British social services bosses say lawyers advised them that they “couldn’t have appealed” when a senior family court judge ruled that Ellie Butler should return to live with the father who had been accused of hurting her.

Gerry Adams is facing calls to apologise to the sister of a man who died after an IRA punishment attack.

Couples have again been warned by a judge of the legal pain which can be caused when children are born as a result of unregulated artificial conception in a case involving an Irish and English lesbian couple.

A High Court judge has for the first time sanctioned the sterilisation of a man because it is “in his best interests”.