Northern Ireland

A man who killed his dad’s partner on Christmas Day 2017 has been sentenced to a minimum period of 17 years before he can be considered for release by the Parole Commissioners. The man had “planned to trap and torture her”, and had purchased handcuffs, duct tape, masks, and two mac

Lawyers for the family of a Bloody Sunday victim have contacted the Attorney General for Northern Ireland to complain about comments made by Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson. Mr Williamson, speaking after prosecutors announced that one former British soldier would face trial in connection with Blo

The Council of Europe has reiterated its "serious concerns" about the delays in establishing the Historical Investigations Unit and other legacy institutions dealing with deaths during the Troubles. The Council's Committee of Ministers examined the issue during its latest regular review of the imple

Northern Ireland prosecutors have announced that one former British soldier is to be charged with two murders and four attempted murders on Bloody Sunday in 1972. Lawyers for the families of those killed and wounded on Bloody Sunday have welcomed the prosecution, but voiced their disappointment that

Criminology lecturer Michael Davidson has been appointed as a Trustee of the Royal Ulster Constabulary George Cross Foundation. Mr Davidson joined the criminology team at Ulster University in 2016, and his research and teaching interests are in the areas of law enforcement, terrorism and political v

Young barristers addressed A-level students in Belfast this month on the challenges they've faced while training and working as barristers. Five members of the Young Bar Association (YBA) took part in a panel discussion at the 28th Annual Inter-Schools Sixth Form Law Conference hosted by Methodist C

Belfast solicitor Laura Banks, who acted for Siobhan McLaughlin in her UK Supreme Court challenge to the rules governing the payment of a Widowed Parent’s Allowance, recently addressed members of UK charity Widowed and Young (WAY). Ms Banks, of Francis Hanna & Co. Solicitors, and Ms McLaug

The UK Government has announced that temporary import tariffs to be imposed in the event of a no-deal Brexit will not apply to goods crossing from Ireland into Northern Ireland. The details of the tariff regime were published today ahead of a vote in the House of Commons on whether or not to rule ou

A man who pleaded guilty shortly before trial to offences of attempted murder, criminal damage, and resisting police, has had his sentence for attempted murder increased after the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal agreed with the Director of Public Prosecutions that the initial sentence was unduly le

Two of the most prominent women judges in Ireland and Britain addressed a sold-out Belfast event to mark International Women's Day 2019 last week. Lady Arden of the UK Supreme Court and Ms Justice Finlay Geoghegan of the Supreme Court of Ireland addressed judges, barristers, solicitors and academics

Representatives of the Law Society of Northern Ireland travelled to Edinburgh for the Law Society of Scotland's annual dinner.

A key UN committee has again urged the UK Government to decriminalise abortion in Northern Ireland in order to satisfy the UK's international human rights obligations. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women yesterday published its concluding observations on the UK's eigh

A dissident republican who was caught planting a bomb under a police officer’s car in 2015 has been sentenced to 25 years for the attempted murder of two police officers, together with a concurrent sentence of 20 years for possession of explosives with intent to endanger life. Sitting in Belfa

Any law brought in to protect British security forces from prosecution for crimes committed during the Troubles would be too late for the Bloody Sunday soldiers, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has said. The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) is due to announce this Thursday whether it will prosecu

Belfast firm MSM Law has announced the appointment of James Lannon as a solicitor in the firm's criminal department.