The morning’s top legal news stories and social media posts.
Judge “falls asleep” during child rape case [BBC News]
Essex fish and chips shop The Only Way Is Fish wins right to keep name despite TOWIE legal action [Metro]
Private prosecutions grow as state bodies retreat in face of dwindling resources [Financial Times]
Barrister slammed for “scurrilous” vote-rigging claims bids to become police commissioner [Birmingham Mail]
Former Burton MP and criminal barrister Ivan Lawrence caught in no insurance shame [Burton Mail]
Embarrassment for Britain’s top criminal judge as he frees Lithuanian killer brothers on bail … and they fail to turn up for sentencing [Mail Online]
The democratic deficit at the heart of the Human Rights Act [The Spectator]
Omagh bombing lawyer plans to sue Vladimir Putin over shot down Malaysian Airlines passenger jet [Belfast Telegraph]
Solicitor assaulted her sister in drunken pub fight [The Telegraph]
The Supreme Court has expressed “grave concern” over the “exorbitant” cost of litigation for ordinary citizens [Law Society Gazette]
Heard in court [Facebook]
“You make a very serious allegation about an event at dinning. If it is true then you must report it. Please do so immediately to the Under Treasurer of the Inn concerned. No Inn will tolerate such behaviour.” [Legal Cheek Comments]