McDonald v United Kingdom (App. No. 4241/12)

Human rights – Privacy. The applicant, who lived in the United Kingdom, had severely limited mobility. She had complained to the European Court of Human Rights (the ECHR), alleging that, following the reduction by a local authority of the amount allocated for her weekly care, there had been a violation of her right to respect for private and family life contrary to art 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The ECHR upheld the applicant's complaint in respect of the period between 21 November 2008 and 4 November 2009 because the interference with her rights during that period had not been in accordance with domestic law. However, the complaint concerning the period after 4 November 2009 was inadmissible on the ground that the interference with the applicant's rights during that latter period had been 'necessary in a democratic society', pursuant to art 8(2) of the Convention.