Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland's health system lacks the resources and facilities to deal with defendants with mental health issues, a Crown Court judge has said. Judge Philip Babington, the Recorder of Derry, hit out at the "shambles" as he ruled on an appeal in Londonderry County Court involving a 38-year-old w

Cheryl Lamont, chief executive of the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI), has been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. The probation chief was recognised in the New Year Honours list for services to criminal justice.

A man who pleaded guilty to the murder of a retired teacher in Crumlin in 2018 must serve a minimum sentence of 16 years and six months before being considered for release on licence. Commenting that the victim was “a man who lived a blameless and worthy life”, Mr Justice Adrian Colton s

The family of a man who was fatally shot by a British soldier in 1972 has sought leave from the High Court to challenge the original inquest verdict of "misadventure". Thomas Burns, a father-of-four, was shot as he left the Glenpark Social Club in north Belfast on 12 July 1972 and he died from the g

Dr Michael Wardlow, chief commissioner of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, considers the future of welfare in Northern Ireland. The election is now over and, once again, there’s an attempt this week to restore a working government at Stormont. It is also now two years since the Eq

Personal injury and road traffic specialist firm JMK Solicitors has presented cheques totalling £26,000 to their 2019 charity partners following a year-long staff fundraising programme.

Legal academics Professor Rory O'Connell and Dr Catherine O'Rourke have been appointed to the Peer Review College (PRC) of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Members of the PRC are involved in reviewing proposals received to the AHRC's various funding schemes and programmes.

Belfast man Brian Keenan, who spent four-and-a-half years as a hostage in Beirut, addressed inmates at Magilligan Prison during a creative writing awards ceremony. Mr Keenan was captured by the Islamic Jihad Organisation over 33 years ago on 11 April 1986 and spent nearly five years in a concrete ce

A charity is helping imprisoned dads at Hydebank Wood College deliver a special Christmas gift to their children this year. Personal recordings of Bible stories read by the dads, along with an illustrated storybook for them to follow the reading, will form part of a Christmas toy parcel and food ham

The collapse of Stormont has left outstanding human rights issues to "drift indefinitely", the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) has said. The commission's 2019 annual statement warns that there has been "no progress" over the course of the year on "substantial, lengthy and broad-base

Pupils at Thornhill College have won the Derry regional heat of the annual Bar Mock Trial Competition.

Belfast-based Millar McCall Wylie (MMW) has announced a sponsorship deal with Ulster hockey’s most prestigious male competition. The firm will sponsor the final of this year's Kirk Cup on Boxing Day, which will see title holders Banbridge face Lisnagarvey at Stormont, as well as the 2020 compe

The Royal Courts of Justice was packed out for the Pro Bono Choir's annual Christmas concert.

The prosecution of a woman who bought abortion pills for her teenage daughter did not breach human rights laws, the High Court in Belfast has ruled. The woman was charged with two counts of unlawfully procuring and supplying the abortion drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, with intent to procure a

Six new criminal justice commissioners have been appointed to the Parole Commissioners for Northern Ireland. The Department of Justice announced the appointments alongside that of Paul Mageean as chief commissioner and 34 serving commissioners for a further term of office.