All articles tagged with #court of appeal
Australian prosecutors told the Court of Appeal in Melbourne that Erin Patterson’s mushroom-poisoning murders were 'truly dreadful' and that the 33-year minimum for parole is manifestly inadequate, seeking to keep her imprisoned for life; Patterson’s convictions and sentence are under appeal amid defense claims of trial irregularities, with decisions expected weeks or months away.
Victoria's Court of Appeal hears Erin Patterson's challenge to three murder and one attempted murder verdicts tied to a July 2023 death-cap mushroom lunch that killed four relatives; prosecutors seek life without parole; grounds for appeal include sequestration breaches, unfair cross-examination, and prejudicial Facebook evidence, while Patterson argues poisoning may have been an accident and no poisons were found. If the appeal succeeds, convictions could be overturned and a retrial ordered, with Patterson watching from prison.
Liberty Mitchell, then 18, filmed herself speeding at nearly 100 mph and overtaking on the wrong side in December 2022, causing a multi-vehicle crash that killed taxi driver Octavian Codreanu and Moyra Whelan and injured others; after pleading guilty, she was sentenced to six years eight months in 2025, but the Court of Appeal increased it by two years seven months to a total of nine years three months in 2026 under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
Norway’s Marius Borg Høiby is allowed four weeks of home detention under electronic monitoring at the royal estate Skaugum while he appeals a four-year rape sentence; prosecutors have appealed to keep him in custody, and a final ruling is not expected until 2027.
France’s Court of Appeal upholds Marine Le Pen’s embezzlement conviction, orders about €2 million in damages to the EU and a €100,000 fine, while cutting her ban on public office to 15 months and ordering one year of home confinement with an electronic tag. Le Pen says she won’t campaign while tagged, effectively leaving the presidential race to Jordan Bardella and leaving her political future unresolved.
France’s Court of Appeal will rule on Marine Le Pen’s 2025 conviction for misusing EU Parliament funds. If upheld, a five-year ban from office could bar her from the 2027 presidential race; if overturned or softened, she could still campaign. The decision could also push the case to the Court of Cassation, with Jordan Bardella as the likely beneficiary if Le Pen is barred.
Britain’s Court of Appeal has upheld the Home Office’s ban on Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, overturning a High Court ruling that the move was unlawful. Judges said the group’s core aim is to damage property of Elbit Systems and other UK-trading firms, not merely peaceful protest. The decision follows prosecutions and arrests linked to Palestine Action, including four activists who were sentenced as terrorists for a 2024 Elbit Systems break-in, with the Home Secretary defending the measure as necessary for national security while emphasising that lawful protest remains possible.
Britain's Court of Appeal ruled that proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation was lawful, overturning a High Court decision; judges said the group promoted unlawful violence and sought to disrupt lawful businesses, justifying the ban, while supporters argue it curtails free speech and plan further legal challenges.
Britain is appealing a High Court ruling that the government's ban on the activist group Palestine Action was illegal, triggering a Court of Appeal hearing in London. The case follows judges calling the proscription “disproportionate,” and the ban remains in place during the appeal. Activists and rights groups argue the measure suppresses dissent and human rights, while the government defends counterterrorism measures and notes lawful ways to support the Palestinian cause. The outcome of the appeal remains unclear.
Hong Kong’s Court of Appeal reversed the fraud convictions against Jimmy Lai, ruling the alleged concealment and lease breach did not meet the fraud threshold; Lai still serves a 20-year sentence from a separate national security case, and the government may appeal the ruling.
Australian Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 people in the 2019 Christchurch mosque attack, has gone to New Zealand’s Court of Appeal to try to withdraw his guilty plea and challenge his life sentence. He argues prison conditions were so torturous and inhumane that he could not make rational decisions when he pleaded guilty a year after the attack, and he also seeks to appeal his sentence. The week-long hearing in Wellington will include video-linked testimony; if the court allows retracting the plea, the case could return to trial on all charges; otherwise another hearing would address the sentence appeal. Victims’ families, watching via delayed broadcast, describe reopening trauma, as the massacre—which spurred NZ gun-law reforms—continues to echo in the country.
Shamima Begum, who joined the Islamic State group as a teenager, lost her appeal against the UK government's decision to revoke her citizenship. The Court of Appeal rejected all five arguments presented by Begum, stating that the deprivation decision was not unlawful. Despite the ruling, Begum can still take her case to the supreme court. Begum, who married an IS fighter and had three children, claimed she was left stateless by the UK government's decision, but a UK tribunal ruled that she was not stateless. She is one of hundreds of Europeans whose fate has challenged governments following the collapse of the Islamist extremists' self-styled caliphate in 2019.
Shamima Begum, who left the UK as a teenager to join the Islamic State group in Syria, lost her appeal against the British government's decision to revoke her citizenship. The Court of Appeal judges stated that it wasn't their role to determine the harshness of the decision, but rather to assess its lawfulness. Begum's legal team plans to continue fighting the decision, arguing that she should have been treated as a child trafficking victim. The British government claimed she could seek a Bangladeshi passport, but her family argued that she was from the UK and never held a Bangladeshi passport.
Shamima Begum, who left the UK as a teenager to join the Islamic State group in Syria, lost her appeal against the British government's decision to revoke her citizenship. The Court of Appeal judges stated that it wasn't their place to determine whether the decision was "harsh," but rather to assess its lawfulness. Begum's lawyer indicated plans for a further challenge, emphasizing the ongoing fight for her return to the UK. The British government claimed she could seek a Bangladeshi passport, while campaigners expressed disappointment over the ruling, citing concerns about the treatment of exploited children in such cases.
Shamima Begum, who left the UK at 15 to join ISIS, has lost her Court of Appeal challenge against the removal of her British citizenship. The decision was made by then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid in 2019, and Begum's newborn son died in a Syrian refugee camp the following month. The ruling does not necessarily signal the end of Begum’s legal battle, as there is potential for her lawyers to appeal again, particularly on grounds of being left stateless. Begum has made public appeals, insisting she is not a bad person and blaming her media portrayal for being viewed as a danger and a risk. Her lawyers argue she was a victim of child trafficking and that the decision rendered her stateless.