Secret courts would be a licence to cover up | David Davis

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By on May 16th, 2012

The British government’s argument for secret courts is flawed in both moral and practical terms – and should be resisted When American authorities revealed last week that a British agent was central to uncovering the latest Islamist suicide bomb plot, there was uproar. Quite reasonably, a great deal of concern was expressed over the risk posed to the agent, and to similar operations that might be run

Miscarriages of justice may be out of fashion, but they haven’t gone away | Jon Robins

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By on May 16th, 2012

Breakthroughs in cases such as Susan May and Sam Hallam are rare but what to do about alleged wrong convictions is the subject of much debate Another breakthrough in the Susan May case last week, one of a small number of alleged wrongful convictions that seemingly unravel and attract greater disquiet as the years pass. Last week the Guardian revealed how Greater Manchester police failed to follow up a “good

Owners of dangerous dogs face stiffer sentences

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By on May 15th, 2012

Sentencing Council issues new guidelines including longer prison terms and broader definition of ‘vulnerable’ victims More owners of dangerous dogs will be imprisoned, under guidelines issued to judges and magistrates by the Sentencing Council. The decision to impose harsher punishments follows a spate of high-profile attacks by dogs. Animal welfare organisations were among the groups who contributed t

Heggie: Dead Man Walking – review

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By on May 10th, 2012

DiDonato/von Stade/Cutlip/Houston Grand Opera/Summers(Virgin Classics, 2CDs) First performed in San Francisco in 2000, Jake Heggie‘s Dead Man Walking ranks among the most significant American operas of recent years. Like Tim Robbins‘ film of the same name, it dramatises the account by Sister Helen Prejean – a leading US advocate for the abolition of the death penalty – of her work as spir

Solitary confinement is no place for a poet

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By on May 10th, 2012

The poet Talha Ahsan is awaiting extradition to the US, where he faces a life in detention virtually deprived of human contact As you will know, I am not in any way a fan of arguments which claim that artists are more sensitive than others, or indeed liable to be more insane than others. I do agree – and find it reasonable to assert – that any profession, or longterm activity, can leave its mark on the practit

Queen’s speech will hold little hope for squeezed Britain

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By on May 9th, 2012

Government under pressure to explain how it is going to create growth in the economy during a double-dip recession With the UK having entered a double-dip recession, there is now enormous pressure on the government to use the Queen’s speech to explain how it is going to create growth in the economy and jobs. But there are signs that the key bills aimed at helping the economy – a wide-ranging enterprise bil

The murder of Hilda Marchbank: clues that could clear niece Susan May

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By on May 8th, 2012

Police failed to follow up evidence linking a red car seen at the crime scene to a heroin addict who burgled old people’s houses It is almost seven years since Susan May walked out of Askham Grange prison in North Yorkshire after serving 12 years for a murder she insists she did not commit. Despite all those years of incarceration, there was a part of her that wasn’t ready to walk free. “I came o

Jeremy Bamber lawyers challenge refusal of appeal

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By on May 8th, 2012

Criminal Cases Review Commission acted ‘unlawfully and overstepped its powers’ say lawyers for the convicted murderer Lawyers acting for the convicted murderer Jeremy Bamber have issued a legal challenge to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) following its decision not to refer his case back to the court of appeal. They say the commission has acted “unlawfully, overstepped its powers and

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