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Dr Bashir Qureshi. Expert Witness in Cultural, Religious & Ethnic issues in Litigation and also in GP Clinical Negligence, London.
Expert Witness Blog
Expert witnesses in all spheres give evidence at Grenfell Inquiry
June saw the beginning of a series of hearings at the Grenfell Tower Inquiry involving expert witness presentations. The list of expert witnesses appointed by Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s inquiry is long and features academics and practising engineers in a number of engineering disciplines, architectural experts, fire officers and, chillingly, an expert in human identification, among others.
Grenfell has already led to the conclusion of one inquiry: the Review of Building Regulations by Dame Judith Hackitt. The conclusions of that review were quickly endorsed by LABC, the body representing local authority building controllers.
MORE:
- Psychological legacy of scarring must be considered in damages
- Queen's Speech and Brexit negotiations set to cause headaches for experts
- It’s a busy time for the CQC
- Appointment aims to preserve a tradition of justice for all
- Was Queen’s Speech legislation distracted by referendum?
- Are increased prosecutions a deterrent to fraud?
- No let-up in 'special measures' recommendations for NHS trusts
- Were conciliatory tones just for the occasion - or are we still gearing up for a fight over human rights?
Expert Witness News
Fatal Accident Act 1976, A Petition to Change the Law
When a loved one is unlawfully killed in England and Wales due to an accident on the road or at work the law is unjust and outdated. One example is if a parent loses a child, the usual award will be a pitiful bereavement award and the return of ‘reasonable’ funeral expenses. The usual compensation award for a loss of a child is about £15,000. The old adage that ‘it is cheaper to kill’ is true here. The value of life, a child, is worthless. There are many other examples of the law getting in the way of justice. Motor vehicle insurance companies are happy for this unjust law to remain. We are not, the law needs to be modernised and updated as a matter of urgency. Scotland has a different laws ...
MORE:
- What does the future hold for the Paralegal sector
- CPR amendment: new requirements of what expert witnesses must include in reports
- Commercial litigation funding solution launched
- Conference unites health and legal sectors to improve quality of life for the seriously injured
- Bush & Company launches annual conference with extraordinary theme
- Solicitors organise catastrophic injury conference
- Maxine to undergo freezing nights to help Burning Nights in epic charity trek!
- Could driverless cars pose challenges for investigators as well as insurers?
Expert Witness Legal News
Civil Partnerships v Marriage – What’s the Difference?
Following this morning’s announcement at The Supreme Court that heterosexual couples can enter into a civil partnership, Shona Young, Family Law Solicitor at Gilson Gray (pictured), explains why people may choose this instead of marriage.
The Supreme Court this morning has ruled that heterosexual couples can enter into a civil partnership, finding that the Civil Partnership Act 2004 is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.
With married couples being seen by many in the gay rights lobby to enjoy a higher status than those in a civil partnership, many are asking: Why would a couple who can be legally married want to instead enter into a civil partnership?
MORE:
- Lawyers council caution in discount rate reforms
- New 'DIY' divorce petition may lead to more adultery accusations – and a slower divorce process
- Investigation into rogue drug testing continues
- Drug driving convictions challenged after lab arrests
- Pimlico Plumbers v Smith Appeal Judgment will help workers in the gig economy says EHRC
- Report into bulk powers welcomed by government
- Landmark asbestosis ruling is good news for sufferers
- Lawyers lose out on £4bn of business from SME’s every year
Expert Witness : Environment
Keeping compliant across the UK: Some differences in environmental legislation
In comparison with many other parts of the world, the UK has a commendable record of protecting the environment from damage and for working constructively with engineers and contractors to mitigate the effects of necessary operations, writes Simon Knott (pictured), managing director of environmental consultancy Naturally Compliant.
The relevant legislation is by its nature complex, and busy construction professionals engaged in engineering activities need to be up to speed with what they can and cannot do while remaining compliant with the regulations.
MORE:
- Environmental professionals warn over future outlook
- Campaigners to challenge environmental costs cap removal
- Guidance on flood risk updated
- Get process plant design right from the start, urges Axion Consulting
- Impact Assessments provide a clearer picture
- Perfect Storm for Air Monitors
- SuDS seminar follows opening of consultation
- Climate meeting generates optimism for a final agreement
Expert Witness : Criminal
Jail terms for dodgy meds sellers
Two prosecutions in as many days have seen jail terms imposed for the selling of unlicensed medicines.
On 8 September a man from Southall was jailed at Isleworth Crown Court on eight counts of possession and supply of significant quantities of unauthorised and unlicensed medication.
Investigators from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) raided a property belonging to Gurinder Bharaj in Ealing, where more than 100,000 individual doses of unlicensed erectile dysfunction medicines worth more than £30,000 were uncovered and seized. A smaller quantity of prescription medication was also seized.
Following an initial hearing Mr Bharaj pleaded guilty to all charges and was se...
MORE:
- Hillsborough disaster researcher to speak at national criminology conference
- The stakes are too high to simply plod on, legal expert warns as UK mortgage fraud increases by 50%
- Audit office reveals HMRC fraud estimates
- Accurate statistics needed to fight fraud, says panel
- Rioting sentences 'excessive and arbitrary', study claims
- Crime survey shows another fall, while reported crime remains steady
- Criminal courts head for a digital revolution
- Criminal advocacy report prompts swift responses and measured reflection
Expert Witness : Medico Legal
Williams Review: Hunt accepts recommendations
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has accepted the findings of Professor Sir Norman Williams’s review of the use of manslaughter gross negligence charges against doctors. The review was commissioned by Mr Hunt in February, prompted by the conviction of Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba following the death in 2011 of a six-year-old boy in Leicester.
The conviction caused an international furore, with the president of the Australian Medical Association in New South Wales commenting: “How on earth was the doctor convicted of manslaughter? We don’t understand it.”
MORE:
- Mixed response to prescribing errors initiative
- Fixed fee proposals welcomed – with reservations
- One year on, MedCo is dealing with start-up glitches
- Cost of private practice claims rockets
- What is a pain medicine specialist?
- When ‘never’ in the NHS really means 1,000 times
- Latest report into perinatal maternal deaths welcomed by professions
- South American implants manufacturer has CE Mark suspended
Expert Witness : Technology
Guidance published on buying CCTV
The Surveillance Camera Commissioner has published a Buyer’s Toolkit, to provide guidance for the non-expert who is thinking about buying a surveillance camera system and wants to maximise their chance of success – and minimise risk – by observing the principles of good practice.
The primary target audience is SMEs (up to 250 staff) and micro-businesses (up to nine staff). However, the five-stage approach in the document is guidance which would be valuable for any organisation considering the use of surveillance cameras.
MORE:
- Smart phones becoming more common in evidence gathering
- CybSafe to place cyber security training at the heart of Law Society’s services for its members
- Consultant warned of ransomware attack
- CCTV: national strategy launched
- The Law Society of Scotland honoured at new Cyber Awards
- Updated aid to CCTV testing published
- Care home CCTV petition reaches landmark
- Expert analysis can help uncover the truth
Expert Witness : Building and Property
Court case highlights spec change dangers
A recent Northern Ireland High Court case has highlighted challenges that can be faced when a specification is changed.
The court heard how new-build apartments in Newtonards, Northern Ireland, had been specified with a BBA-approved full tanking solution with an insurance-backed warranty. However, a quantity surveying error costed less than a quarter of the required product, leading to a specification switch to a cheaper, partially tanked solution.
MORE:
- Leading property lawyer comments on Dreamvar ruling
- Changes in housing law on the way in wake of Grenfell tragedy
- Conveyancers in firing line over ground rents
- Rights of way and restrictive convenants two of the top issues for developers
- CIC provides updated guidance on adjudication
- Homebuyers take risks by foregoing surveys, says insurer
- Royal Borough welcomes outcome of Enderby Wharf Judicial Review
- Construction firms fined millions for health and safety offences since February 2016
Expert Witness : Animal & Farming
Slaughterhouse CCTV proposals to extend to Scotland
With consultation on CCTV in slaughterhouses closing on 22 September, the Scottish Government has announced plans to introduce a similar consultation as part of its Government Programme for Scotland 2017/18.
The decision has been widely welcomed by the veterinary profession and follows campaigning to include the measure in Scotland alongside the model for England announced by Michael Gove in August.
Melissa Donald, president of the Scottish branch of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), said: “We’re delighted that the Scottish Government is looking seriously at introducing mandatory CCTV in abattoirs.
Although a high percentage of abattoirs in Scotland already have CCTV, there are no rules...
MORE:
- Scotland set to reintroduce selective ‘tail-docking’
- Changes to dog legislation affect owners
- BASC works with Law Commission to improve firearms law
- Food fraud – the crime in our shopping baskets
- Expert views sought on bovine TB measures
- Consultation launched on pig meat inspection
- Management of deer populations exercises Scottish Parliamentary committee
- Study will develop ‘spotter’ system for meat inspections
Parliament, Legislation And Public Sector
Home Office GDPR exemption risks new Windrush, says Law Society
The Law Society of England and Wales has criticised the decision to exempt the Home Office from data access rules in the new Data Protection Act, which implements the widely-publicised GDPR. The move will inevitably lead to miscarriages of justice, the society has warned.
Law Society president Joe Egan said the immigration exemption in the legislation stripped accountability from Home Office decision making.
MORE:
- Psychoactive Substances Act: one year on
- Parliamentarians form ADR group
- Appeal court overturns animal legacy ruling
- Chancellor's standstill on inheritance tax good news for charities
- New Code of Ethics goes before Parliament
- Committee reports on Scottish reform Bill
- MPs take MoJ to task over contracting out
- Audit office offers two cheers to MoJ on language contract
