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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 – …

Jail for holding a placard? Protest over the climate crisis is being brutally suppressed

Years ago, when Dr Sarah Benn recognised the scale of the climate crisis, she made sure that she was doing all the right things. She recycled, she went vegan, she stopped flying, she voted Green, she signed petitions. It was because she didn’t see real change happening, despite doing all those things, that she then went …

How Litigation Lawyers Support Kids Through Divorce

In many divorces, maintaining stable routines and a loving, supportive atmosphere for the children is the greatest challenge. Divorces can be a major interruption. Kids may not be sure of which house they’ll sleep in or where they’ll be staying, and this instability can cause a gauntlet of psychological issues they may carry into adulthood. …