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11 December 2019 / Mark Pawlowski
Issue: 7868 / Categories: Features
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It’s a wonderful life!

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Mark Pawlowski takes a festive look at some of the more humorous cases taken from the English & Commonwealth law reports

Contacting the spirit world

Very spooky behaviour can be found in the criminal law case of R v Young [1955] QB 324. Four members of a jury, while staying overnight in a local hotel, used a ouija board to contact the victim of a murder to determine the guilt or innocence of the accused. The Court of Appeal, not surprisingly, held that this was a material irregularity and duly quashed the conviction for murder.

Unreasonable behaviour?

Most family law practitioners will be aware of O’Neill v O’Neill [1975] 3 All ER 289. This involved a wife’s petition for divorce, which was based on her husband’s unreasonable behaviour in embarking on an extensive two-year programme of renovation of the matrimonial home in order to cure dampness under the floorboards. As part of this work, the toilet door was removed for a period of eight months, causing great embarrassment to the wife and

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Slater Heelis—Helen Marsh

Slater Heelis—Helen Marsh

Commercial property team expands in Manchester with partner appointment

mfg Solicitors—Tracy Ashby

mfg Solicitors—Tracy Ashby

Birmingham partner returns to private client practice

No5 Barristers’ Chambers—Ian Tullett, Daniel Griffiths & Marc Forrest-Thomas

No5 Barristers’ Chambers—Ian Tullett, Daniel Griffiths & Marc Forrest-Thomas

Set introduces C-suite leadership team to support continued growth

NEWS
SRM Recruitment has been announced as the headline sponsor of the Law Society RFC Festival of Sport 2026, which will take place on 20 September at Richmond Athletic Association. The specialist legal search firm joins the event as organisers prepare to welcome more than 110 teams across five sports, including rugby sevens, netball and five-a-side football
The civil justice landscape could be heading for a shake-up, with reform of the Solicitors Act 1974 gathering pace
Global mobility is transforming family law, creating new challenges around jurisdiction, assets and child arrangements
Employers are being urged to prepare now for far-reaching employment law changes taking effect in January 2027
As family structures evolve, the law may face difficult questions about inheritance rights for those in polyamorous relationships
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