header-logo header-logo

Reading between the lines

19 October 2012 / Roger Smith
Issue: 7534 / Categories: Opinion
printer mail-detail

Roger Smith peruses the legal stories hitting the headlines

Chris Grayling, the new Lord Chancellor, had the difficult task of restricting Boris Johnson’s front page coverage at the Conservative Party conference. He succeeded, falling back on a conference standard—householders’ rights against intruders.

Interviewed on BBC television, Grayling admitted that these cases were “relatively rare”. He was also a bit vague on how far his proposals would go in allowing the use of disproportionate force by a householder. In particular, he declined to comment on the application of his proposed law on cases like Munir Hussain. This was a little surprising since he got considerable publicity in December 2009 for bringing up the proposal in the context of that case. Hussain and his brother chased an intruder down the street and beat him with a cricket bat and a metal pole so severely that he had permanent brain damage and was found unfit to plead on the charge of burglary. They were given custodial sentences. Grayling’s instructions were clearly to repeat the mantra of “raising the

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

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
back-to-top-scroll