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A man has been jailed for seven months for repeatedly ignoring court orders to help return three abducted children to their mother. The man was the uncle, or possibly the elder half-brother, of three children who had been unlawfully retained by their father in Nigeria in 2013. The mother began legal proceedings and the uncle
Charities say they could lose out on millions of pounds a year because of a huge rise in probate fees announced by the government. Probate is the process by which a person’s will is administered after their death. Currently there is a flat fee of £215, or £155 if a solicitor is involved. That is
The Court of Appeal has ruled that a judge was wrong to order that three children abducted by their father should not be returned to their mother. The children were aged 12, 11 and 8. Since 2010, they had lived in Spain with their British parents and attended Spanish schools. In May 2017, the parents’
People setting up Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) to protect their interest in case they lose mental capacity in the future should be given as much scope as possible to outline their wishes. However, an instruction that their attorney – the person they appoint to look after interests – should help them in an assisted
London Underground has succeeded in legal action to prevent a contract dispute with three major suppliers delaying the delivery of new trains. The issue arose when the company conducted a procurement exercise for the manufacture and supply of 94 new trains and equipment for the Piccadilly Line, with options for the supply of additional trains
Two landlords have won a long-running dispute with their local authority over renting homes in multiple occupation (HMOs) to students. The issue arose after the authority imposed conditions on the HMO licences prohibiting the use of attic bedrooms for sleeping because the roof slope meant they were smaller than what it considered acceptable for a
A bodybuilder who appeared on the television show Gladiators as ‘Warrior’ infringed a company’s trademark when he used that stage name to sell nutritional supplements. The company that took legal action over the infringement, KBF Enterprises Ltd, manufactured sports nutrition products and supplements. From November 2010, it had used several registered marks including the word
An employee with a blood phobia was not subjected to disability discrimination when he was required to escort patients to and from hospital wards. Andrew Brangwyn was an occupational therapy technician with South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust. He had a phobia about blood, injections and needles. In January 2011, he was informed that he had
The number of businesses becoming insolvent rose by nearly 20% in the year to September. The retail sector was among the worst affected with nearly 400 outlets, including high profile casualties like House of Fraser, having to cease trading over the summer. It’s thought high business rates, uncertainty over Brexit and tensions over international trade
The High Court has ruled that the owner of a property was liable for council tax after the tenant renting it fled suddenly. At the end of 2016, there was a fire at the premises and it was discovered that it had been used for producing large quantities of cannabis. The tenant disappeared, having not