header-logo header-logo

Jury out on Terror Bill

17 April 2008 / Cathryn Mcgahey
Issue: 7317 / Categories: Features , Public , Human rights , Constitutional law
printer mail-detail

Will proposals regarding inquests in the Counter-Terrorism Bill breach human rights laws? Cathryn McGahey and Bilal Rawat investigate

In April 2005, just 11 weeks before the death of Jean Charles de Menezes, 24-year-old Londoner Azelle Rodney was shot and killed by an armed police officer. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) subsequently referred the matter to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). In July 2006, the CPS announced that no police officers would face prosecution in relation to the death of Rodney.

Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (the Conventioni) imposes an obligation on the state to conduct an effective investigation into a death caused by one of its agents. To comply with Art 2, any investigation must be independent and effective, must contain a sufficient element of public scrutiny to allow accountability and must allow the next-of-kin to participate to the extent necessary to safeguard his or her interests. A coroner's inquest is one forum in which the state may discharge its investigatory obligation under Art 2.

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

WSP Solicitors—Amie Williamson

WSP Solicitors—Amie Williamson

Gloucestershire firm boosts residential conveyancing team

mfg Solicitors—Andrew Johnson

mfg Solicitors—Andrew Johnson

Firm strengthens corporate team in Worcester with new hire

London Market FOIL—Ling Ong

London Market FOIL—Ling Ong

Weightmans partner appointed president of London Market Forum of Insurance Lawyers

NEWS
From gender-critical speech to notice periods and incapability dismissals, employment law continues to turn on fine distinctions. In his latest employment law brief for NLJ, Ian Smith of Norwich Law School reviews a cluster of recent decisions, led by Bailey v Stonewall, where the Court of Appeal clarified the limits of third-party liability under the Equality Act
Non-molestation orders are meant to be the frontline defence against domestic abuse, yet their enforcement often falls short. Writing in NLJ this week, Jeni Kavanagh, Jessica Mortimer and Oliver Kavanagh analyse why the criminalisation of breach has failed to deliver consistent protection
Assisted dying remains one of the most fraught fault lines in English law, where compassion and criminal liability sit uncomfortably close. Writing in NLJ this week, Julie Gowland and Barny Croft of Birketts examine how acts motivated by care—booking travel, completing paperwork, or offering emotional support—can still fall within the wide reach of the Suicide Act 1961
The long-awaited Getty Images v Stability AI judgment arrived at the end of last year—but not with the seismic impact many expected. In this week's issue of NLJ, experts from Arnold & Porter dissect a ruling that is ‘historic’ yet tightly confined
The UK Supreme Court may be deciding fewer cases, but its impact in 2025 was anything but muted. In this week's NLJ, Professor Emeritus Brice Dickson of Queen’s University Belfast reviews a year marked by historically low output, a striking rise in jointly authored judgments, and a continued decline in dissent. High-profile rulings on biological sex under the Equality Act, public access to Dartmoor, and fairness in sexual offence trials ensured the court’s voice carried far beyond the Strand
back-to-top-scroll