The director general of MI5 told the independent commissioner who oversees his work that the security service had given false evidence in court shortly before the security service told the courts themselves.As investigatory powers commissioner, Sir Brian Leveson oversees the use of covert powers by more than 600 public authorities, including the UK’s intelligence
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Unduly lenient?
A minimum term of 52 years in prison to be served by a man who murdered three girls was not “unduly lenient”, the attorney general announced on Friday. For that reason, Lord Hermer KC said he would not be inviting the Court of Appeal to consider increasing the sentences of indefinite detention passed last month…
Grayling’s glittering career
In a speech yesterday about the probation service, the justice secretary Shabana Mahmood spoke sarcastically about the “glittering government career” of Lord Grayling, who was Conservative justice secretary from September 2012 to May 2015.While there had been bright moments in the probation service’s past, she said on a visit to the London probation service headquarters,…
A plague of moths
Avoid litigation like the plague is always good advice, especially when the plague consists of moths. Otherwise, you may end up like William Woodward-Fisher, a champion rower turned property developer with an argument full of holes.It seemed a good idea in 2011 to buy a London townhouse for £10.4m, spending another £10m digging out the…
Climate change challenge
The “unprecedented global challenges posed to all of us by climate change” will have to be resolved through domestic democratic processes rather than by international litigation or treaty making, the UK’s judge at the European Court of Human Rights predicted in a lecture he gave in London last week.Judge Tim Eicke KC was taking…
Magistrate’s misconduct
A magistrate on the Leicestershire and Rutland bench has been issued with formal advice for misconduct, the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office announced on Friday.The Midlands Conduct Advisory Committee — one of a number that deal with complaints against magistrates — was told that Kirk Master JP had posted a number of politically sensitive posts…
Embracing GenAI
Lawyers and judges must embrace generative artificial intelligence, the head of civil justice for England and Wales said yesterday. Speaking at the LawtechUK Generative AI Event, the master of the rolls Sir Geoffrey Vos gave three reasons:
- Those we serve are using it: all other industrial, financial and consumer sectors will be
…
Cutting through the knotweed
Rudakubana resentencing
The judge who sentenced the Southport murderer to a minimum of 52 years’ imprisonment last month is expected to correct a sentencing error today — but it will make no difference to the length of time Axel Rudakubana spends in prison.A hearing has been listed this morning at Liverpool Crown Court, although Mr Justice Goose…
Fighting corruption
A prosecutor who was herself prosecuted and imprisoned for fighting corruption and organised crime in Guatemala was awarded the Sir Henry Brooke Award 2025 in London last night by the Alliance for Lawyers at Risk charity.The award honours a legal practitioner or human rights defender who, through personal endeavour in the course of his or…