Starmer confirms teen rape case sent to Court of Appeal after public outcry Legal The Attorney General has sent a rape case, which saw two teenage boys spared jail, to the Court of Appeal following a political backlash over the weekend against the judge’s ruling. Two teenage boys raped two girls in separate attacks in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, in 2024 and 2025. The third boy, who aided and abetted the [...]
David Lammy rejects higher pay rise for judges amid recruitment crisis Legal David Lammy turned down an independent recommendation for a higher judicial pay increase, instead approving a 3.5 per cent rise amid government efforts to tackle recruitment challenges for senior judges. The Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) report, published last week, recommended a 3.8 per cent pay increase across the judiciary, estimated to cost taxpayers around [...]
How can we trust the justice system when AI is hallucinating evidence? Opinion AI-hallucinated evidence in court has become a structural issue that needs a procedural response, writes Nicholas Blomfield.
Lawyers for alleged Prince Andrew trafficking victim now in contact with Police May 22, 2026 The Police confirmed that they are “engaging” with the lawyers of a woman who claims she was trafficked for sex at Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s address in Windsor. In its first update on Friday, Thames Valley Police emphasised that if she wishes to report her allegations, they will be “taken seriously and handled with care, sensitivity and [...]
Shakira’s taxes don’t lie as singer wins £48m tax row May 18, 2026 A Spanish court has ordered the country’s tax authority to repay Colombian singer Shakira £48m after ruling that it had improperly collected the money in a dispute over her tax payments. In a statement published today, Madrid’s National Court said it has upheld Shakira’s appeal against the fine she was hit with five years ago, after [...]
Jury trial controversy looms over Starmer after King’s Speech points to reform May 13, 2026 Controversial government plans to trim back the use of jury trials were included in the King’s Speech on Wednesday, as an embattled Keir Starmer persevered with an long-trailed overhaul of the UK’s criminal justice system. The Courts Modernisation Bill could become the latest issue over which Downing Street and the parliamentary Labour Party clash at [...]
Norwegian billionaire forced back to London in £285m Deutsche Bank dispute May 12, 2026 Norwegian billionaire Alexander Vik has been ordered to return to the City to be interrogated about his hidden assets during a 13-year-long legal dispute with Deutsche Bank. The bank first sued the business mogul’s company, Sebastian Holdings, in 2009 after the company suffered a series of losses on foreign exchange and equities trade deals during [...]
Divorce costs hit finances beyond lawyer fees, says Octopus legal group May 6, 2026 Divorce costs are financially draining for separating couples in the UK beyond just legal fees, according to a new report from Octopus-owned legal service, Amicable. The report, which surveyed 2,000 UK adults who have either divorced, separated, or dissolved a civil partnership over the last 10 years, found that almost 40 per cent said their [...]
Lloyds shares slump amid questions over motor finance legal battle April 2, 2026 Lloyds shares slumped this morning even as the banking giant declared it would not have to top up its provisions following the confirmation of a motor finance redress scheme. The group – which owns the UK’s largest car finance lender Black Horse – said it had “undertaken an assessment of the implications and impact” of [...]
Courtrooms in the cloud: How Opus 2 quietly changed the game February 26, 2026 AI is making its mark on the legal profession, an industry renowned for its cautious approach to change. Yet, behind the scenes, innovative technologies have been quietly transforming courtrooms for years. If you ever sat behind the row of barristers and the lawyers that instructed them in a courtroom at the High Court, you may [...]