April 2024 / 23 posts found
Cuts to England’s cycling and walking budget challenged in court | Transport policy
Swingeing cuts to public spending on cycling and walking in England should be overturned as government expenditure was already insufficient to meet legally binding climate targets, the high court has been told. Campaigners are challenging a decision in 2023 to cut more than £200m from Department for Transport’s active travel budget for the following two years. In a judicial review hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice on Tuesday, lawyers for Transport Action Network (Tan) argued that the cuts threatened a key plank of the UK’s carbon reduction strategy. The DfT’s budget for cycling and walking was cut by more […]
Man who raped his wife tried to convince court he was victim of domestic abuse | Family law
A man who raped his wife and was controlling and threatening towards her and their two children attempted to manipulate the family court into believing he was a victim of domestic abuse, a judge has ruled. In a damning judgment Judge Middleton-Roy found the man’s conduct – which included frequently filming of his family using a body-worn camera – had been “reprehensible and unreasonable” after he pursued false claims against the mother and contested her allegations against him over a prolonged period. The father, who was ordered to pay more than £50,000 in costs to his ex-wife, persisted from 2020 […]
Law Society calls for civil legal aid increase over unrepresented parties in family court
The Law Society today expressed its ‘extreme concern’ over the increased number of litigants in person in private family law cases in the decade since the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act came in to force. In a call to the government, it said civil legal aid fees should be increased ‘so that legal aid providers remain viable’ and urged the government to uprate civil legal aid means test eligibility so more individuals on lower incomes can access justice. It also called for an increase in fees for the qualified legal representative scheme. In 2023, neither the applicant nor […]
Post Office Inquiry: GC evidence continues
3.40pm: The inquiry looks at the sacking of Second Sight from its role in the mediation scheme. A Post Office analysis states that the recommended option is the ‘quick and simple’ decision to disband the ongoing mediation scheme and terminate Second Sight’s role. Among the pros of this decision is that it will limit operating costs and financial liabilities in the short term. The ‘cons’ listed include that it will led to conflict with sub-postmasters and could lead to accusations of a whitewash. The option of altering the mediation scheme had the advantage of fairness and transparency. This was ruled […]
Sex offender banned from using AI tools in landmark UK case | Artificial intelligence (AI)
A sex offender convicted of making more than 1,000 indecent images of children has been banned from using any “AI creating tools” for the next five years in the first known case of its kind. Anthony Dover, 48, was ordered by a UK court “not to use, visit or access” artificial intelligence generation tools without the prior permission of police as a condition of a sexual harm prevention order imposed in February. The ban prohibits him from using tools such as text-to-image generators, which can make lifelike pictures based on a written command, and “nudifying” websites used to make explicit […]
Why Taking The High Road In Divorce Matters And 10 Ways To Do It
Taking the high road in divorce is not easy. As a matter of fact, it might seem downright unfair, and even stupid sometimes. Why would you ever want to do anything good, or fair, or nice to someone who just destroyed your family, your dreams, and your heart? If you have kids, the obvious reason is to do it for their sake. Because whether you like it or not, you and your ex are going to be your kids’ parents forever. The better the two of you get along, the easier your divorce will be on your kids. It really […]
Special investigation: Greater Family Court transparency puts expert witnesses in the spotlight
I first reported on the highly divisive issue of ‘parental alienation’ in 2022. It refers to a scenario where a child rejects one parent for no reason other than being manipulated or influenced by the other. I have heard directly from parents – mothers in particular – who have lost custody of children following evidence from court-appointed experts that they have ‘alienated’ them from their other parent. Inevitably, there will sadly be times when children are weaponised by one or both parents in highly acrimonious cases. But the way in which allegations of parental alienation are frequently being raised in […]
Stop crime victims in England and Wales paying thousands for court transcripts, say MPs | Crime
MPs from across the political spectrum have urged the government to remove a “barrier to justice” that sees crime victims in England and Wales forced to pay hundreds or thousands of pounds for transcripts of court proceedings. Under the current system, those affected by crime – including the most serious sexual and violent offences – can face steep fees if they want to obtain written records from cases they were involved in. Juliana Terlizzi, a victim of rape who waived her right to anonymity, said she was quoted £7,500 for a transcript from a 10-day crown court trial that resulted […]