Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland's High Court has awarded costs against the Home Office where their unexplained delay in issuing a visa forced the applicant to bring proceedings. The court found that the applicant was justified in issuing the proceedings, despite the fact that her visa arrived five days after threa

Northern Ireland's Court of Appeal has ordered prosecutors to reconsider the decision to discontinue the prosecution of Soldier F for the murder of William McKinney on Bloody Sunday in 1972. While quashing the decision of the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) to discontinue the prosecution of Soldier

Northern Ireland's Department of Justice has launched a new strategy to support women and girls in contact with the justice system. The "Supporting Change" strategy, which covers the period from 2022 to 2029, focuses on women and girls who are at risk of offending or who have offended, and seeks to

Nine inquests will be listed in the third year of Northern Ireland's five-year plan to clear the entire backlog of Troubles-era cases, the presiding coroner has announced. Mr Justice Humphreys conducted a review of all legacy inquests where a coroner has not yet been appointed at the end of February

A new strategic framework for youth justice in Northern Ireland has identified a consultation on increasing the age of criminal responsibility – currently just 10 years old – as a priority issue. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) recommends that the age of criminal resp

The personal injury discount rate in Northern Ireland has been set to -1.5 per cent following the first review under the new legislative framework established this year. The review, which has been welcomed by personal injury lawyers, was carried out by the government actuary under the methodology pr

Northern Ireland's High Court has found that it still had jurisdiction to hear an application for a care order in respect of an eight-month-old child who was sent to live with his maternal grandfather south of the border. The child was sent away by his mother after she became aware that a social car

Developers in Northern Ireland will again be required to hold a public event as part of the pre-application process for major planning applications following the expiration of the temporary suspension. The requirement, which has been suspended since 1 May 2020, will be reinstated for proposed of app

A bill to modernise the legal framework for adoption in Northern Ireland has completed its final legislative stage. The Adoption and Children Bill will bring Northern Ireland in line with changes that were introduced in England and Wales in 2002 and in Scotland in 2007.

Northern Ireland's first-ever adult restorative justice strategy has been launched. The strategy, which runs from 2022-2027 and was developed in conjunction with statutory, voluntary and community sector partners, aims to better meet the needs of, and provide redress for the harm caused to victims o

Wide-ranging legislating updating the law on sexual offending in Northern Ireland has completed its final stage in the Assembly. The Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Bill creates several new offences, including non-fatal strangulation, up-skirting and down-blousing, cyber-flash

Belfast firm McKees has presented a cheque for £2,000 to mental health charity PIPS after a year of fundraising efforts.

Antrim Crown Court was not swayed that an 18-year-old attacker who had 10 previous convictions had been unable to exercise self-control due to his diagnosis of ADHD and alcohol dependency. On 26 June 2020, the defendant, Jordan McClintock, arrived at a small gathering on the Ballykeel Estate in Ball

A humanitarian appeal launched by Northern Ireland solicitor Joanna Tobolska-Walczuk and her sister has raised £13,000 for Ukrainian refugees in just two weeks.

Geraldine Hanna, the chief executive of Victim Support NI, has been appointed as the inaugural victims of crime commissioner designate for Northern Ireland. The post was established on a non-statutory basis following a public consultation last year amid concerns that legislating for a statutory comm