Why is Home Office trying to stage murder trial in secret? – The Times
“The Home Secretary is seeking to have the trial of a man accused of murdering a prize-winning author held in secret because the defendant may have links with British Intelligence, The Times has...
View ArticleMedia challenge national security claim for secrecy in murder trial – The...
“Media organisations including the Guardian yesterday challenged a demand unprecedented in modern times – that witnesses at a forthcoming murder trial should be heard in secret, for ‘national security’...
View ArticleJudge agrees to hold murder trial in secret – The Guardian
“Much of a murder trial will be held in secret for reasons of ‘national security’, an Old Bailey judge ruled yesterday.” Full story The Guardian, 16th January 2008 Source: www.guardian.co.uk
View ArticleThe extraordinary case of Britain’s most secret murder trial – The Independent
“A court hearing tomorrow, being described by lawyers as unprecedented in UK legal history, will decide whether the death of the man who took the last photograph of George Bernard Shaw must remain a...
View ArticleMiliband blocks release of key Lockerbie files – The Guardian
“The foreign secretary has been accused of interfering in the appeal of the man jailed for the Lockerbie bombing, after he refused to release secret papers which could clear the Libyan.” Full story The...
View ArticleJudges back Lockerbie evidence suppression – The Guardian
“A legal battle to release a secret intelligence report which could free the Libyan man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing is to continue after judges ruled the foreign secretary had the right to...
View ArticleR (Binyan Mohamed) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs...
R (Binyan Mohamed) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (2) [2008] EWHC 2100 (Admin); [2008] WLR (D) 300 “In performing the necessary balancing exercise in relation to public...
View ArticleEx-detective backs miscarriage of justice claim – The Guardian
“A former detective now working as a private investigator says that a file seized from him by police last year could hold key information about an alleged miscarriage of justice. His claim is the...
View ArticleR (Al-Sweady and others) v Secretary of State for Defence – WLR Daily
R (Al-Sweady and others) v Secretary of State for Defence [2009] EWHC 1687 (Admin); [2009] WLR (D) 238 “The complete integrity of public interest immunity certificates and the schedules attached to...
View ArticleRegina (Al-Sweady and Others) v Secretary of State for Defence – Times Law...
Regina (Al-Sweady and Others) v Secretary of State for Defence Queen’s Bench Divisional Court “The complete integrity of public interest immunity certificates and the schedules attached to them, signed...
View ArticleR (Mohamed) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs...
R (Mohamed) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Guardian News and Media Ltd and others intervening) [2010] EWCA Civ 65; [2010] WLR (D) 31 “As a general principle, the principles...
View ArticleSpy murder case could be too sensitive for court – Daily Telegraph
“The true explanation for the murder of Gareth Williams, the MI6 codebreaker found dead in a bath, may have to be kept secret even if his killer is found and put on trial, lawyers have warned.” Full...
View ArticleRegina v Twomey and others (No 2) – WLR Daily
Regina v Twomey and others (No 2) [2011] EWCA Crim 8; [2011] WLR (D) 10 “The question whether a trial should proceed as a trial by judge and jury or trial by judge alone was concerned exclusively with...
View ArticleAl Rawi and others v Security Service and others (Liberty and others...
Al Rawi and others v Security Service and others (Liberty and others intervening) [2011] UKSC 34; [2011] WLR (D) 228 “It was for Parliament, if it so decided, and not for the courts, to introduce a...
View ArticleJournalists who break law to expose injustice ‘will not be prosecuted’ –...
“Journalists who break the law could be spared trial if they acted in the public interest, under guidance to be produced by the Director of Public Prosecutions.” Full story Daily Telegraph, 8th...
View ArticleDamning verdict on ill-thought-out secret justice proposals – The Guardian
“Parliament’s joint committee on human rights (JCHR) has produced a unanimous report on the government’s justice and security green paper that is as precise and persuasive as the green paper itself is...
View ArticleSecret justice: do we have a compromise? – UK Human Rights Blog
“The Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights has now responded to the Government’s consultation on the proposals set out in their Justice and Security Green Paper Cm 8194. The idea is to extend ‘closed...
View ArticleSecret trials: ‘explore alternatives’– Law Society’s Gazette
“Government proposals to extend the use of secret hearings in cases where evidence might compromise national security are a radical departure from the UK’s ‘traditions of open justice and fairness’,...
View ArticleKen Clarke defends secret courts plans after Nick Clegg criticisms – The...
“The justice secretary, Ken Clarke, has defended proposals to create a new generation of secret courts in the face of criticism from Nick Clegg and parliament’s human rights committee, saying the plans...
View ArticleSecret court hearings: Q&A – Daily Telegraph
“Ken Clarke wants to allow evidence to be heard in secret where it would compromise national security. Here we explain why there is such controversy over the Government’s plan to hold some court cases...
View ArticleLords “Reform”: The Justice and Security Bill – Angela Patrick – UK Human...
“Last night saw the latest round of Lords debate on the Justice and Security Bill. It should be required reading for the Secretary of State. Peers from all benches challenged the Government’s case for...
View ArticleTime to untangle the debate over secret courts – UK Human Rights Blog
“Tomorrow (25 September), Liberal Democrats will debate the Justice and Security Bill and will vote on saying no to the Government’s controversial secret courts proposals. Played in the press as a good...
View ArticleAzelle Rodney Inquiry lawyers can see surveillance film footage – UK Human...
“R (on the application of the Metropolitan Police Service) v the Chairman of the Inquiry into the Death of Azelle Rodney and Interested Parties [2012] EWHA 2783 (Admin). The public inquiry into the...
View ArticleSupreme Court: Articles 3, 6 and 8 ECHR in child protection PII case –...
“There have been a number of important privacy judgments in recent weeks, particularly concerning Article 8 ECHR in cases with child protection elements.” Full story Panopticon, 13th December 2012...
View ArticleIn re A (A Child) (Family Proceedings: Disclosure of Information) – WLR Daily
In re A (A Child) (Family Proceedings: Disclosure of Information): [2012] UKSC 60; [2012] WLR (D) 378 “The identity of a third party and the allegations of sexual abuse which she made in confidence...
View ArticleSecret courts plan faces Commons vote – The Guardian
“MPs will vote on Monday on the final form of the government’s justice and security bill, which radically expands the use of so-called secret courts.” Full story The Guardian, 3rd March 2013 Source:...
View ArticleChagossians: Wikileaks cables not admissible in court – UK Human Rights Blog
“Bancoult v. Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Divisional Court, Richards LJ and Mitting J, 16-24 April 2013, judgment awaited. A quick update at the end of the recent judicial review on 24 April by...
View ArticleRegina v Austin (Herbert) – WLR Daily
Regina v Austin (Herbert): [2013] EWCA Crim 1028; [2013] WLR (D) 257 “It was the Crown’s responsibility to carry out the duties of disclosure. Judicial involvement could only properly be triggered...
View ArticleRegina (Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs) v Assistant...
Regina (Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs) v Assistant Deputy Coroner for Inner North London [2013] EWHC 1786 (Admin); [2013] WLR (D) 261 “It was a matter for the court in the...
View ArticleSpecial court orders cast doubt on Kevin Lane murder conviction – The Guardian
“Doubts have emerged about the conviction of a contract killer following a trial in which special court orders were used to keep sensitive information out of the public domain.” Full story The...
View ArticleChristopher Forsyth: Principle or Pragmatism: Closed Material Procedure in...
“In Al Rawi & Ors v The Security Service & Ors [2011] UKSC 34; [2012] 1 AC 531 the claimants (respondents in the Supreme Court) were bringing civil claims for damages against the defendants...
View ArticleThe “uneasy” co-existence of public interest immunity and closed material...
“CF v Security Service and others and Mohamed v Foreign and Commonwealth Office and others [[2013] EWHC 3402 (QB). The High Court has today made the first court ruling on the use of the Justice and...
View ArticleCF v Security Service and others; Mohamed v Foreign and Commonwealth Office...
CF v Security Service and others; Mohamed v Foreign and Commonwealth Office and others [2013] EWHC 3402 (QB); [2013] WLR (D) 439 “A court could make a declaration under section 6 of the Justice and...
View ArticleLitvinenko, courts and secrecy – BBC News
‘The government has successfully won a court order blocking the release of secret information in relation to the death of the former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko. Alexander Litvinenko fell ill after a...
View ArticleNational Security trumps disclosure of Litvinenko secret documents, rules...
‘Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs v Assistant Deputy Coroner for Inner North London [2013] EWHC 3724 (Admin). The Foreign Secretary successfully appealed against an order for...
View ArticleHigh Court quashes government’s refusal to proceed with Litvinenko inquiry –...
‘This was an application by the widow of Alexander Litvinenko for judicial review of the refusal by the Secretary of State for the Home Department to order the setting up of a statutory inquiry into...
View ArticleRegina (Woods and another) v Chief Constable of Merseyside Police – WLR Daily
Regina (Woods and another) v Chief Constable of Merseyside Police [2014] EWHC 2784 (Admin); [2014] WLR (D) 378 ‘The Service Confidence Procedure (“SCP”), which was the statutory misconduct regime for...
View ArticleJeremy Bamber: Petition to release case documents – BBC News
‘Campaigners fighting for the release of convicted murderer Jeremy Bamber have started a petition asking for documents relating to his case to be released.’ Full story BBC News, 15th August 2015...
View ArticleShould national security ever trump the right to a fair trial? – The Guardian
‘A ruling on whether ‘secret’ evidence from convicted murderer Wang Yam can be heard at the European court of human rights has far wider significance.’ Full story The Guardian, 22nd September 2015...
View ArticleCPS to pay six-figure sum to man over wrongful conviction – The Guardian
‘The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has agreed to pay more than £100,000 in compensation to a man who spent six years in prison after being wrongly convicted of perverting the course of justice in a...
View ArticleChildren: Public Law Update (August 2017) – Family Law Week
‘John Tughan QC of 4 Paper Buildings reviews a range of recent important public law cases.’ Full StoryFamily Law Week, 9th August 2017Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk
View ArticlePublic inquiry to be held into Manchester terror attack to allow security...
‘A public inquiry will be held into the Manchester Arena terror attack so that evidence from the security services and counter-terrorism police can be heard in camera.’ Full StoryDaily Telegraph, 22nd...
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