England

Barristers in England and Wales will be required to "act in a way that advances equality, diversity and inclusion" under a proposed revision to the profession's rules. The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is consulting on a proposed change to Core Duty 8, which currently says barristers "must not discrimin

Older prisoners in England and Wales could be held in secure social care in the community to account for their specific health needs, a landmark new report has suggested. The report by Dr Jayne Price, published today by the Prison Reform Trust, calls on the Ministry of Justice to publish a national

Evidence produced at the first trial of Lucy Letby indicating which staff had been in the baby unit she worked in was incorrect, England's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has admitted. The nurse was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill another six at the Countess of Chester hos

A judge has quashed more than 74,000 convictions which followed unlawful prosecutions for rail fare evasion in England and Wales. Four train operating companies wrongly used the 'single justice procedure' (SJP) to prosecute offences contrary to section 5(1) or 5(3) of the Regulation of the Railways

An alleged rape victim whose case was wrongly abandoned by English prosecutors after lawyers for the defence claimed she had "sexsomnia" has received £35,000 in compensation. Jade McCrossen-Nethercott launched legal action against the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) with support from the Centr

Eight leading children's rights and youth justice charities have called for an end to child imprisonment in England and Wales. A review by the Alliance for Youth Justice, Article 39, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Child Rights International Network, Howard League for Penal Reform, INQUEST, Ju

Victims of historic miscarriages of justice in England and Wales may not claim back "bed and board" costs deducted from their compensation for the time they spent in prison. Last year, the Conservatives scrapped the policy of making such deductions in the wake of the high-profile Andrew Malkinson ca

A senior judge has been disciplined after sending a letter "expressing his love" to a young colleague. Mr Justice Marcus Smith, 57, a former president of the Competition Appeal Tribunal, “passed a handwritten letter” to a woman and referred to his "feelings for her", a ruling from the Ju

Far-right groups have been plotting to attack asylum lawyers in England, evidence found by The Times reveals. An arson manual and tips on making petrol bombs have been shared in posts on Telegram, a messaging platform. Groups have also listed details of immigration lawyers and advice centres across

There are “systemic weaknesses” in the way English juries make decisions and these are likely to be contributing to the conviction of innocent people, failures to convict the guilty, and inequalities, new research warns. The current legal rules involving procedure and evidence are not co

An English solicitor who arranged sham marriages in India in order to circumvent UK immigration rules has been struck off after being tried in absentia. Matthew Chellam, 53, was paid "handsomely" for his services in making residency applications for people who lacked the right to stay in the UK.

The Bibby Stockholm barge will no longer be used to house asylum from January next year, the UK government has announced. Moored in Portland, Dorset, it is one of three major accommodation sites for asylum seekers. The "floating prison" was commissioned in April 2023 but only began housing peop

Around 75,000 convictions for fare evasion are expected to be quashed in England and Wales after a court ruled that train operators had brought unlawful prosecutions. Lawyers for Greater Anglia and Northern Trains apologised to Westminster Magistrates' Court last week, saying they acknowledged the e

An English pupil barrister who swore throughout an ethics exam has been fined £500 (around €600). Jack Henry Sadler told the Bar Standards Board (BSB) that he was unaware — despite being told — that he could be heard and was being recorded during the professional ethics assess

The centuries-old distinction between "criminal contempt" and "civil contempt" will be scrapped in England under proposals set out by the Law Commission of England and Wales. 'Contempt of court' refers to a wide variety of conduct that may impede or interfere with the administration of justice, for