Tag: UK Justice system
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Outrage over UK’s first secret terror trial
The news that a major terrorism trial could soon be held entirely in secret has alarmed journalists and defenders of civil liberties. Is this an assault on the principle of open justice?
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New riots feared as Duggan verdict sparks rage
Tomorrow the family of suspected gangster Mark Duggan will take the first steps to overturn last week’s verdict of ‘lawful killing’ by police in August 2011. Can the justice system still be...
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British justice stalls as barristers walk out
Britain’s top lawyers downed pens and took up placards yesterday for the first time in their history. Is the protest a threat to one of the world’s most revered legal systems?
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Global dismay greets grilling of editor by MPs
Questioned by a committee of MPs, the British journalist who disclosed mass surveillance by US and UK spies came under fire. Are international observers right to protest about his treatment?
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New right to unmask hidden domestic abusers
Assaults and murders within relationships could be reduced by a new rule: potential victims will be able to see police records on abusive partners. But does this cross the confidentiality line?
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Scandal of 1970s terrorist murders uncovered
Shock revelations that a secret British army unit was eliminating terrorists in Northern Ireland in the 1970s have revived debate about whether the Troubles can be consigned to history.
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Fury over US and UK spying as new details leaked
Leaked files show that US and UK spy agencies are monitoring global communications on a massive scale. The targets of this snooping are furious – but spies say they are keeping people safe.
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Human rights ruling outlaws ‘life means life’
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that sentences of life imprisonment without hope of release are ‘inhumane’. Are British ministers, MPs and newspapers right to be disgusted?
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Stephen Lawrence family ‘targeted’ by police
Trust in the London police has hit a new low after revelations that undercover police attempted to smear the victim’s family during a long and disastrously mishandled murder investigation.
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Nigella Lawson’s husband cautioned after assault
The celebrated cookery writer and ‘domestic goddess’ Nigella Lawson has been pictured suffering an attack by her husband. Police have stepped in, but what does the reaction mean?
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No TV, gym or home clothes as UK jails get tough
Under new government plans, convicts will be deprived of televisions and gym time unless they can ‘earn’ them with good behaviour. Are modern prisons ‘soft’?
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Ministers and judges tussle for ‘supreme’ power
A heated argument has broken out between the UK’s most senior judges and ministers criticising the courts. Are the scales of justice tipping too much towards politics or the law?
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‘Clueless’ jury puts justice in the dock
A high profile trial has been thrown out of court after the jury showed it did not understand its role. Should 12 ordinary people be trusted with such important decisions?
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Top politician and wife brought low by lies
He was once a cabinet minister, and very nearly leader of a political party. Now Chris Huhne is a disgraced ex-MP facing jail. Why would he risk everything for the sake of a lie?
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Judge who praised burglar’s ‘courage’ reprimanded
‘It takes a huge amount of courage to burgle someone’s home,’ Judge Bowers told a court last month. Complaints flooded in from the public – but did the judge have a point?