Hacking has been in the news a great deal in the last couple of years, for example, the 2016 US Presidential Elections, the extradition case of Lauri Love and the hacking of user accounts of various large companies in order to steal personal information. At the other end of the spectrum we see cases of...
The Human Rights Act is 20 years old this year. Its name is often used in vain, “it’s against my human rights!” or blamed for something that probably isn’t to do with the Act at all. The Act sets out the fundamental rights and freedoms to which everyone in the UK is entitled. Where...
The power of the police to stop and search is currently in the media due to the rise in murders and serious crimes of violence involving the use of knives, particularly in London. A particular area of concern is the disproportionate use of search powers in relation to some minority groups. So, what are...
We all know that fly-tipping is an offence, but did you know you commit an offence if you pass waste to someone who isn’t licensed? What do you mean by ‘waste’? This article is referring to household waste, for example, excess rubbish that does not fit in your general collection bins. How...
Earlier this year the Metropolitan Police was in the spotlight over their use of a ‘gang matrix’, and now they are back in the news again. What is the matrix? It is a list set up after the London riots in 2011, holding information on “persons of interest”. Various intelligence sources are...
In a dramatic climax the jury returned guilty verdicts in the case of R v Sally Metcalfe, the hapless Coronation Street Councillor caught up in fraud, money laundering and bribery. As viewers will know, poor Sally appears to be a victim of Duncan’s cunning plan to divert blame elsewhere. Her fate now lies in the...
As of 6 December 2018, law firms are required to publish information about certain price, service and regulatory matters. Who needs to publish information? An authorised firm or a sole practitioner must publish cost information on its website (or it must be available by request if there is no website). The requirement arises whenever a...
What is it? Restorative Justice, or RJ as it is sometimes known, is a way of holding offenders to account and can be used as an alternative to a caution or conviction, or alongside a sentence. What happens? RJ gives a victim the opportunity to meet or communicate with an offender to help them understand...
Everyone has received a nuisance call, and they are a real nuisance to many, but how do your details become available, and what is being done about it? Who are the ICO? The Information Commissioner’s Office (the ‘ICO’) is an independent organisation that was set up to uphold information rights in the public...
On 29th January 2017, Christine Sullivan and her housemate were found murdered in Farmington, New Hampshire. Their bodies were discovered by the house owner, Dean Smoronk, who was Sullivan’s boyfriend. Timothy Verrill, an associate of Smornok, was later charged with second-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty. Although the evidence against Verrill is...
