Secretary of State for Transport [2026] EWCA Civ 832 – 3PB
‘The diverse litigation relating to the HS2 scheme from its inception persists. This appeal related to an alteration to the design of the HS2 plans, where a proposed 2.9 km extension to the Bromford Tunnel was found to not form part of the original planning permission granted, on the basis that the extension required an environmental impact assessment, and standalone planning permission. LJ Holgate gave the lead judgment in this appeal. LJ Holgate allowed the appeal on one of the grounds of appeal. The decision in this appeal was unanimous.’
3PB, 10th August 2026
Source: www.3pb.co.uk
Asylum seeker who groomed and raped girl, 13, jailed – BBC News
‘An asylum seeker who raped a 13-year-old girl after pretending to be a teenager on Snapchat has been jailed.’
BBC News, 10th August 2026
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
The Supreme Court recalibration of the Deprivation of Liberty and what it means – Law Pod UK
Rosalind English talks to Amelia Walker of 1 Crown Office Row, frequently to be seen in the Court of Protection, about what the recent decision in response to the Northern Ireland’s reference really means in practice, in particular in relation to care home residents and capacity assessments.
Law Pod UK, 10th August 2026
Source: audioboom.com
Government facing legal action after UN rules prisoners trapped on indefinite jail terms are being unlawfully detained – The Independent
‘The government is facing legal action after the United Nations concluded prisoners trapped on indefinite jail terms are being unlawfully detained, The Independent can reveal.’
The Independent, 11th August 2026
Source: www.independent.co.uk
When does an Employment Tribunal need to consider Human Rights arguments of its own motion? Cherrington v University of Derby [2026] EAT 107 and freedom of speech – UK Human Rights Blog
‘In Cherrington v University of Derby [2026] EAT 107, the Mr Justice Cavanagh in the Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”) held that an Employment Tribunal (“ET”) was not obliged to consider the Appellant’s Article 10 ECHR right to freedom of expression of its own motion when deciding whether or not his dismissal was fair. His right to freedom of expression did not “shout out” from his case, and nor was the ET obliged to consider the ECHR “as a matter of course” in unfair dismissal complaints, or even particular species of unfair dismissal complaints.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 11th August 2026
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
