News in Brief

SALLY CLARK

Sally Clark’s defence team has asked us to make the following points in relation to Peter Gooderham’s article, “Five years on” (see NLJ, 25 January 2008, pp 127–28). “Professor Meadow did not simply quote statistics from a government publication; rather, whether by negligence or ignorance, he misquoted; the finding of serious professional misconduct was not rejected by the High Court; rather the court felt the sanction of being struck off was too severe. It is not the point whether or not the defence knew that Dr Alan Williams had conducted tests; rather the point is that the doctor had not disclosed positive findings. To criticise that the professionally balanced GMC panel did not include a paediatrician is a bit rich when the jury that convicted the mother of murder is unlikely to have a specialist qualification between them.”

PRISON PARTY

Members of the Sentencing Commission Working Group, set up in the wake of Lord Carter’s proposals for prison and sentencing reform, were named last week. Led by Lord Justice Gage, the group includes Mr Justice Pitchford, chair of the criminal committee of the Judicial Studies Board; Guy Beringer QC, a senior partner at Allen & Overy; and Christopher Murray, senior partner at Kingsley Napley.

DOUBLE HOMECOMING

Sir Robin Auld, who recently retired from full-time sitting as a lord justice of appeal, and Christopher Gardner QC, who is chief justice of the Falkland Islands and , have returned to Lamb Chambers to act as arbitrators/mediators.

HUMAN RIGHTS MYTHS

The first annual report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights has criticised the government for allowing “a catalogue of myths” to build up in relation to the Human Rights Act 1998. The report says that government ministers are responsible for “misleading the public” by blaming judicial decisions which went against them on the Act.