England and Wales Case Law

Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, R (On the Application Of) v Police Misconduct Panel

Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, R (On the Application Of) v Police Misconduct Panel [2025] EWHC 93 (Admin) (21 January 2025)

The High Court quashed a police misconduct panel’s sanction decision, holding that it wrongly treated personal mitigation and cultural context as reducing gross misconduct.

• Judicial review of disciplinary decisions
• Police misconduct
• Sanctions in police disciplinary proceedings
• Application of statutory guidance
• Mitigation and aggravation in misconduct
• Public law grounds for review

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LB, R (On the Application Of) v Independent Appeal Panel of Newport City Council

Judicial review of a school exclusion was granted where the panel failed to clearly find serious actual violence and misapplied managed move guidance.

• Judicial review of school exclusion
• Permanent exclusion procedures
• Equality act and disability
• Application of statutory guidance
• Proportionality in disciplinary decisions
• Judicial-review

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Castelli, R (On the Application Of) v London Borough of Merton

Castelli, R (On the Application Of) v London Borough of Merton [2013] EWHC 602 (Admin) (05 February 2013)

Judicial review of a council decision that four trees in Cannizaro Park were not a “high hedge” under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 was dismissed.

• Judicial review of local authority decision
• Interpretation of 'high hedge' under anti-social behaviour act 2003
• Application of statutory guidance
• Public amenity land and statutory complaints
• Judicial-review
• High-hedges

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Collins v Plymouth City Council

Collins v Plymouth City Council [2009] EWHC 3279 (Admin) (11 December 2009)

The High Court held that Plymouth City Council lawfully counted income from a personal injury award when charging for non-residential care, and dismissed the judicial review.

• Local authority charging for non-residential social services
• Means testing and personal injury damages
• Discretion in public law
• Application of statutory guidance
• Costs in judicial review
• Judicial-review

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Bassetlaw District Council, R (on the application of) v Workshop Magistrates Court

The High Court held that a district judge erred in a licensing appeal by ignoring guidance on criminal activity, failing to consider deterrence, and departing from guidance without reasons.

• Judicial review of licensing decisions
• Sale of alcohol to minors
• Application of statutory guidance
• Powers of licensing authority
• Appeal from licensing authority decision
• Judicial-review

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A, R (on the application of) v South Yorkshire Police & Anor

A, R (on the application of) v South Yorkshire Police & Anor [2007] EWHC 1261 (Admin) (09 May 2007)

The Divisional Court upheld decisions to charge six minors for criminal damage rather than issue final warnings, despite an admitted gravity-score error.

• Judicial review of prosecutorial discretion
• Youth offender diversion schemes
• Application of statutory guidance
• Public law challenge to charging decisions
• Judicial-review
• Prosecutorial-discretion

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