The Independent Damning inspection of HMP Bedford talks of ‘abject failure’ and conditions that ‘do not offer basic levels of decency’ Inmates find it easier to get drugs than clothes or bedsheets at a prison where standards have deteriorated to “unacceptable levels” that “do not offer basic decency”, according to a watchdog report. Inspectors found the availability…
The Independent Legislation aimed at tackling a range of conducts, including controlling victims through social media, spying on them online or stopping them from socialising At the end of last year new laws were introduced to tackle perpetrators who subject spouses, partners or other family members to ‘controlling or coercive’ behaviour Rex Features Frontline police will…
The Guardian Official inquiry highlights a record six homicides and a 38% increase in assaults involving weapons in 2015-16 There were 4,000 assaults involving a blade or other weapon in English and Welsh prisons in 2015-16. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images An official inquiry has criticised the “wholly unacceptable level of violence” in English and Welsh…
The Independent The Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry to combat millions of tonnes of food waste In France, where is it against the law for supermarkets to dump surplus food, retailers redistribute 100,000 tonnes to charity Reuters The UK Parliament is considering legislation to ban people from wasting food in Britain. The…
The Law Gazette The cost of motor insurance will not come down for at least two years – even if the government forges ahead with whiplash reforms, according to a leading credit ratings agency. Fitch Ratings says insurance premiums will continue to rise because the levels of reserve releases that have supported profitability in recent…
The Independent The data did not specify if the women’s victims were male or female, however campaigners say the statistics serve as a reminder that while the overwhelming majority of abusers are male, women can also commit serious abuse Data from 2015 suggests that 93.9 per cent of convicted abusers are male, while 6.1 per cent…
BBC NEWS All UK letting agency fees should be paid by landlords who can shop around, rather than tenants – as is the case in Scotland, Citizens Advice has said. The charity said that renters in much of the UK faced rising fees as they had no choice over the agent they dealt with after…
The Law gazette law firm which helped conveyancing clients avoid paying a total of £1.3m in stamp duty land tax has been penalised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Gloucestershire firm BPE Solicitors LLP agreed to the publication of a regulatory settlement agreement following the regulator’s investigation. The SRA identified that the firm had acted in…
The Independent A two-tier structure for the crime of murder would not be accepted by the public and could blur the lines between accidental and intentional killings, MPs have heard. The House of Commons’ justice committee today discussed proposals by the Law Commission to introduce new categories for murder – first-degree, where a murder is…
The Guardian Case review concludes there is no evidence Yasser Alromisse located daughter’s safe house via accidental disclosures Mary Shipstone with her mother, Lyndsey. Photograph: Family handout/PA The safe house address of a seven-year-old girl murdered by her estranged father was accidentally sent to him by her mother’s solicitor, a serious case review has revealed.…
