9 hour detention lawful under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000

Last month the Court of Appeal ruled that the detention of David Miranda for 9 hours under the Terrorism Act 2000 was lawful however it also ruled that Schedule 7 of the Act was incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Miranda had been carrying classified files attributed to the whistle-blower Edward Snowden.

This is yet another Higher Court ruling with strengthens some rights of those detained under the Act as on 07.11.2013 the High Court ruled that a person detained under Schedule 7 was entitled to consult in person with a solicitor at any time. We refer to the case of Elosta v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis and the Law Society and Secretary of State for the Home Office.

However, the rulings beg the question, now that solicitors will be able to attend in person an interview being conducted under the provisions of Schedule 7, how will a detainee be able to choose a solicitor who has the competence and training to deal with this complex area of law?

At MPR Solicitors, we are uniquely placed to provide rapid deployment of expert legal advice at Heathrow Airport and surrounding detention areas as our Head Offices are located in Hounslow within 15 minutes of Heathrow Airport and its perimeter roads and only 1 hour away from Central London. We also have connections to Gatwick Airport and are able to deploy legal representatives fast and efficiently to assist in emergency situations. Our City of London office can deal with any major terrorism case within Central London.

MPR Solicitors will deploy its expert terrorism lawyers anywhere within the jurisdiction of England and Wales and we pride ourselves in offering a 24 hour, 7 days a week, fast and highly specialist service.

We have close links with specialist chambers dealing with terrorism and extradition cases and we can instruct expert barristers and QCs to form a pro-active defence team in a client’s case.