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31 May 2023
Issue: 8027 / Categories: Legal News , Criminal , Child law , Personal injury , Limitation
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Abolish time bar for child abuse victims now

Personal injury lawyers have called for the limitation period for claims from victims of child abuse to be abolished with immediate effect.

Last week, the Home Office published its response to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse's (IICSA’s) recommendations, including the recommendation that the time bar be abolished for abuse survivors. The Home Office responded that it would ‘consult on strengthening existing judicial guidance… and set out options to reform limitation law’.

However, Kim Harrison, executive committee member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, said a consultation was ‘completely unnecessary.

‘It is deplorable that the law in England and Wales expects survivors to bring their cases within three years of the abuse, or within three years of turning 18 if they were abused as a child, especially when the Scottish law has already abolished the time limit for abuse survivors. And it is unacceptable that the government is not taking action now.’

MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

Daniel Burbeary, office managing partner of Michelman Robinson, discusses launching in London, the power of the law, and what the kitchen can teach us about litigating

Wedlake Bell—Rebecca Christie

Wedlake Bell—Rebecca Christie

Firm welcomes partner with specialist expertise in family and art law

Birketts—Álvaro Aznar

Birketts—Álvaro Aznar

Dual-qualified partner joins international private client team

NEWS
Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
In a striking financial remedies ruling, the High Court cut a wife’s award by 40% for coercive and controlling behaviour. Writing in NLJ this week, Chris Bryden and Nicole Wallace of 4 King’s Bench Walk analyse LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473
A €60.9m award to Kylian Mbappé has refocused attention on football’s controversial ‘ethics bonus’ clauses. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Estelle Ivanova of Valloni Attorneys at Law examines how such provisions sit within French labour law

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

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