SOAP LAW: Do you worry about inconsistencies in the plots of your favourite soap?
Then get legal advice from our soap-mad solicitors, Carroll & Pratt...
Send us your queries and get an informed legal opinion - Query?
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Emmerdale: The Kings attempted to improve local support for their ugly residential development by holding some sort of raffle. Marlon and Donna Dingle won first prize - the estate show home! Sadly, as we all know, negligence by Jimmy King resulted in the collapse of the house at the award ceremony, with the loss of a couple of lives. Marlon and Donna have since seen their dreams dashed again and again...
Legal Advice: The Kings have not discharged their legal obligation to present Marlon and Donna with a house as promised. It would be very easy to take the Kings to court to establish this.
Incidental: Carroll & Pratt were surprised to learn that the executors of the estate of Dawn Woods has not claimed compensation for her death during the unfortunate accident. Even though negligence was not proven against the Kings they would be liable in several other ways (eg Health & Safety law etc...)
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Soap Jewel: 5th July 2007 - Albert Square is visited by Jehovah's Witnesses, one of who asks Dot Cotton whether she might like to discuss Jesus. Priceless!
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Eastenders: Two major characters have been banged up by the Police for murder, but have never been brought to trial... Chrissie Watts was charged with the murder of Dirty Den Watts, and the ghastly Janine (Butcher) was charged with the murder of her husband, Barry Evans. We know they both dunnit - we was all witnesses. They was bang t' rights. They was goin' dahn! But...
God knows, we don't want either of those plots spun out any longer, but the forces of law 'n order do have an obligation to bring the guilty to trial.
Legal Advice: Carroll & Pratt are adamant that unless the guilty are brought to trial there is provision under common law derived from the Magna Carta to serve a writ of "habeus corpus" - literally, [We command that] you have the body. (See Wikipaedia)
It
is the name of a legal action or writ by means of which detainees can seek relief from unlawful imprisonment. The writ of habeas corpus has historically been an important instrument for the safeguarding of individual freedom against arbitrary state action ordering that a prisoner be brought before the court so that the court can determine whether that person is serving a lawful sentence or should be released from custody.
Incidental: The right of habeus corpus is one of only two common law rights surviving from the Magna Carta. The other is the right to trial before one's peers - in other words trial by jury. The present government is planning to do away with that one as too much of an inconvenience. And then there was one...
Oh, but then with the plans to combat terrorism by holding virtually indefinitely without trial, habeus corpus looks under threat as well... So then there'll be none.
Send us your queries and get an informed legal opinion - Query?
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