Francis FitzGibbon
@ffkc.bsky.social
King's Counsel, 23ES and Trinity Chambers (Newcastle), criminal advocate, once a classicist, occasional LRB contributor, mostly human.
I wrote this about why it's important not to do away with juries in criminal trials www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Francis FitzGibbon · Short Cuts: Why Juries Matter
In this country, trial by jury is constitutive of a fair, credible, legitimate system of criminal justice. It is what...
www.lrb.co.uk
September 3, 2025 at 4:43 PM
I wrote this about why it's important not to do away with juries in criminal trials www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Francis FitzGibbon
Magnificent by Jeremy Clarkson on how people who voted for Brexit and still think it was a good idea make his hair catch fire and teeth itch.
www.thetimes.com/article/5356...
www.thetimes.com/article/5356...
Jeremy Clarkson: Brexit makes me want to sit in a gutter and weep
Since we left the EU it’s been easier to get into Iraq than France. None of this has made our lives better in any way
www.thetimes.com
February 8, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Magnificent by Jeremy Clarkson on how people who voted for Brexit and still think it was a good idea make his hair catch fire and teeth itch.
www.thetimes.com/article/5356...
www.thetimes.com/article/5356...
Huge congratulations to @laurajanes.bsky.social on her appointment as KC - some recognition for a career devoted to securing the rights of the most marginalised and vulnerable.
February 3, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Huge congratulations to @laurajanes.bsky.social on her appointment as KC - some recognition for a career devoted to securing the rights of the most marginalised and vulnerable.
Reposted by Francis FitzGibbon
The Times knows this is bullshit. It knows what the cab rank is. It knows how it works. But The Times is dishonest. So it runs the story anyway.
January 16, 2025 at 9:53 PM
The Times knows this is bullshit. It knows what the cab rank is. It knows how it works. But The Times is dishonest. So it runs the story anyway.
Reposted by Francis FitzGibbon
Tesco, good, occasionally busy later. Sainsbury’s, moderate to good, rough in toilet roll aisle.
Asda, light to moderate, heavy crowds by evening.
M&S and Co-Op, fair.
Waitrose, fair to moderate.
Lidl, rough at first, easing later.
That’s the end of the Shopping Forecast
youtu.be/dFdas-kMF74?...
Asda, light to moderate, heavy crowds by evening.
M&S and Co-Op, fair.
Waitrose, fair to moderate.
Lidl, rough at first, easing later.
That’s the end of the Shopping Forecast
youtu.be/dFdas-kMF74?...
Classic BBC Radio Theme ~ Shipping Forecast (Sailing By)
YouTube video by Mark Holding
youtu.be
December 21, 2024 at 6:47 PM
Tesco, good, occasionally busy later. Sainsbury’s, moderate to good, rough in toilet roll aisle.
Asda, light to moderate, heavy crowds by evening.
M&S and Co-Op, fair.
Waitrose, fair to moderate.
Lidl, rough at first, easing later.
That’s the end of the Shopping Forecast
youtu.be/dFdas-kMF74?...
Asda, light to moderate, heavy crowds by evening.
M&S and Co-Op, fair.
Waitrose, fair to moderate.
Lidl, rough at first, easing later.
That’s the end of the Shopping Forecast
youtu.be/dFdas-kMF74?...
How is what the Chinese are said to be doing in the UK different from what most states do (peacefullly) to advance their national interests?
December 16, 2024 at 12:21 PM
How is what the Chinese are said to be doing in the UK different from what most states do (peacefullly) to advance their national interests?
Thank you @theguardian.com for this. Criminal Justice needs urgent investment - yes, money - much more than inventing a new jury-less court. www.theguardian.com/law/2024/dec...
Investment, reversing sentence inflation, holistic defence models: how to fix the UK’s criminal justice system
Five ways to tackle the crisis and begin to eliminate court backlogs
www.theguardian.com
December 16, 2024 at 11:23 AM
Thank you @theguardian.com for this. Criminal Justice needs urgent investment - yes, money - much more than inventing a new jury-less court. www.theguardian.com/law/2024/dec...
Reposted by Francis FitzGibbon
I have created a #starterpack on access to #justice and #legalaid - message me if you want to be added
go.bsky.app/J6g9H4r
go.bsky.app/J6g9H4r
December 13, 2024 at 9:20 PM
I have created a #starterpack on access to #justice and #legalaid - message me if you want to be added
go.bsky.app/J6g9H4r
go.bsky.app/J6g9H4r
Reposted by Francis FitzGibbon
Lawyers rightly complain when politicians, the media and the public associate us with our clients, leading to immigration law firms being targeted by neo-Nazis. So why do some lawyers also willingly do it to ourselves? Isn't that rather hypocritical? lag.org.uk/article/2163...
I am not Spartacus
I’m proud to do the work I do, just don’t label me an ‘activist’ lawyer, says Colin Yeo.
lag.org.uk
December 11, 2024 at 3:39 PM
Lawyers rightly complain when politicians, the media and the public associate us with our clients, leading to immigration law firms being targeted by neo-Nazis. So why do some lawyers also willingly do it to ourselves? Isn't that rather hypocritical? lag.org.uk/article/2163...
Reposted by Francis FitzGibbon
I don’t seek to defend Phil Shiner but the reporting of his sentencing is generally wildly inaccurate as to what he pleaded guilty to (failing to declare use of a fixer and referral fees) and the amounts involved (£200k not £3m). Why do people not read the published sentencing remarks?
December 10, 2024 at 5:40 PM
I don’t seek to defend Phil Shiner but the reporting of his sentencing is generally wildly inaccurate as to what he pleaded guilty to (failing to declare use of a fixer and referral fees) and the amounts involved (£200k not £3m). Why do people not read the published sentencing remarks?
In Syria, the secret police were known as 'The Germans', since Hafez Assad employed fugitive senior SS officer Alois Brunner to set up his secret service's torture-prisons. #Syria
„In #Syrien heißen Assads Geheimdienstler bis heute "die Deutschen". Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg waren es Nazis wie SS-Mann Alois Brunner und später auch Stasi-Agenten der DDR, die dem syrischen Regime halfen, seinen Folter- und Überwachungsapparat aufzubauen.“
www.swr.de/swrkultur/wi... #Assad
www.swr.de/swrkultur/wi... #Assad
Assads Folterknechte – Wie die Nazis den syrischen Geheimdienst aufbauten
Syriens Folterer sind besonders brutal, der „deutsche Stuhl“ bis heute eine gefürchtete Foltermethode. Hilfe bekamen die Syrer lange aus Deutschland – von Nazis und Stasi-Agenten.
www.swr.de
December 9, 2024 at 11:14 AM
In Syria, the secret police were known as 'The Germans', since Hafez Assad employed fugitive senior SS officer Alois Brunner to set up his secret service's torture-prisons. #Syria
Reposted by Francis FitzGibbon
The Ministry of Justice has asked the Law Commission to review the law on homicide in E&W and the sentencing framework for murder. It will examine diminished responsibility and whether the sentencing framework adequately reflects the seriousness of domestic murders.
lawcom.gov.uk/law-commissi...
lawcom.gov.uk/law-commissi...
Law Commission to review law and sentencing in homicide - Law Commission
The Law Commission has agreed to take on a project reviewing the law on homicide and the sentencing framework for murder. The review follows a request from the Lord Chancellor and recognises the vital...
lawcom.gov.uk
December 6, 2024 at 10:58 AM
The Ministry of Justice has asked the Law Commission to review the law on homicide in E&W and the sentencing framework for murder. It will examine diminished responsibility and whether the sentencing framework adequately reflects the seriousness of domestic murders.
lawcom.gov.uk/law-commissi...
lawcom.gov.uk/law-commissi...
Reposted by Francis FitzGibbon
Parallel reality in this morning's Russian papers.
Steve's Reading Russia - Russian Press Review (6 December 2024)
YouTube video by Steve Rosenberg
youtu.be
December 6, 2024 at 7:01 AM
Parallel reality in this morning's Russian papers.
Reposted by Francis FitzGibbon
Amen.
Time to dust off my theory that the most radical improvement the govt cd make to the asylum system wd be resurrecting Refugee & Migrant Justice and/or Immigration Advisory Service, as large-scale NGO providers of advice & representation as well as centres of excellence in training, good practice etc
Lack of legal aid lawyers poses threat to Starmer’s asylum pledge, experts say www.theguardian.com/law/2024/nov...
My data ahows 57% deficit in asylum legal aid provision. Huge human cost but also financial cost in delays. @heidialexander.bsky.social
My data ahows 57% deficit in asylum legal aid provision. Huge human cost but also financial cost in delays. @heidialexander.bsky.social
November 26, 2024 at 10:25 AM
Amen.
Reposted by Francis FitzGibbon
NEW: Are we tough enough on killers?
Just 6 per cent of the public think murder sentences are getting tougher.
In reality, they have jumped 50 per cent in two decades. Why is public opinion so out of step?
1/6
🔗 www.thetimes.com/article/6b42...
Just 6 per cent of the public think murder sentences are getting tougher.
In reality, they have jumped 50 per cent in two decades. Why is public opinion so out of step?
1/6
🔗 www.thetimes.com/article/6b42...
November 24, 2024 at 9:41 AM
NEW: Are we tough enough on killers?
Just 6 per cent of the public think murder sentences are getting tougher.
In reality, they have jumped 50 per cent in two decades. Why is public opinion so out of step?
1/6
🔗 www.thetimes.com/article/6b42...
Just 6 per cent of the public think murder sentences are getting tougher.
In reality, they have jumped 50 per cent in two decades. Why is public opinion so out of step?
1/6
🔗 www.thetimes.com/article/6b42...
Clarkson now says the tax-avoiding reason he gave for buying his farm was just for PR- he really wanted the land for shooting. Does this man have a problem telling the truth?
November 22, 2024 at 9:21 PM
Clarkson now says the tax-avoiding reason he gave for buying his farm was just for PR- he really wanted the land for shooting. Does this man have a problem telling the truth?
Wise words as ever from @davidallengreen.bsky.social davidallengreen.com/2024/11/the-...
The illiberalism yet to come: two things not to do, and one thing to do – suggestions on how to avoid mental and emotional exhaustion
18th November 2024 The new Republican presidency-congress in the United States as well as developments in other countries mean that in addition to the illiberalism we have had so far, there is more…
davidallengreen.com
November 18, 2024 at 1:43 PM
Wise words as ever from @davidallengreen.bsky.social davidallengreen.com/2024/11/the-...
This incldes the #LongfordTrust lecture given by Nazanin Zagari-Radcliffe - it counterpointed her horrors and survival as a prisoner of the Iranian government with accounts of the education and mentoring of UK prisoners by the Trust. Both parts inspiring. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCaE...
Longford Trust - Church House Westminster | 11th November
YouTube video by The Longford Trust
www.youtube.com
November 16, 2024 at 6:09 PM
This incldes the #LongfordTrust lecture given by Nazanin Zagari-Radcliffe - it counterpointed her horrors and survival as a prisoner of the Iranian government with accounts of the education and mentoring of UK prisoners by the Trust. Both parts inspiring. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCaE...
The C of E needs a new manager; MoTD needs a new pundit. Easy - they swap jobs!
November 12, 2024 at 2:41 PM
The C of E needs a new manager; MoTD needs a new pundit. Easy - they swap jobs!
Reposted by Francis FitzGibbon
My first opportunity to ask Vladimir Putin a question since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It came at the end of the BRICS summit in Kazan. youtu.be/Lzge2XwbVic
Asking Vladimir Putin a question
YouTube video by Steve Rosenberg
youtu.be
October 27, 2024 at 5:23 AM
My first opportunity to ask Vladimir Putin a question since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It came at the end of the BRICS summit in Kazan. youtu.be/Lzge2XwbVic
Reposted by Francis FitzGibbon
NEW
A blow against the "alternative remedies" excuse
The UK Supreme Court makes it far harder for regulators to avoid performing their public law duties
By me
Substack:
emptycity.substack.com/p/a-blow-aga...
Personal blog:
davidallengreen.com/2024/10/a-bl...
A blow against the "alternative remedies" excuse
The UK Supreme Court makes it far harder for regulators to avoid performing their public law duties
By me
Substack:
emptycity.substack.com/p/a-blow-aga...
Personal blog:
davidallengreen.com/2024/10/a-bl...
A blow against the "alternative remedies" excuse
The UK Supreme Court makes it far harder for regulators to avoid performing their public law duties
emptycity.substack.com
October 22, 2024 at 8:57 AM
NEW
A blow against the "alternative remedies" excuse
The UK Supreme Court makes it far harder for regulators to avoid performing their public law duties
By me
Substack:
emptycity.substack.com/p/a-blow-aga...
Personal blog:
davidallengreen.com/2024/10/a-bl...
A blow against the "alternative remedies" excuse
The UK Supreme Court makes it far harder for regulators to avoid performing their public law duties
By me
Substack:
emptycity.substack.com/p/a-blow-aga...
Personal blog:
davidallengreen.com/2024/10/a-bl...
The #LucyLetby doco on #panorama made no reference to the Court of Appeal decision which upheld the convictions www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/form...
Letby v Rex (Rev3) [2024] EWCA Crim 748 (02 July 2024)
www.bailii.org
October 21, 2024 at 2:10 PM
The #LucyLetby doco on #panorama made no reference to the Court of Appeal decision which upheld the convictions www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/form...
Prisoners released early from prison committed crimes! Shock horror! www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...
Drug dealers and conmen among 1,100 prisoners to be freed
Fraudster who tricked man with learning difficulties out of his family home among those expected to be released as part of scheme to free up space in jails
www.thetimes.com
October 19, 2024 at 1:05 PM
Prisoners released early from prison committed crimes! Shock horror! www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...
I wrote this about resigning as an immigration judge. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Francis FitzGibbon · Diary: Why I Resigned
The plan to ‘off-shore’ asylum seekers to Rwanda was the last straw. In May 2023, I resigned as a (part-time)...
www.lrb.co.uk
October 18, 2024 at 8:37 PM
I wrote this about resigning as an immigration judge. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...