Court of Appeal Stops Contempt Case Against Lawyer Rajiv Menon
Introduction
The Court of Appeal has stopped legal proceedings for contempt of court against Rajiv Menon KC. This follows a disagreement over his behavior during a trial involving activists from Palestine Action.
Main Body
The conflict began during a trial about criminal damage at an Elbit Systems site. The judge, Mr Justice Johnson, had ordered that lawyers must not mention 'jury equity'—a rule that allows jurors to make decisions based on their conscience, even if it goes against the judge's instructions. However, during his final arguments, Mr Menon mentioned a legal case from the 17th century to show that juries are independent. Mr Justice Johnson claimed this was an attempt to encourage the jury to ignore court orders and therefore sent Mr Menon to the High Court for contempt. The Court of Appeal intervened because there were mistakes in the legal process. The court stated that the referral was incorrect, emphasizing that contempt charges must either be decided by the trial judge immediately or sent to the Attorney General. Consequently, the current case was ended. However, the court noted that the process could start again if the trial judge formally asks the Attorney General, Lord Hermer, to take action. Lawyers for Mr Menon and the group Defend Our Juries asserted that this was an unusual attempt to punish a lawyer for defending his clients bravely.
Conclusion
The contempt case is now on hold, waiting to see if it will be referred to the Attorney General.
Learning
🚀 Moving Beyond 'Because': The Power of Logical Connectors
At an A2 level, you probably use because and so for everything. To reach B2, you need to signal the relationship between ideas more precisely. Let's look at how this article does it.
🧩 The 'Therefore' Leap
Look at this sentence: *"Mr Justice Johnson claimed this was an attempt to encourage the jury to ignore court orders and therefore sent Mr Menon to the High Court..."
What is happening here? Instead of saying "...and so he sent him," the author uses therefore. This is a 'formal result' marker. It tells the reader: "Fact A logically leads to Action B."
Try this shift:
- ❌ A2: I was late, so I missed the bus.
- ✅ B2: I woke up late; therefore, I missed the bus.
⛓️ The 'Consequently' Chain
Further down, we see: *"Consequently, the current case was ended."
While therefore focuses on the logic, consequently focuses on the effect. It is like a falling domino. One event happened, and as a direct result, the situation changed.
⚖️ Contrast Markers: 'However'
Notice how the text switches directions: *"However, during his final arguments..."
An A2 student uses but. A B2 student uses however to start a new sentence. It creates a sophisticated pause that prepares the listener for a contradiction.
The B2 Cheat Sheet for Logic:
| If you want to say... | Stop using... | Start using... |
|---|---|---|
| "This is the result" | so | Consequently / Therefore |
| "But/On the other hand" | but | However / Nevertheless |
| "Also" | and / too | Furthermore / Additionally |