Month: June 2016

30.06.16

Sir Cliff Richard investigation highlights issues with pre-charge bail

Sir Cliff Richard is one of many famous faces to have been investigated for allegations of historic sex abuse, with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service ultimately taking no further action.  Although Sir Cliff was never arrested or charged, his ordeal brings into question tactics that are being deployed by police and the necessity for reform regarding…

Restraining publication of images taken at private zoo — Human Rights Act 1998 engaged

Brett Wilson LLP partner Iain Wilson is interviewed by Anne Bruce.  This article was first published on Lexis® PSL IP & IT analysis on 28 June 2016 In Heythrop Zoological Gardens Ltd and another v Captive Animals Protection Society the court rejected the claimant’s application for an interim injunction to prevent the publication of photographs and videos of…

27.06.16

Justice Select Committee warns that changes to early guilty plea scheme could increase prison population

The proposed guidelines for reduction in sentence for guilty pleas produced by the Sentencing Council has been criticised by the Justice Select Committee who have voiced strong concerns about the impact on the expanding prison population. Concerns noted include potential for a defendant who did not plead guilty at the ‘first stage of the proceedings’…

21.06.16

UKIP politician ordered to pay £40,000 damages to two Labour MPs in libel case

Two Labour MPs, Sir Kevin Barron and John Healey, have each been awarded £40,000 in damages as a result of libelous comments made about them during an interview by a political rival on national television. Liability had already been determined and there was subsequently a hearing to determine quantum. Background The claimants in this case…

Nissan to sue Brexit campaign for use of logo in trademark infringement case

It is understood that car manufacturer Nissan is to take legal action against the Leave campaign group for trademark infringement arising from the use of its logo in campaign literature. On one of the Leave campaign’s flyer the Nissan logo appears next to those of four other major companies, including Unilever and Vauxhall, with the message: “Major…

20.06.16

Criminal Fraud: Section 2 interviews with the SFO – what you need to know

Section 2 of the Criminal Justice 1987 (‘CJA’) empowers the Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to require a person to attend an interview and/or produce documents upon service of a requisite notice so as to provide information relevant to his investigation. Do I need to go? Yes you do. Failure to co-operate is a…

14.06.16

SDT blocks SRA settlement agreement in Premier League case

In an unusual development the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal [SDT] today blocked an attempt by the Solicitors Regulation Authority [SRA] to withdraw proceedings so as to enter into a regulatory settlement agreement with a Partner in a law firm who had apparently engaged in the exchange of sexist emails with the Premier League. The Tribunal has…

Two years imprisonment for insider trading offences

A former employee of Schroders Investment Management was sentenced to two years imprisonment yesterday having pleaded guilty to nine counts of insider trading between 2000 and 2013. The case was prosecuted by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) at Southwark Crown Court. Insider trading is a form of market abuse and is an offence contrary to…

13.06.16

City lawyer not to be charged in anonymous QC sexual assault case

City lawyer Graeme Stening will face no further action over an allegation of sexual assault made by a female QC after an alleged public sexual encounter outside Waterloo Station in August last year.  No charges will be brought because of insufficient evidence. Stening and the female QC were arrested outside Waterloo Station.  Stening denied any…

101 year old man prosecuted for sexual assault

The Crown Prosecution Service are prosecuting a 101 year old man for allegations of sexual assault which took place between 1974 and 1983. The pensioner appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on 6 June 2016. He will face trial in December 2016. He was born in 1915. [click here] for information about how Brett Wilson LLP…