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Civil Liberties Law Blog

Our civil liberties, education law and claims against public authorities teams regularly write about related legal topics and breaking news, we welcome your comments on our posts. If you would like more information on our services, please don't hesitate to get in touch on 01616 966 229.

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University disciplinary proceedings appeal

Mike Pemberton
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Our education law specialists recently represented a first year student who was expelled from a nationally renowned university following what were considered to be initiation acts within a university sports team. The university learned of the acts...

EHCPs on the rise

Natalie Tolley
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According to recent figures published by the Department for Education , and reported in The Times educational supplement; the number of pupils with special educational needs who have education, health and care plans (EHCPs) has increased by 10...

Local authorities face shortfall of more than half a billion pounds for educating children with special needs

Natalie Tolley
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Local authorities in England are reported to be facing a funding shortfall of more than half a billion pounds for educating children with special needs. Concerns have been raised that this is likely to result in spending cuts and service reviews,...

Secondary school offer day 2021

Natalie Tolley
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Monday 01 March 2021 is this year’s national offer day for secondary school admission applications when parents and pupils receive the decision on whether they have been successful in their choice of preferred secondary school. Natalie Tolley in our...

Primary school admission deadline 2021

Mike Pemberton
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The deadline for primary school admissions for the school year commencing in September 2021 will expire on the 15th January. It is still possible to apply for a primary school place after this time but the application will be dealt with as a late...

Government announce changes to law on filtering of offences on criminal record certificates

Mike Pemberton
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The government announce  changes to the law in relation to the filtering of criminal offences on standard and enhanced criminal record certificates provided by the disclosure and barring service.  These will come into force on 28 November...

Applying for secondary schools in 2021- key dates & tips

Natalie Tolley
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If your child turns 11 between 1st September 2020 and 31st August 2021, then they will transfer to secondary school at the start of the new school year in September 2021. The admissions applications window for secondary schools opened on 1 st August...

Appealing a primary school admissions decision

Mike Pemberton
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Mike Pemberton, partner and head of the civil liberties & public law team at Stephensons Solicitors LLP, specialises in education law and has provided assistance and representation to parents and children who have been unsuccessful in the past. He...

Secondary admissions national offer day is approaching

Mike Pemberton
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Monday 2 March 2020 is this year’s national offer day for secondary school admission applications when parents and pupils receive the decision on whether they have been successful in their choice of preferred secondary school. It will be a day of...

Compensation claims for NHS data breaches

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Our data protection and privacy team are representing a number of claimants in claims for compensation against various  NHS Trusts following their breaches of data protection legislation . What happened? In the last month or so, we have received a...

Top tips for secondary school admission applications

Mike Pemberton
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Its that frantic time of year again when parents and children are considering their preference for secondary schools as the admissions window opened in early September 2019 for pupils going to secondary schools in September 2020. Education lawyer Mike...

Forensic testing compensation claims

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Our actions against police team are representing a number of claimants in claims for compensation against Randox Testing laboratory following unsafe forensic test results being used in their samples. What happened? In short, forensic samples were...

Mental capacity and the use of the internet and social media

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In the recent Court of Protection case of Re: A [2019] 3WLR 59, Cobb J outlines the relevant and irrelevant information for the purposes of deciding whether a person has capacity to make decisions about internet and social media use. The...

Mental capacity and the management of diabetes - a macro or micro decision?

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In the recent Court of Protection case of Royal Borough of Greenwich v CDM [2019] EWCOP 32, the court had to decide whether the assessment of capacity to make decisions about diabetic management should be one global macro-decision, embodying all of the...

Communication technology can enable a person's wishes and feelings to be sought in the absence of speech

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A remarkable case heard by Lord Justice Hayden sitting at the Court of Protection in London has highlighted the importance of going the extra mile to establish a person’s wishes and feelings, even in circumstances where a person may not be able to...

Special guardianship payments

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Our actions against public bodies team recently managed to secure a substantial sum from a local authority for payments owed to a special guardian. The special guardian was owed payments dating back a number of years. Under Special Guardianship Order...

False imprisonment - necessity to arrest and the voluntary interview

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Our actions against police team has successfully secured payments for clients who have been arrested shortly before attending a voluntary interview with the police. Such arrests can be unlawful on the basis that it is not necessary to arrest somebody...

Primary school admissions 2019 - national offer day is approaching...

Mike Pemberton
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Tuesday 16th April is this year’s national offer day for primary school admission applications when parents and pupils receive the decision on whether they have been successful in their choice of preferred infant school. It may be a day of...

Secondary admissions national offer day is approaching

Mike Pemberton
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Friday 1st March is this year’s national offer day for secondary school admission applications when parents and pupils receive the decision on whether they have been successful in their choice of preferred secondary school. It may bring...

Judge rules that it is in P's best interests to receive medical treatment despite submissions from an NHS trust

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The case of University Hospitals Birmingham NHSFT v HB [2018] EWCOP 39 concerns an application made by the trust to rule out further treatment if a patient’s condition were to deteriorate. The protected party in this case is “P”, a...

Obtaining evidence of mental capacity in Court of Protection proceedings

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The Court of Protection is able to make decisions on behalf of a person who lacks capacity and so, one of the first things the court must consider in proceedings is whether or not the person in question has capacity or not. At the point of the case...

Inherent jurisdiction to authorise deprivation of liberty of adult with capacity

Megan Taylor
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In the recently reported case of A Local Authority v BF [2018] EWCA Civ 2962, the court ruled that in an emergency situation, someone may be deprived of their liberty in the absence of evidence of mental disorder without infringing their human rights. ...

A medical experiment or life saving treatment?

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In the recently reported case of University College London Hospitals v KG [2018] EWCOP 29, the court ruled that it was in the best interests of a person lacking capacity to receive a medical treatment that has never been tested on or administered to any...

Case highlights tragic handling of P's repatriation to Colombia

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The recent reported case of  London Borough of Lambeth v MCS & Anor [2018] EWCOP 14 and [2018] EWCOP 20 highlights the tragic handling of a vulnerable adult’s repatriation to Colombia. The 55-year old Colombian woman, referred to as...

Case highlights importance of protecting the rights of individuals who lack capacity

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In the recent reported case of Z [2018] EWHC 1488 (Ch) the protected party is Z, a successful businessman who carried out business ventures with his brothers. The applicant is the son of one of Z’s brothers who is now deceased. In this procedural...

Challenge to disclosure and barring service filtering to be heard at the Supreme Court

Mike Pemberton
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The Supreme Court are due to hear the case of P and Others v Secretary of State for Justice following an appeal by the Secretary of State. The case involves a number of individuals who have been subject to criminal record disclosure and are left in a...

Court of Protection protects teenage boy from his own 'impulsivity'

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In the case of Buckinghamshire County Council and RT (by their guardian KT ) [2018] EWCOP 12, the Court of Protection has ruled that a 17 year old boy be deprived of his liberty at a specialist unit in order to protect him from his own ...

The Court of Appeal prevents the identification of a protected party at the centre of Court of Protection proceedings

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The Court of Appeal have upheld a ruling made by the Court of Protection refusing to allow journalists to identify a protected party at the centre of proceedings. The case concerned RW, a 77 year old man with a diagnosis of end stage dementia. RW is...

Was my arrest unlawful?

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At Stephensons, we pursue civil claims for compensation for unlawful arrest. It is probably the most common type of action that our actions against public bodies department pursue. The most common question we receive is, was my arrest unlawful? ...

Met Police under urgent review over 'forensics mishandling'

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The Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) has today announced that the Metropolitan Police will be subject to an urgent review, following the alleged mishandling of 33 cases by the laboratory department. A statement from the Met said: "An...

An acquittal isn't always the end of the matter following a criminal allegation

Mike Pemberton
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The Manchester Evening News has recently reported details of a case in which an ex-teacher has been acquitted of allegations of a sexual nature. For many, acquittal at a criminal trial is seen as the end of a stressful ordeal and an opportunity to move...

Secretary of State seeks guidance from the Court of Protection - Skripal case

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It is said that the Court of Protection creates a level playing field between the powerful and the powerless. The majority of the cases decided by the Court of Protection relate to people whom are never identified beyond a set of initials to ensure...

Met Police lose 'landmark' Supreme Court appeal

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Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (Appellant) v DSD and another (Respondents) [2018] UKSC 11 On appeal from [2015] EWCA Civ 646 Justices : Lord Neuberger, Lady Hale, Lord Mance, Lord Kerr, Lord Hughes The Supreme Court has today given...

Primary school admissions deadline

Mike Pemberton
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The deadline for primary school admissions for the school year commencing in September 2018 expired on the 15th January 2018. It is still possible to apply for a primary school place after this time but the application will be dealt with as a late...

The IPCC becomes the IOPC - what are the key changes?

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As of 8th January 2018, the former Independent Police Complaints Commission changed to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. The change was agreed through the Police and Crime Act 2017. It is certainly not the first time there has been a proposed...

Additional services to be made available by the Disclosure & Barring Service

Mike Pemberton
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Beginning in 2018, the DBS will offer a service for a basic DBS check. This is in addition to the standard and enhanced level checks already provided as well as the information relating to the protection of vulnerable groups (barring register). The basic...

Preventing and tackling bullying - advice for headteachers, staff and governing bodies

Mike Pemberton
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The department of education has recently updated guidance on how schools should deal with bullying, in July 2017. Bullying, is described by the guidance, as ‘behaviour by an individual or a group, repeated over time, which intentionally hurts...

Does the general election result spell the end of the Human Rights Act 1998?

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On Wednesday 7th June 2017, a day before the election, Theresa May announced her intention to “rip up human rights laws”. It was largely announced in line with the fight against terrorism, although repealing the Human Rights Act 1998 has long...

Council fined £150,000 for data privacy breach

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Basildon Council has recently been fined £150,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) following a breach of data protection which led to the online publication of a family’s sensitive personal data.   ...

Police misconduct - are the police really becoming more transparent?

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On 12 th March 2015, Theresa May announced proposed radical changes to the policing system, through the introduction of The Police (Conduct) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (2015 amendments). The focus of the proposals suggested that more transparency and...

Serious data protection failures in adoption proceedings

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I have recently acted for a number of adoptive parents who, whilst in the process of adopting children, have been victims of data protection breaches by either the local authority or the courts. In all of these cases, sensitive personal information...

Police to interview suspects using body cameras away from the police station

Colin Rawson
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Police officers are now able to interview suspects on the street using their body cameras for low level offences such as shoplifting and minor criminal damage offences. It has been widely reported that the police is having to deal with budget cuts. Andy...

High Court makes landmark judgment on disclosure of criminal offences

Mike Pemberton
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The High Court has today (January 22nd) handed down its judgment in a challenge to the disclosure of more than one minor offence under the Police Act 1997 and Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exceptions) Order 1974. Both claimants in the case have two...

Withdrawal of life sustaining medical treatment for a child - case study

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Our Community Care and Court of Protection team deals with complex cases relating to the withdrawal of medical treatment. This is a case study providing a summary of one of our recent cases, highlighting the very difficult and sensitive nature of these...

Government discusses transgender prisoners

Colin Rawson
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According to the recent data by the Ministry of Justice there are 85,977 male and 3,935 female prisoners in the UK. Currently, transgender prisoners are not recognised but it is estimated that there are around 80 transgender people incarcerated across...

The 'Mrs L case' - Deprivation of liberty

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The issue to be decided by the Court of Protection in this case (W City Council v Mrs L [2015] EWCOP 20) was whether Mrs L, a 93 year old lady with a diagnosis of severe dementia, was being deprived of her liberty in her own home. Her care and safety...

Supreme Court decision: the right to die

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R (on the application of Nicklinson and another) (Apellants) v Ministry of Justice (Respondent); R (on the application of AM) (AP) (Respondent) v The Director of Public Prosecutions (Appellant) [2014] UKSC 38 The Supreme Court has given judgment in the...

Man receives settlement in wrongful arrest case

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The BBC has reported that Merseyside Police has made a payment of £40,000 to a man for wrongful arrest in an out of court settlement. John Spencer said he was beaten and sprayed with CS spray in the incident in 2010 when an allegation of making...

Dispatches programme highlights racism complaints

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Figures collated through Freedom of Information requests for Channel 4's Dispatches programme have revealed that out of 7963 complaints by the public of racism by forces over 8 years, only 77 were upheld. The figures related to 2005-2012 and...

Hospital violated rights with 'Do Not Resuscitate' (DNR) Order

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The Court of Appeal have held that the rights of a woman who died following a DNR notice being put in her medical records without her being consulted were breached. The case highlights the legal duty that hospitals have to consult patients before making DNR...

Court and councils could face ten-fold increase in liberty deprivation cases

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The Law Society Gazette has reported that Judge Sir James Munby, president of the family division of the High Court has warned the the Court of Protection is likely to see a ten - fold increase in it's work load in relation to...

Elderly woman unlawfully deprived of her liberty

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Details of a case heard in April by the Court of Protection relating to the removal of an elderly woman from her house into a care home have recently been reported. District Judge Mort described the handling of the matter by the local authority in question...

Case study: Court of Protection and deprivation of liberty

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Our specialist Court of Protection team recently obtained final Order in a Court of Protection dispute relating to welfare. The application was by a Local Authority (LA), for a declaration that it would be in P’s best interests to move out of his...

Ten ways councils are targeting savings from adult social care in 2014-15

Mike Pemberton
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Resource website Community Care has published an analysis of 55 local authorities adult social care budgets for 2014-2015 . Given ongoing cuts to public funding , local authorities are under pressure to continue to cut their budgets. In the Community Care...

Protecting our parents

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The BBC is currently showing a documentary series about the complex and often harrowing decisions that need to be made in relation to the care of older people within the community. The latest episode, shown last week, highlighted the...

Concern over changes to Special Education Needs provision

Mike Pemberton
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The Children and Families Act 2014 became law on the 22nd April 2014 and has been hailed as the greatest shake up to the Special Educational Needs system in 30 years. A further Code of Practice for Special Education Needs was published on the 16th April...

Man who believes he is a prophet can donate almost £7,000 to the Mormon Church

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A man with schizophrenia, known as MS, who believes he is a prophet ‘one level down from the holy trinity’ has been deemed to have the capacity to donate 10% of a recent inheritance totalling almost £70,000 as a tithe to the Church of...

New figures highlight increased Police Taser use

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Newly released Home Office figures have revealed that Taser use by the Police in the south of England doubled between 2012 and 2013. The devices were drawn 998 times as opposed to 433 times in 2012 and were actually discharged 192 times in 2013 compared...

The Law Society proposes that human rights should play an 'integral' part of legal training

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The Law Society has proposed that human rights and business training should form part of legal training requirements in line with the UN guiding principles on the same. The proposal appears in a set of recommendations published in March by the Society's...

Autism Awareness Day - 2nd April 2014

Mike Pemberton
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2nd April 2014 is National Autism Awareness Day. Autism is a condition that affects one in a hundred people in the UK and is recognised as a developmental disability. It affects the way a person communicates and how they experience the world around them. ...

Research points to rationing of social care

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Research by the Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation highlights 'increased rationing of social care in response to deep cuts from central government, despite the growing numbers of older people in the population'. Key findings of the report...

Care home staff in Bury plead guilty to patient abuse

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ITV has broadcast footage of staff at a care home slapping and abusing a patient in their care. The two care staff at The Priory Highbank Centre in Bury have now pleaded guilty to abusing a brain-damaged patient at the private care home which charges around...

Appeals deadline approaching fast

Mike Pemberton
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The deadline to make an appeal against school admission decisions relating to secondary education is fast approaching. National Offer Day on the 3rd March 2014 provided parents and pupils with a determination on whether they had been successful in their...

'A gilded cage is still a cage'

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Those were the words of Lady Hale at The Supreme Court which today heard an important set of cases (P (by his litigation friend the Official Solicitor ) v Cheshire West and Chester Council and P and Q (by their litigation friend the Official Solicitor) v...

Data protection breach involving details of school children

Mike Pemberton
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The Birmingham Mail has recently reported (17th March 2014) that families from a school in Rednal have been affected by a data protection breach involving a council contractor. Personal details of 11-year-old school pupils were sent to...

Parents concerned over Special Education Needs provision

Mike Pemberton
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A recent Wales ITV investigation which was aired during Wales This Week on the 17th March 2014 reflected concerns of parents that the provision of Special Educational Needs to children was no better than it had been back in the 1980s. ITV made a Freedom of...

Vulnerable adults being failed by the Mental Capacity Act

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In the words of Lord Hardie, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 was supposed to be a ''turning point in the rights of vulnerable people; those with learning difficulties, dementia, brain injuries or temporary impairment". The Act marked a change...

'Everyone should have control over the manner of their departure'

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Anyone who watched the latest episode of Silk last Monday will have heard Billy the clerk at fictional chambers Shoe Lane make that statement in a storyline which revolved around the harrowing case of a mother who is put on...

Fair treatment of children with special educational needs required

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The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) has released a report 'SEN: Preparing for the future' in which it has warned local authorities regarding the fair treatment of children with statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN). The...

Jury finds prison communication failings contributed to death of vulnerable young man

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An inquest jury has found that a breakdown in communication between three prisons contributed to the death of a vulnerable young man at HMP Stafford in January 2012. Kieron Dowdall (24) had been transferred to HMP North Sea camp, an open...

Fewer children obtaining preferred place at secondary school

Mike Pemberton
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The Telegraph has recently reported that there has been an increase in the number of children missing out on the first choice secondary school within the current applications round. The 3rd March 2014 was National Offer Day for secondary education and a...

Dementia sufferer to be returned to her own home of 60 years after being removed to a care home

Mike Pemberton
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In the recent case of Westminster City Council v Sykes [2014] EWHC B9 (24/02/2014) the Court of Protection has ordered that an 89-year-old dementia sufferer who spent her life campaigning for political causes and the rights of others can to return to...

Mental capacity and the right to refuse medical treatment

Mike Pemberton
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‘The right to decide whether or not to consent to medical treatment is one of the most important rights guaranteed by law. Few decisions are as significant as the decision about whether to have major surgery. For the doctors, it can be difficult to...

School admission decisions due soon

Mike Pemberton
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We are fast approaching the somewhat anxious time of year when the allocation of secondary school places will be announced. This will take place on 3rd March 2014 and is known as National Offer Day. (Reception places are expected to be announced on 16th...

Care funding - the care industry and other groups warn of the failures to properly fund care services

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Today, the BBC reports that the UK Homecare Association (UKHCA), which represents care providers, care agencies and care workers want their members and companies to be paid a minimum of £15.19 an hour to cover wages, training and travel. The care they...

Mental capacity to consent to sexual relations

Mike Pemberton
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S1 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 states that a person lacks mental capacity if ‘he is unable to make a specific decision for himself in relation to the matter because of an impairment of, or a disturbance in the functioning of, the mind or...

Court of Protection orders baby to be put up for adoption in UK, against very strong wishes of Italian-resident mother

Mike Pemberton
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There has been mass media recently over the Court of Protection judgment in the case of Re: P (A Child), heard by HHJ Newton. The facts of the case are that the mother, an Italian national, has a history of mental health problems, and during her pregnancy...

Muslim family lose 'right-to-life' case

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An article published in The Guardian recently tells of a recent judgment delivered in the Court of Protection regarding a ‘right-to-life’ case. The NHS Trust applied to the Court of Protection for a declaration that it would lawful for the man...

Carers denied right to financial support

Mike Pemberton
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BBC News recently reported the findings of a local government watchdog, which has revealed that many foster carers are ‘losing out’ by being refused the necessary financial support to provide children with proper care. Often children whose...

15 minute care visits

Mike Pemberton
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BBC News has this week reported of the widespread use of 15-minute care visits to the elderly and disabled. The Leonard Cheshire Disability charity says that these visits are not long enough to provide adequate care and “can force disabled people to...

Openness and transparency in the Court of Protection

Mike Pemberton
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The Court of Protection makes decisions on behalf of people that lack the capacity to do so themselves. The recent reporting of a case involving Wanda Maddocks has attracted a lot of publicity and alleged that the Court is far too secretive. The Court had...

Liverpool man suffers cardiac arrest following use of police taser gun

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An article in the Liverpool Echo this week tells of a further incident relating to the use of police taser guns. A Liverpool man is reported to have suffered a heart attack after being tasered by police. He was shot twice with a taser in September 2012...

Court of Protection decides man lacking capacity is not to be resuscitated

Mike Pemberton
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The Court of Protection heard the recent case of An NHS Foundation Trust v M & K [2013] EWHC 2402, in which declarations were sought by the NHS Trust that the man (known throughout as M) should not be given Intensive Care treatment or CPR should there be...

Woman forcibly checked for possible cancer

Sophie Maloney
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The Court of Protection has last week heard a case in which an NHS Trust applied for a declaration that it would be in a woman’s best interests for her to undergo a formal diagnostic examination for cancer, ‘despite her long-standing fear of...

Court of Protection refuses to annul arranged marriage

Mike Pemberton
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Last week another difficult and controversial case came before the Court of Protection, reported in the Telegraph. The case involved a woman who was the subject of an arranged marriage to a man with severe mental disabilities. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough...

Data protection laws broken over 60 times by Welsh councils

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The BBC has recently reported of numerous breaches in data protection by Local Authorities in Wales during 2012. The information was obtained following a Freedom of Information Act request. The breaches included several cases of posting personal data to...

TV remote mistaken for handgun in armed police raid

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A recent article on the Telegraph website told of a couple who are planning to sue the police following an armed raid by officers at their home in the search for a gun which, in fact, turned out to be a TV remote control. The residents were apparently...

Local governments Ombudsman decides Liverpool City Council failed to pay 340 foster carers correctly

Mike Pemberton
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An important Ombudsman’s report has been published this week following an investigation into Liverpool City Council and its Social Services department. The Ombudsman found that in 340 cases which it had been made aware of, the Council had not paid...

New statutory framework for coroners' inquests

Mike Pemberton
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Significant changes in the Coronial system came into force on 25 July 2013. The new system will apply to all existing inquests not completed by 25 July 2013. Many core aspects of inquests remain the same, but there are several key areas of change. With...

Possible data protection probe

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According to Mail Online, a House of Lords peer has apparently admitted during a House of Lords debate that he uses “friends” in the DVLA to track down drivers he spots littering.  According to the article, it would appear that this involves...

More detail emerges on government plans to cap the cost of going into a care home

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Today, plans meant to help people better prepare for the cost of their future care needs have been published by the government alongside details of how the new fairer funding system will protect people’s homes and savings. Care and Support Minister...

Tagging firms to be investigated for over-charging

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The Government has announced that it is to investigate two of the private security companies it uses to electronically tag and monitor offenders, for over-charging. According to the BBC News website, the Ministry of Justice is also to be...

Man Tasered by Brighton police

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Recent local news in Sussex tells of a man who was controversially Tasered by police officers. According to The Argus website, footage taken by a member of the public appears to show a Taser gun being used on the suspect before he was then...

Man dies after police use Taser

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On Wednesday 10th July 2013, a man was shot by a police Taser in Manchester, and subsequently died. According to reports by BBC News, the police responded to a 999 call of a reported disturbance in Gorton of a man with a knife, and the Taser was immediately...

Taser Guns fired by police 27 times in last 3 years in St Helens area

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There has been increasing concern and much controversy regarding the use of Taser guns by police due to the weapon’s potentially deadly effects. A recent article in the St Helens Reporter shows that Taser guns have been fired 27 times in the last 3...

Court of Protection investment restrictions for attorneys

Mike Pemberton
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In a recent Court of Protection case, Re Buckley, restrictions were imposed on an attorney’s ability to invest a donor’s funds. The case involved a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) which was granted by Miss Buckley, 81, to her niece to be her...

Police Taser...an easy option?

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There have been many concerns reported recently in the media regarding the use of Taser guns by the police. These weapons release a paralysing electric shock in to the body temporarily interrupting a person’s control of their own muscles. An article...

Police bail - review needed but are calls for a four-week limit realistic?

Mike Pemberton
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With the recent discovery that more than 57,000 people are on police bail, Richard Atkinson, chairman of the Law Society's criminal law committee, is calling for a review of police bail practices and suggesting bail should be to be limited to a maximum...

Police breach data protection laws

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An article posted recently on the BBC News website highlights the importance of the need for the police to comply with data protection laws. The article entitled, ‘Guernsey Police breached data protections laws’ refers to a case on the island of...

Filtering of minor, old convictions, criminal disclosure certificates

Mike Pemberton
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The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2013 (forgive me whilst I catch my breath)  SI 2013/1198  which came into force yesterday following the judgment of the Court of Appeal in the...

Woman who begged court to let her abort her baby wins battle

Mike Pemberton
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An article published on The Independent website yesterday told of an emotive case that has this week been heard in the Court of Protection. The 37 year old woman, known as ‘SB’, is said to be suffering from severe mental health problems...