Unrepresented Vulnerable Defendants Mid‑Trial: Article 6 Fairness, Bain “Ready‑Reckoner” Duties, and the Limits of Intermediary Support 1. Introduction In Rodgers, R. v (Rev2) [2026] NICA 20 (Court...
Section 17A Coroners Act (NI) 1959: “Reasonableness” Balancing Must Be Determined at the Production Stage (Absent PII), Not Deferred to a Later Disclosure Exercise 1. Introduction This decision of...
Standing as a Jurisdictional Constraint in Planning Judicial Review: Courts May Revisit Standing Absent Cross‑Appeal and Refuse “Busybody” Representative Challenges Case Duff, Application for...
Article 2 Inquests: Thorough Scrutiny Without Merits Re-hearing; Bennett as Context Not a Separate Test 1. Introduction Nugent, Application for Judicial Review (Re a Decision by the Coroner) [2026]...
Case Stated Appeals in Northern Ireland: Article 61(3) Transmission Deadline Is Not Automatically Jurisdictional, But May Become Irremediable 1. Introduction Public Prosecution Service for Northern...
Out-of-Time Appeals in Care Order Litigation: Child Welfare, Finality, and Prior Merits Review 1. Introduction In Southern Health and Social Care Trust v J [2026] NICA 18, the Court of Appeal in...
Section 7 Land Registration Act (NI) 1970: Finality of High Court Appeals, Recitals vs Operative Orders, and Exceptional Rights of Audience 1. Introduction In McKeever v Key Property Management Ltd...
Maguire, R. v [2026] NICA 12 — Guilty Plea Discount Must Be Applied After the Section 15 Domestic Abuse Aggravator Uplift 1. Introduction The King v Barry Maguire concerned an appeal against sentence...
FOIA s.51 Information Notices: s.51(1)(a) Is Disjunctive from s.51(1)(b) and the Commissioner May Require Sight of Legally Privileged Material to Decide a s.50 Complaint 1. Introduction Police...
Right to Silence Preserved in Regulatory Proceedings: No Adverse Inference from an After‑Caution “No Comment” Interview 1. Introduction Belvoir Logistics Ltd & Anor v Driver and Vehicle Agency [2026]...
Custody as a Precondition to Accelerated Release Applications under the 1998 Act, and Quashing Unlawful Release Despite Delay 1. Introduction This Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland decision...
Consent-to-Prosecute as a Jurisdictional Precondition for Article 10 Public Order (NI) Offences; Section 33 Compliance Not Exclusive 1. Introduction Public Prosecution Service v Stitt [2026] NICA 9...
R v Rainey & Ors [2026] NICA 8 — “Safety” (not “Unease”) as the Appellate Test; Vigilante Group Murders as “Very Serious” (20-Year) Tariff Cases Court: Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland Date: 26...
GW v R [2026] NICA 6 — Sentencing Must Reflect a Narrow Interpretation of Specimen-Count Verdicts (and Credit Unexplained Delay) 1) Introduction GW v R is a Northern Ireland Court of Appeal...
Material Non-Disclosure of Custody Medical Evidence Undermining Confessions Renders Legacy Convictions Unsafe Case: The King v Patrick Lawrence O'Neill Neutral Citation: [2026] NICA 14 (Court of...
Extreme Section 18 Assaults on Infants: Sentences May Properly Exceed the R v Darren Fegan [2018] NICA 2 Range (with Reasons) and Totality Must Be Made Transparent Case: Fulton & Anor, R. v Neutral...
R v McBrearty [2026] NICA 4 — Sentencing Article 7 Sexual Assault: Proportionality, Flexibility Beyond Article 6 Benchmarks, and the Bar on “Sentencing for Left-on-the-Books” Counts 1. Introduction...
Unparticularised Allegations of Bias and Incoherent Appeal Grounds Cannot Sustain Recusal or Appellate Proceedings Case: Santander Consumer (UK) PLC v Young Citation: [2026] NICA 7 Court: Court of...
Short Sexual Offence Sentences: Mandatory Consideration and Explanation of Community Disposal (Watson Not a Rigid Rule) 1. Introduction Kasak, R. v ([2026] NICA 2 (Rev1)) is a sentence appeal in the...
Permissible Contradiction, Not Imperissible Impeachment: Section 3 of the Criminal Law Procedure Act 1865 Allows the Prosecution to Call Later Evidence Contradicting Its Own Witness Where the Purpose...