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Contempt of court – Witness – Failure to attend trial diet. High Court of Justiciary: Passing a bill of suspension brought by a complainer who was the victim of an assault and was cited as a witness to give evidence at the trial of his alleged assailant but who failed to attend the trial diet and was found to have been in contempt of court, the court concluded that in the particular circumstances of the case—namely that the night before the court diet the complainer's eight‑year‑old son had had an accident requiring surgery for a broken shoulder bone—the high test for contempt had not been met, and it quashed the finding of contempt.
Contempt of court – Witness – Failure to attend trial diet. High Court of Justiciary: Passing a bill of suspension brought by a complainer who was the victim of an assault and was cited as a witness to give evidence at the trial of his alleged assailant but who failed to attend the trial diet and was found to have been in contempt of court, the court concluded that in the particular circumstances of the case—namely that the night before the court diet the complainer's eight‑year‑old son had had an accident requiring surgery for a broken shoulder bone—the high test for contempt had not been met, and it quashed the finding of contempt.
The age of criminal responsibility, extreme weather and conflict resolution – plus, new protocol for reporting bullying at the Bar
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
Unlocking your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step. By Philip N Bristow
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, discusses the upcoming changes to pensions and Inheritance Tax and the potential impact on your financial future
Save the Children UK is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
Barrister apprenticeships – shortly to provide the fourth pathway to the Bar – are an ideal opportunity to support local talent and ‘grow your own’, say Tim Coulson and Dr Jane Dennehy
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law – coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts
Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC MP discusses her decade as a trade union and employment law barrister, the demands of life as a Law Officer and the number one priority shaping her work. Interview by Anthony Inglese CB
A decade of reviews and research has disrupted accepted thinking in the search for causality. Suicides following abuse have overtaken domestic homicides. Is the law keeping up? Professor Susan Edwards KC (Hon) examines recent cases and the obstacles to successful prosecution
At least not that way, says Richard Paige
