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No position to judge

Criminal trials have been big news in the last few weeks; allegations of murder or attempted murder have been tried in that most vexed area of human tragedy, the participation in the death of a loved one in extreme circumstances: mothers and children at their wits end and wishing life's end. How on earth can we judge? The other fraught area of homicide is the killing of an abusive partner – the years of violence and terror that culminate in a moment of anguished violence: was it self-defence or provocation, or plain old murder? And then, on top of that, we have the dreadful Doncaster case where the dark pit of human kind has been reopened and we just hang our heads in shame and disbelief.

Grieve calls for new methods of funding legal aid and criticises LSC

Dominic Grieve QC, shadow justice secretary, has championed alternative methods of funding legal aid, while saying that the LSC was “not fit for purpose”.

Council liable as woman drives off road into tree

West Sussex Council County was liable for a woman's injuries after she drove into a tree, even though she admitted driving too fast on an icy road. The Court of Appeal ruled that the council had failed to maintain the grass verge properly.

Cross-wearing worker loses discrimination appeal

A British Airways check-in assistant who claimed she was discriminated over the wearing of a small crucifix, has lost her case in the Court of Appeal.

Court of Appeal calls for review of oral evidence from children

The Court of Appeal has called for a review of the rules on the giving of oral evidence by children in family cases.

Lifers transferred to mental hospitals can claim benefits

Convicted criminals jailed for life, who are later transferred to mental hospitals, can claim benefits once their tariff has ended, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

Tories back French system of funding legal aid

Dominic Grieve QC, shadow justice secretary, is considering a French system of funding legal aid under which all client funds are held in a single, national account contributing to the financing of publicly-funded cases.

Older and wiser

Would-be mothers should be assessed for IVF treatment individually and according to merit – not age, argues Seamus Burns