The UK's Crown Prosecution Service has said it is "considering options" in the case of a man who was spared jail after he admitted beating his wife.

Rape victims in the UK will be spared the ordeal of giving evidence in court under reforms being brought forward by the British Government.

As much as 98% of companies on the island of Ireland currently have no plan in place to cope with the consequences of Brexit, a new report shows.

The Prison Service in the UK is to launch an investigation after a riot at Bedford Prison which reportedly saw up to 200 inmates go on the rampage.

Good afternoon. Here’s all the news you need to know this lunchtime.

British interior minister Theresa May and eurosceptic rival Andrea Leadsom emerged as the two candidates who will battle to become Britain’s next prime minister and lead the country out of the EU.

Theresa May insisted she does not want a “coronation” as Conservative leader after emerging as overwhelming frontrunner in the race to succeed David Cameron.

Economists had overwhelmingly told that a British vote to leave the EU would entail significant economic costs, but voters failed to take heed of the warnings, writes Jean Pisani-Ferry

The withdrawal of Boris Johnson from the contest to lead the Conservative Party and his pitch to become the next prime minister means a favourable outcome that aligns with Irish interests from Britain’s talks with the EU is much less likely, the country’s leading Irish expert on Brexit has said.

The UK's Chancellor George Osborne has branded a controversial poster unveiled by Nigel Farage "vile", comparing it to extremist literature produced in the 1930s.

David Cameron was challenged to a debate by senior pro-Brexit Tories after he accused them of lying to voters about the risks of leaving the EU.

Splits in Britain’s Conservative Party pose are a growing threat to David Cameron’s chances of remaining prime minister after the Brexit referendum. 

Internet trolls will face up to two years in jail under tough laws proposed by Britain’s justice secretary Chris Grayling.

Internet trolls will face up to two years in jail under tough new laws proposed by Britain's Justice Secretary Chris Grayling.

Revenge porn — when people publish sexually explicit pictures of former partners — is to be made a new offence in the UK, to be punishable by up to two years in jail.

UK authorities are to make revenge porn – when people publish sexually explicit pictures of former partners – a new offence punishable by up to two years in jail.

Disqualified drivers who kill while behind the wheel will face longer jail terms under tougher sentences announced by the UK's Justice Secretary Chris Grayling.

A busy airport has been closed and is not accepting inbound flights after a suspicious package was discovered in the search area.

Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs, who won worldwide notoriety after escaping and living the high life in Rio de Janeiro, has died, sources said.

One person has died and the number is expected to rise after a police helicopter crashed into the roof of a crowded pub in Scotland.

The United States won’t be scrambling military jets or engaging in high-level diplomatic bartering to get National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden extradited, President Barack Obama said today.

A task force for tackling radicalisation in the UK set up by the British Prime Minister in the wake of soldier Lee Rigby’s murder is to meet monthly in a bid to deal with extremism head on, a Downing Street spokesman has said.

Plans to drastically cut legal aid for convicted criminals will destroy prison law, a Catholic agency has warned.

Penal reformers have urged Irish authorities not to go down the road of the new “get tough” approach to prisoners in England.

The long-awaited inquiry into British complicity in torture is to be scrapped following the launch of fresh criminal investigations into claims of ill-treatment in Libya, the Justice Secretary said today.

British spies are expected to find out whether they will face charges today over their alleged complicity in the torture of terror suspects.

Up to £1m (€1.5m) a year will be taken from the wages of prisoners who work in communities and used to support victims of crime, ministers in Britain said today.

THREE-QUARTERS of all rioters had a criminal record, with two thirds of these never having been to jail despite having a slew of previous offences, figures showed yesterday.

Britain's Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke was right when he said a broken penal system needs to be tackled in the wake of the riots, London Mayor Boris Johnson said today.

The Justice Secretary in the UK, Kenneth Clarke, has blamed last month's riots on a flawed penal system that does not prevent reoffending.

THE leader of the authority charged with keeping track of the Lockerbie bomber said his officials are in “uncharted” territory and do not know what to do if contact is lost.

Politicians must go through the “awful experience” of having their “dirty linen washed in public” to get to the truth about phone hacking, Milly Dowler’s family have said.

BRITAIN’S Justice Secretary Ken Clarke rejected more calls to resign over remarks he made about rape, but vowed to choose his words more carefully in the future.

Britain's Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke faced continued pressure today after sparking uproar by suggesting some rapes are more serious than others.

BRITISH Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke was forced to make a public declaration that he regards “all rape as a serious crime”, after he sparked a furore with comments suggesting he drew a distinction between “serious, proper rapes” and others.

THE man who had his conviction for the murder of Jill Dando quashed after prosecution evidence was called into question is to make a new claim for a British government payout in the wake of a compensation ruling by leading judges, his lawyer said.

One of James Bulger’s killers had sex with a member of prison staff shortly before his release on parole was agreed, it was alleged today.

The Scottish Police Federation has called for an end to Old Firm “madness” after trouble flared once again at last night’s match.

Libya was given advice by a British government minister on how to secure convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi’s release, it was reported today.

A GROUP of US senators yesterday demanded the Lockerbie bomber be returned to jail as they branded the process which led to his release “incredibly flawed”.