Does diplomatic immunity extend to human rights violations committed by members of diplomatic missions within the UK? In a unique case concerning a diplomat who was alleged to have subjected his children to a regime of harmful chastisement, the High Court has reluctantly answered that
The COVID-19 pandemic represents a public emergency which is threatening the life of the nation. A High Court judge wrote those words in reaching the momentous conclusion that, whilst the crisis persists, derogation from certain fundamental human rights is not merely justified, but essential. The
Relationships are supposed to be between equals and, if you are being subjected to coercion or control by your partner, the criminal law will come to your aid. In a case on point, the Court of Appeal imposed a stiff prison sentence on an overbearing
In a striking example of cross-border judicial cooperation, a family judge in London has given effect to an order of the President of the Irish High Court that a gravely anorexic Irish girl should receive urgent treatment at a psychiatric centre of excellence in England.
There is no point taking legal advice if you are not prepared to follow it. In a striking case on point, a wife was alleged to have agreed to a formal settlement of her big-money divorce, directly contrary to the advice of her own legal
When is life not worth living? The High Court grappled with that fundamental issue in authorising doctors to withhold life-sustaining treatment from a baby boy who can neither see nor hear and experiences only pain. The boy’s mother conceived him following a one-night relationship and
Getting divorced without taking legal advice is a high-risk strategy and can come back to bite you years after the event. A naïve husband found that out to his cost after falling victim to a series of frauds perpetrated by his ex-wife. Following their separation
Pleas of poverty are commonplace in divorce cases, but family judges are well able to discern whether they are true or false. In one case, a property developer who fell heavily into arrears on maintenance payments to his ex-wife was ruled in contempt of court
Divorcees who seek to hide the true extent of their wealth can expect to be dealt with firmly by family judges and often end up facing bigger bills than those who are frank from the outset. The Court of Appeal made that point in rejecting
Everyone has the right to campaign against what they perceive as injustice, but only if that does not involve trampling on the rights of others. In a case on point, a mother paid with her liberty for relentlessly publicising her complaints about the family justice
