L’Oréal heiress is put under guardianship as family feud continues
The family drama involving France’s richest woman, Liliane Bettencourt, took a dramatic twist on Monday 17 October as a judge rules she is no longer fit to manage her financial affairs. The judge in Paris ordered the 88-year-old heir to the L’Oréal fortune to be placed under the guardianship of her eldest grandchild, Jean-Victor Meyers, [...]
Filed under Wills and probate, October 21st, 2011UBS ‘rogue’ trader faces charges at crown court
Kweku Adoboli, the UBS trader who is accused of losing the Swiss bank a record £1.5billion, is due before Southwark Crown Court in November 2011 to face charges of fraud and false accounting. The 31-year-old ‘rogue’ trader was arrested on Thursday 15 September after the loss was discovered by UBS on Wednesday 14 September afternoon.
Filed under Corporate crime, October 21st, 2011Licence suspended for Northampton “stampede” nightclub
Nabila Nanfuka, from North London, was crushed to death in a “stampede” in Lava Ignite in Northampton early on Wednesday 19 October 2011. Northampton Borough Council’s licensing committee has suspended the St Peter’s Street nightclub’s licence due to “serious disorder breaking out.”
Filed under General legal information, October 20th, 2011Lord chief justice casts doubt on European Court of Human Rights’ supremacy
The UK’s most senior judge has said that the UK’s courts are not bound by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, raising doubts on the court’s power. Lord chief justice Lord Judge was giving his opinion to the Lords constitution committee when he said: “maybe Strasbourg shouldn’t win and doesn’t need to [...]
Filed under Human Rights, October 20th, 2011HMRC blunder means six million get £400 tax refund
Six million tax payers will receive a refund of £400 from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) this weekend as it has made the decision to settle discrepancies from as far back as 2001. However, 1.2million will be told that they owe £600 as HMRC has to find £620million.
Filed under Tax law, October 19th, 2011Violence erupts at Dale Farm eviction
Riot police entered the Dale Farm site by knocking through a rear fence just after 7am BST, clearing the way for bailiffs to clear the illegal part of the travellers’ site. The police were able to enter the site after the residents’ last attempt to stop the eviction failed at the Court of Appeal on [...]
Filed under Disputes, October 19th, 2011Djanogly stripped of ministerial responsibility after failing to reveal family connection
Jonathan Djanogly, the justice minister, has been stripped of the responsibility to regulate claims management companies after it was revealed his two teenage children are minority shareholders in his brother-in-law’s firms of the same nature. Djanogly announced in September that referral fees were to be banned for personal injury cases to stop “ambulance chasing”. However, [...]
Filed under Personal injury claims, October 18th, 2011US extradition treaty with UK is fair, finds judge
An independent review conducted by a former Court of Appeal judge has found that the extradition treaty between the UK and the USA is fair and not biased against Britons. Home Secretary Theresa May commissioned the review by Sir Scott Baker, who found that the treaty “does not operate in an unbalanced manner.”
Filed under International law, October 18th, 2011Bigot who posted on Facebook jailed for eight months
Stephen Birrell, 28, from Glasgow has been jailed for eight months for posting sectarian comments on Facebook on a page called “Neil Lennon Should be Banned”. He admitted posting the religiously prejudiced comments earlier this year. He was caught after a police crackdown on sectarian internet campaigns.
Filed under Criminal law, October 17th, 2011Private school wins landmark bursary test case
King Edward VI School for Girls in Birmingham has won an important case that means the Charity Commission will no longer be able to force it to give more bursaries to students from poorer backgrounds in order to fulfil its duty to provide ‘public benefit’. The school is a member of the Independent Schools Council [...]
Filed under General legal information,Personal injury claims, October 17th, 2011Lady GaGa wins injunction against the cartoon Lady Goo Goo
Eccentric pop star Lady GaGa has been granted an injunction by the High Court in London against the creators of the popular kids’ website, Moshi Monsters, in order to stop one of their characters, Lady Goo Goo, from releasing a single. The single is called the Moshi Dance and was set tobe released after the [...]
Filed under Civil Litigation, October 14th, 2011Home Office proposes new curfew powers for police
The Home Secretary Theresa May is backing proposals that will give police a public order power allowing them to impose curfews and clear areas in time of public disorder and rioting. The power will enable police superintendants to order certain locations to be cleared and declared “no go” areas. It is the first time the [...]
Filed under General legal information, October 14th, 2011Mother sends son to jail for stealing family yacht
A mother from Penzance, Cornwall, reported her son to police after he stole his family’s £10,000 yacht and had to be rescued by lifeboat crews after getting into trouble. Oliver Sloley, 22, was jailed for nine months. His mother, Annabelle, said turning him in had been “horrible” but it was the “right” thing to do.
Filed under Criminal law, October 13th, 2011BlackBerry data services back after three-day blackout
Research In Motion (RIM), the makers of BlackBerry, have announced their services are ‘improving’ after a three-day server crash caused users all over the world to go without email, internet and instant messaging services. The company is facing growing calls for compensation from BlackBerry customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India.
Filed under General legal information, October 13th, 2011High Court judgement introduces principle and secondary parenting
A High Court judgement published yesterday has revealed the legal complications that can arise from using donor sperm and IVF to create a child, without establishing the role and boundaries of both parties. The case concerned a 10-year-old girl and her sister and the dispute between their lesbian mothers and the man who donated his [...]
Filed under Family law, October 12th, 2011Supreme Court rules Government’s ban on young spouses is unlawful
The Supreme Court has dealt a serious blow to the Government’s ‘tough on immigration’ policy by ruling that the ban on non-EU spouses under the age of 21 entering the UK is a breach of human rights. The ban was introduced as a measure to tackle forced marriages. However, the Supreme Court held that the [...]
Filed under Immigration, October 12th, 2011New history test announced for UK passport applicants
David Cameron has announced a new Government plan that will require migrants to pass a British history test in order to gain a UK passport. The Prime Minister, delivering his second major speech on immigration since taking office, also said the Government will look into a way to make forced marriage illegal, as part of [...]
Filed under Immigration, October 11th, 2011West Ham Olympic Stadium deal falls through
The Government has confirmed that the deal to award West Ham the London 2012 Olympic Stadium after the games has fallen through, due to concerns about the delays caused by the legal action surrounding the agreement. The stadium will instead remain under ownership of the public and prospective tenants will have to bid in order [...]
Filed under Disputes, October 11th, 2011Growing payday loan debt requires tighter regulation, says CAB
The Citizens Advice Bureau has said that the number of people running up debt as a result of taking out ‘payday’ loans has quadrupled in the last two years. Attracted by the simplicity of obtaining the credit and driven by the need to obtain cash before payday, over a million people take out small, short-term [...]
Filed under Debt and insolvency, October 10th, 2011One million public sector workers to vote in biggest-ever industrial ballot
From next week, one million public sector workers will vote on strike action of the Government’s reforms to the public sector pension. The industrial ballot, thought to be the biggest ever, will include nurses, probation officers, hospital cleaners and dinner ladies.
Filed under Employment law, October 10th, 2011