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01 February 2007 / B Mahendra
Issue: 7258 / Categories: Features , Employment , Mental health
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Doc Brief

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INJUSTICE AND MENTAL DISORDER >>
DEFICIENT DOCTORS >>
HIGH-RISK PATIENTS >>
CARE WORKERS’ RIGHTS >>

DIMINISHED CREDIBILITY

It is undeniable that where mental disorder is concerned there is always significant scope for abuse and, therefore in criminal proceedings, injustice. Psychiatric disorder is still diagnosed on largely subjective grounds, mostly on what a patient tells, or keeps from, a doctor.
The matter is of some importance in cases of homicide where mental disorder may form the basis for the partial defence of diminished
responsibility which, if successful, reduces murder to manslaughter. R v Latus [2006] EWCA Crim 3187, [2006] All ER (D) 280 (Dec)
offered the opportunity to explore the vexed issue of second thoughts in defence pleas.

The appellant had been convicted of murder in 2003. The victim had been a friend of the appellant who suffered from mental illness, apparently drug-induced psychosis. The victim had been killed, his head severed from the body and the body then transported elsewhere by car. The appellant had also been convicted of other serious criminal offences including manslaughter,

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

NEWS
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NLJ this week: Tightening the screws on JCT terminations
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
NLJ this week: Old rules, fresh warnings in employment law
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
NLJ this week: The rise of the ‘ChatGPT client’ rattles the profession
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
NLJ this week: Surrogacy children caught in succession gap
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
NLJ this week: Online safety law at a crossroads
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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