Archive for January, 2010
Charon QC blog: Coverage of Chilcot on legality of war
Posted in Uncategorized on January 27, 2010|
Guardian: Lord Goldsmith got taxpayer help for Iraq war inquiry legal advice
Posted in Uncategorized on January 27, 2010|
Lord Goldsmith got taxpayer help for Iraq war inquiry legal advice
Guardian: The former attorney general Lord Goldsmith has received legal advice from public funds to help him prepare his evidence tomorrow to the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war, the Guardian has learned.
His request for help emerged today after the inquiry heard damning evidence about how under strong pressure from ministers, notably the then foreign secretary Jack Straw, Goldsmith changed his mind about the legality of the war at the last minute, saying it was lawful after all.
Times: Gilderdale case prompts fresh calls to clarify the law on assisted dying
Posted in Uncategorized on January 27, 2010|
Gilderdale case prompts fresh calls to clarify the law on assisted dying
Times: One devoted mother who helps her sick daughter to end her life with tablets and morphine walks free from court with a suspended sentence.
Another is jailed for murder, to serve a minimum of nine years, after injecting her brain-damaged son with a lethal dose of heroin.
The two contrasting cases have reignited the debate over “right to die” and whether those who assist a loved one to end their suffering should be subject to criminal law.
Times: Homeowners in arrears to get greater protection
Posted in Uncategorized on January 27, 2010|
Homeowners in arrears to get greater protection
Times: Homeowners who fall into arrears on their mortgage repayments are set to benefit from greater protection under new proposals set out by the Financial Services Authority (FSA).
The City regulator has released plans to limit excessive charges levied on customers for missing mortgage repayments and set out how lenders should handle borrowers in arrears after it discovered that lenders were too quick to repossess borrowers, particularly those who offer sub-prime and specialist loans
Times: Wills & Co ceases trading amid FSA inquiry
Posted in Uncategorized on January 27, 2010|
Wills & Co ceases trading amid FSA inquiry
Times: Wills & Co, the private client stockbroker, has ceased trading amid financial troubles and a Financial Services Authority (FSA) investigation.
The group, set up in 1883 as the financial services division of the Wills tobacco business, fell foul of the FSA last year after it was accused of mis-selling. The subsequent cost of putting its house in order — by hiring one of the “big four” accounting firms and in defending itself from more than 100 legacy complaints — has put pressure on its finances.
Wills’s 19,000 clients are gradually being passed to Pritchard Stockbrokers. All clients are being informed of any changes and the broker says that all investments are safe.
Times: Hedge funds’ $1bn lawsuit says Porsche lied on VW ambition
Posted in Uncategorized on January 27, 2010|
Hedge funds’ $1bn lawsuit says Porsche lied on VW ambition
Times: American hedge fund managers sued Porsche and two of its former top managers yesterday for more than $1 billion (£620 million), in what may be one of the biggest damages claims ever received by a German company.
Four fund managers — Elliott Associates, Glenhill Capital Management, Glenview Capital Management and Perry Capital — accused the sports car manufacturer, its former chief executive and its former chief financial officer of repeatedly lying about their intention to take over Volkswagen.
The fund managers claimed that they had lost more than $1 billion because they were shorting VW stock in October 2008 when Porsche surprised the stock market by revealing a 75 per cent stake in VW, sending the Beetle maker’s shares rocketing.
Times: Victims’ families demand Edlington boys be named
Posted in Uncategorized on January 27, 2010|
Victims’ families demand Edlington boys be named
Times: Pressure was growing on the Government last night to release the full findings of a confidential inquiry into the Edlington torture case.
The Conservatives stepped up demands for the publication of the 150-page report and the Liberal Democrats are considering tabling an amendment to a Bill that would require the findings of all serious case reviews to be made public.
As the families of the child victims called for their attackers — brothers aged 10 and 11 — to be stripped of their anonymity, the NSPCC, which believes that the serious case review report should remain out of the public eye, wrote to all MPs urging immediate action to restore public confidence in the review system.
Serious case reviews are held after a child known to the social services dies, suffers serious injury or is involved in a violent crime
Guardian: Lord Myners calls time on ‘greed is good’ bank culture
Posted in Uncategorized on January 25, 2010|
Lord Myners calls time on ‘greed is good’ bank culture
• Myners demands a review of banking
• Goldman Sachs to cap directors’ bonuses at £1m
Guardian: Police stop and search ‘not cutting knife crime’, new figures suggest
Posted in Uncategorized on January 25, 2010|
Police stop and search ‘not cutting knife crime’, new figures suggest
• Criminologist casts doubt on efficacy of police power
• Calls for amendment to way section 60 is operated
Telegraph: Is divorce law fair?
Posted in Uncategorized on January 25, 2010|
Is divorce law fair?
Telegraph: A multimillionaire faces Britain’s biggest divorce payout. Is Lisa Tchenguiz right to demand £100m of her husband’s wealth?
Guardian: Edlington brothers jailed for torture of two boys
Posted in Uncategorized on January 25, 2010|
Edlington brothers jailed for torture of two boys
Guardian: Young pair who subjected boys to 90-minute attack involving torture and sexual humiliation to serve at least five years
Times: Fears of ‘licence to kill’ as Tories bid to change self-defence law
Posted in Uncategorized on January 25, 2010|
Fears of ‘licence to kill’ as Tories bid to change self-defence law
Times: A new law to give greater protection to householders is unnecessary and could be a licence to kill, a leading criminal barrister has warned.
Paul Mendelle, QC, chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, says that a change to allow “disproportionate” force would encourage vigilantism.
“The law should always encourage people to be reasonable, not unreasonable; to be proportionate, not disproportionate,” he said, adding that the present law worked perfectly well and was well understood by juries.
Times: Judges need more discretion, not more laws
Posted in Uncategorized on January 25, 2010|
Judges need more discretion, not more laws
Times: What should be done when people take the law into their own hands in pursuit of what they regard as justice?
The case of the Hussain brothers has prompted calls for a new law giving householders stronger rights to protect themselves. Likewise the case of Frances Inglis, the mother jailed for life for killing her son, has refuelled the debate over the mandatory life sentence for murder.
Times: Solicitors drum up childhood-abuse cases with jail ads
Posted in Uncategorized on January 25, 2010|
Solicitors drum up childhood-abuse cases with jail ads
Times: SOLICITORS are advertising in jails for prison inmates to make compensation claims for abuse against former carers and teachers. Some of the claims involve allegations stretching back decades.
The prisoners contact the lawyers to inquire about payouts and are told to make complaints to the police about their alleged abusers, partly in order to shore up their compensation claims. They can net up to six-figure sums.
In addition to genuine cases of historical abuse it is feared that some former carers and teachers could be wrongly accused — and socially stigmatised — by hardened criminals attracted by the lure of compensation money.
Guardian: Tories back plan to extend ‘Sarah’s law’ sex offender checks
Posted in Uncategorized on January 25, 2010|
Tories back plan to extend ‘Sarah’s law’ sex offender checks
Guardian: Home secretary plans national launch of powers enabling parents to check whether child carers are convicted sex offenders
Independent: Officer ‘hit Iraqi prisoner’
Posted in Uncategorized on January 20, 2010|
Officer ‘hit Iraqi prisoner’
Independent: A former British soldier told an investigation into the death of an Iraqi civilian that he was “disgusted” at the brutality of a senior officer towards a prisoner. In evidence to the Baha Mousa inquiry yesterday, the soldier alleged his commanding officer at the time, Colonel Jorge Mendonca, punched the man in the face in front of more than 100 Army personnel after a raid on a derelict building.
The witness, identified only as S038, led search teams during a tour of Iraq from June to October 2003. He said: “I was disgusted. A CO is supposed to lead by example. I went into the Burma Company office and aired my views. I said something along the lines of: ‘That was bang out of order.'”
According to the witness, shortly afterwards he was having a cup of coffee in the Company Office when he heard “jeering”.
“I went outside to find that all three prisoners had been assaulted; one of their noses was burst and the others were bleeding from their lips,” he said.
He told the inquiry he suspected the assault was carried out by a female soldier, who was ordered inside by an officer.
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