Criminal Injuries

Prank on friend ends with manslaughter conviction

Prank on friend ends with manslaughter conviction

A man who claims he was carrying out a practical joke on his friend while they were out drinking at a bar has been found guilty of his manslaughter, after... Read more

Speed cameras reduce number of serious injuries

New research by the RAC suggests that there are less road traffic accidents resulting in fatal or serious injuries on the roads that have speed cameras. Using data from 9 areas... Read more

NI crash driver was under influence of drink and drugs

A Northern Ireland motorist who died in a road crash that also claimed the life of one of his passengers was over the legal alcohol limit, and was under the... Read more

Twitter boast by hit and run driver alerts police

Police are investigated a claim that a woman knocked a cyclist off his bicycle on the strength of a bizarre tweet the driver herself made after the accident. The tweet, by... Read more

17 year old detainees to be treated as children

The High Court has ruled that the current policy of treating 17-year-olds in police custody is contrary to human rights law, and that they should be treated as children. Currently, any... Read more

Jail for drink-driver who left fiancee to die

Merthyr Crown Court has sentenced Ceiron Cook, aged 36, to four years in prison after he crashed his car while under the influence of drink and drugs, and fled the... Read more

Six months jail for mother who glassed woman

Julie Apsley of Newtownards in Northern Ireland, a 28 year old mother of five children, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, of which she will service at least... Read more

NI car crime victims sued by police

It has been reported by the BBC that some victims of car theft in Northern Ireland are being sued by police officers who were injured during the retrieval of the... Read more

False allegations of domestic violence are rare

A new report by the Crown Prosecution Service is hoped to dispel some of the myths around how many false allegations of rape and domestic violence are made each year. The... Read more

PPS under scrutiny after costly failed legal cases

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) is being called upon to improve how they assess the strength of evidence in any case before ordering action, after it was revealed that a... Read more

Compensation for Olympic torchbearer

The woman who was carrying the Olympic torch when a youth emerged from the crowd and tried to grab it is to receive £100 compensation, with an officer injured in... Read more

Serious violent crimes increasing, PSNI data shows

Solicitors in Northern Ireland may find themselves dealing with a lot of criminal injury cases following revelations that violent offences in the province are increasing markedly.New data from the Police... Read more

Boy left injured in 'horrific' attack

A schoolboy in Northern Ireland may require the services of a solicitor to lodge a criminal injury claim after he was left hospitalised following a brutal attack by a group... Read more

Man left injured after attack from masked gang

A Northern Ireland man may seek out the services of a solicitor to pursue legal action after he was left nursing wounds following a beating he received from a masked... Read more

Attack on baby draws condemnation from politician

In news that may be of interest to solicitors in Northern Ireland dealing with criminal injury cases, a local politician has condemned an incident in which an eight-month-old baby was... Read more

Solicitors call for more court appearances for serious offenders

Solicitors claim that too many criminals are getting off lightly because the police are preoccupied with "targets".In a development that will interest those practising in Northern Ireland, the Magistrates' Association... Read more

Manslaughter bid for abused women 'necessary'

Plans that could see women tried for manslaughter rather than murder if they kill their abusive husbands during an attack have been welcomed as necessary. Lisa Smyth from the Belfast... Read more

Post-traumatic study due this month

The 'world's largest' study on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is due to be published this month, Legal & Medical magazine reports.Moving Minds, a psychological services provider, told the publication that... Read more

Public liability insurance 'should be legal requirement'

Companies should be forced to take out public liability insurance, according to the British Insurance Brokers' Association (Biba).Solicitors can represent their clients in mounting campaigns against a firm in case... Read more

'Serious' setback for injured firefighters

A High Court ruling on ill-health could have a serious effect on the pensions of retired firefighters, the general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has claimed.Matt Wrack told... Read more

HSE 'able to maintain construction safety standards'

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has the resources it needs in order to effectively regulate the construction industry, it has been claimed.Dave Mitchell, technical director of the Home Builders'... Read more

The right insurance policy can protect against neighbourly disputes

Householders should be looking out for insurance policies which offer legal protection against disputes with neighbours, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).Kelly Ostler-Coyle, ABI spokesperson, said that insurance... Read more

HSE 'not doing enough to shame health and safety offenders'

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is failing to do enough to name and shame those failing to protect their employees, according to the Centre for Corporate Accountability (CCA).In 2007,... Read more

'Jumbo jet's worth of people killed at work every fortnight'

Enough people die at work to fill a jumbo jet every two weeks, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).This is due to a failure to... Read more

Domestic violence 'not being tackled'

Solicitors in Belfast and Northern Ireland are seeing no let-up in cases of domestic violence in the province and now the government has been criticised for failing to protect females.While... Read more

Racist attacks have risen

Solicitors in Northern Ireland are likely to have seen more criminal injury cases in which the victims are Polish after a spate of attacks in Killycomaine.Although many Polish immigrants have... Read more

Firefighter attacks drop

Solicitors in Belfast and Northern Ireland have seen the number of firefighters claiming damages for criminal injuries fall over the last year, after the number of attacks on fire crews... Read more

Motorbike victim turns to the Lords

After solicitors for a Belfast girl have failed to secure her compensation from Northern Ireland's court system, the teenager wants to appeal to the House of Lords for help.The girl,... Read more

Care workers injured in attack

Solicitors in Northern Ireland could become involved in more criminal injury cases involving young offenders if care workers do not deal with the problems in juvenile halls.According to the Belfast... Read more

Attacks on emergency crews soar

Solicitors who deal with criminal injuries in Belfast and Northern Ireland have seen more of their clients involved in cases where members of the emergency services have been harmed after... Read more

Silver car case continues

Solicitors in Northern Ireland have been hearing new medical evidence in the case where a woman claims that she was pursued by a man in a silver car, who deliberately... Read more

No compensation for bike victim

Solicitors in Northern Ireland have failed to win compensation from the Motor Insurers' Bureau for the victim of a hit-and-run accident in Belfast because of a legal loophole.An unnamed teenage... Read more

New driving laws to jail careless killers

New legislation is set to come into force in Northern Ireland, which orders that reckless drivers who kill or seriously injure others could face up to five years in prison.... Read more

Stockpile tragedy families unhappy with court outcome

A representative for families affected by the Stockpile tragedy said he was not satisfied with the fine that the firms responsible received for professional negligence.The 2004 explosion at Glasgow's Stockpile... Read more

Barrister wins damages against wife

Solicitors in Britain and Northern Ireland may see some strange cases, but one of the most unusual cases of a personal injury claim was seen in court when a newlywed... Read more

Compensation delay highlighted

A man who was blinded after being shot has been talking to the Belfast Telegraph about the delays that he and other victims in the province face when trying to... Read more

PSNI cleared of rave injury claim

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has been cleared of causing injuries to a 31-year-old partygoer after officers infiltrated an illegal rave.Paul Bradley was left with brain damage and... Read more

Former mayor fined for press punch

Desmond Stewart, a former DUP mayor of Coleraine, has been fined £300 after punching a Press Association photographer last October.Mr Stewart was told by Antrim Magistrates Court that he would... Read more

Prisoners claim £1 million of compensation

Over the past five years, prisoners in Northern Ireland have received over £1 million in compensation payouts, according to the BBC.Investigators found that £1,107,830 was paid out in compensation claims... Read more