The incident happened after police received a call from a passer-by who reported seeing a dog in the back of a car in Mansfield on a sunny day, with all the windows closed.

Upon arrival at the scene officers smashed one of the car’s windows in an effort to save the “dog”.

The owner of the car sympathised with the police.

Gordon Williams, 80, said: “I know Little Willy is quite realistic and if they weren’t sure about it, they did a good thing as we don’t want any more dogs dying in the heat of a car.”

Mr Williams continued to say it cost £80 to repair the window that was smashed during the incident, and he was discussing compensation with the police.

Nottinghamshire Police released the following statement about the incident: “The call [on 26 March] was made in good faith by a passer-by.

“In this case officers believed a dog could be suffering due to the heat of the day and its life was potentially at risk, so felt there was no other option but to enter the vehicle.

“This is a perfect example of why drivers need to think about what they leave on view in their car, both in terms of other people’s perception of the objects and in a bid to deter opportunist thieves.”

Mr Williams said his “dog” would be kept at home from now on.

The girl, who is now six, cannot be named for legal reasons. During her birth at Northampton General Hospital in 2006, her brain was starved of oxygen which resulted in permanent brain damage.

Full responsibility for her injuries was admitted by Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust and they agreed a settlement with the child’s legal team at London High Court.

At court, her lawyers said she was effectively stillborn after a four hour delay in performing a Caesarean section starved her brain of oxygen. This resulted in permanent brain damage and as a result she now suffers with epilepsy, kidney problems, and autism. She will need 24 hour care for the rest of her life.

James Badenoch QC said: “She should have been delivered by Caesarean section at around 4pm, but delivery didn’t happen until around 8.15pm – more than four hours later.”

The trust apologised unreservedly.

Paul Rees QC, speaking on behalf of the trust said: “Nothing I can say can right the wrong that was done, but the child, her mother and all the family are entitled to hear – in open court – an unreserved apology and, through me, that is given.

“I would also like to pay a public tribute to the child’s mother and all those who have looked after her. The past six years have demanded much and they have risen to those challenges.”

The compensation settlement also includes tax-free annual payments of £155,000 until she is 21. From that point onwards she will receive £282,000 a year.

A trust spokesman said lessons had been learned from the child’s ordeal, adding: “The trust accepted liability concerning the management of her delivery at Northampton General Hospital in 2006 and has apologised to her and her family for the errors made.

“The trust is pleased the claim has been resolved and offers her and her family its very best wishes for the future.”

The Ombudsman became involved following a complaint from a dog owner who insured her pet with the Halifax. The premium was £6 per month, rising to £10 per month, which provided the owner £1000 cover for vet bills. The policy was described by Halifax as being “life long”.

The dog has a rare skin condition, which costs around £500 per year in vet bills.

The dog owner, named only as Ms W., found the policy particularly valuable when her dog’s condition deteriorated. Under the policy she was able to claim every year providing she renewed the policy.

When she bought the policy in 2005, the Halifax printed literature read: “The right cover, no matter what the future brings”.

However, the cover came to an end when the bank left the pet insurance business. This placed Ms W. in a difficult position as no other pet insurer would provide cover as her dog, called Lucky, had a pre-existing condition.

Subsequently, she complained to the Ombudsman who found in her favour. He said: “The description of the policy as ‘life-long’ seems to me to be a significant error by Halifax. The policy was not life-long… and it was clearly misleading to suggest that it was.”

As a result, Halifax was told to provide cover for a further two years and to pay Ms W. compensation of £200.

A spokesman for the Lloyds Banking Group said: “We are committed to continuing to support our customers and are sorry for the inconvenience we may have caused.”

The ruling could see Halifax having to pay compensation to thousands of pet owners.

122 mobile phone licences were cancelled by India’s Supreme Court this year. They were originally awarded in 2008.

Of the 122, Telnor has 22 licences which it shares with a partner.

The compensation case centres on “investment, guarantees, and damages” and the amount of compensation Telnor expects is thought to be around £8.8bn.

Glen Mandelid of the company said: “We are hopeful that it remains the government’s intent to protect and encourage bona fide foreign investment in the country.”

The ruling from India’s Supreme Court added further pressure to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, whose government has seen several high profile corruption cases come to light, including the sale of the licences in 2008.

Mr Singh met with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg at a nuclear security summit in South Korea, where he assured the Norwegian head of state that Telnor will get a “fair solution”.

The licence scandal has been described as the biggest corruption story in India’s history.

They were issued by A Raja, a former government minister, who is currently on trial for fraud for mis-selling bandwidth.

The licences cover 70 million subscribers.

The Supreme Court ruled the licences would need to transfer to different operators and imposed a four month deadline for this to take place.

The Indian government announced a fresh auction for the licences would not happen until 2013.

Andrew Bull, 48, of Ebbw Vale, was found to be victimised, harassed, and made redundant because of his blindness.

Mr Bull lost his sight in 1983 when a bomb exploded while he and his four man team were escorting police officers in Northern Ireland. Upon returning home he was given rehabilitation and offered a job as a telephonist by Blaenau Gwent council.

He was made redundant by the council after giving 25 years service.

Evidence was given to the tribunal that Mr Bull was off sick during a strike by colleagues and upon his return remarks were made to him which he found offensive. His line manager asked him if he was going to donate his two days pay to charity, while a manager implied that he went sick when he was not ill.

Mr Bull challenged the remark by taking out a grievance but the matter was not investigated.

He noticed he was becoming increasingly more alienated as other council officers, who would tell him when they were leaving the office on account of his blindness, stopped doing so.

Mr Bull was made redundant without the council trying to redeploy him elsewhere.

The tribunal judge said: “The claim of harassment relies on the behaviour of Mr Offers and Mr Taylor. It is clear that the conduct towards the claimant was unwanted. This relates to both aspects of the behaviour – the active comments and failure to communicate with the claimant.”

The tribunal upheld Mr Bull’s claims.

Mr Bull’s brother read a statement on his behalf: “I do feel anger against the IRA terrorists who caused my blindness and disability. However, despite my loss of sight, I was able to regain my independence and learn new employment skills with the support and specialist training from (the charity) Blind Veterans UK. The training I received plus the support from family and friends gave me the encouragement and confidence that I needed at that time to move forward with my life.

“Looking back I now know how fortunate I was to have survived such a terrorist explosion, unlike so many of my colleagues past and future who have paid the ultimate sacrifice of laying down their life.

“Despite losing my sight, I still counted my blessings. However, the long-term psychological damage that I have suffered as a direct result of my perceived inhumane treatment from Blaenau Gwent council and its senior management has been extremely damaging – especially the appalling manner in which they treated one of their disabled members of staff who they knew quite well as a local man who had lost his sight in the service of his country.”

Mr Bull will learn how much compensation he is to receive later this month.

Lawyers acting for a fishing community which has been badly affected by the spill have said so far they have not been paid compensation for the 4000 barrels of oil which were spilt in Ogoniland.

The Ogoni people have complained for a long time about the environmental damage from oil drilling and spillages but say they are often ignored.

Nigeria’s Niger Delta region produces plenty of oil and is one of the most underdeveloped regions in the country.

Shell has accepted responsibility for the spillage but as yet has not paid compensation. Lawyers for the company state as there is more than one lawyer representing claimants it has become difficult to resolve.

Shell promised to clean up the land as well as pay compensation for the spill, which has devastated the fishing community.

A solicitor for some of the locals said: “I’ve been around Bodo on a number of occasions and you just have to walk round, it looks like a World War I scene, where the oil has totally destroyed much of the local environment and the fish, which particularly thrive in the mangroves, have basically disappeared from the area.”

A shell representative said: “There are a lot of people who’ve claimed to be impacted and a lot of intra-communal strife which is making it difficult for anyone to have meaningful negotiations with different lawyers claiming to represent them.

“We did do everything possible to make sure that we pay compensation to the affected communities, but we also have to make sure that this compensation is paid to the right people. The trouble is you cannot do that as long as [different] lawyers are representing them.”

The oil spill was brought to the attention of the world by Ken Saro-Wiwa who was executed by the Nigerian military for doing so. The action received worldwide condemnation.

Sam Boreham, who was aged 8 at the time of the accident, was travelling with his twin brother Ben from Middlesex to Manchester, to watch a Manchester United match.

The driver of the car drove into a stationary vehicle while on the M1, near the town of Lutterworth.

As a result of the accident Sam was left with permanent brain damage. His mother, Jane Boreham, took the driver of the car’s insurers to court, claiming compensation against them on behalf of her son.

At London’s High Court the insurance company of the driver and Mrs Boreham’s legal team reached agreement over the amount of compensation Sam should receive.

The High Court Judge approved the settlement which involves a lump sum of £1.1 million, and annual payments of £23,000 to cover Sam’s ongoing care costs.

In court, the Borehams’ barrister explained why the case had taken so long to go to court.

To enable the level of compensation to be ascertained, they had to wait for Sam to grow into adulthood, and then compare him to his twin brother, Ben Boreham, to see how much the brain injury affected him.

In effect they used his twin as a benchmark to measure the damage. Now Sam is an adult, it was possible for both legal teams to discover how his disabilities have impacted on his life.

Sam Shahnavaz, 20, attacked a fellow student outside Chilli White Nightclub in Leicester city centre. He admitted grievous bodily harm in court.

Shahnavaz, in addition to compensation, was ordered to pay £400 costs and was given a 12 month detention sentence, suspended for two years. He is studying business management and enterprise at De Montfort University.

Recorder Martin Forde QC said when sentencing Shahnavaz: “You delivered what door staff say was a cowardly blow to the head.

“You caused a facial injury, a depressed fracture of the cheekbone, requiring an operation to insert a metal plate.

“He studies at the same university as you and has to come across you on a daily basis.

“The injury has had an impact on his studies.”

Leicester Crown Court heard how the 21-year-old victim had been out drinking with his team mates after playing football earlier in the day.

CCTV footage, which was played to the court, showed the victim and the defendant’s friend exchanging words outside the nightclub, when Shahnavaz emerged unseen by the victim and punched him in the face, knocking him to the floor.

Shahnavaz was held by the club’s door staff until police arrived and arrested him. When he was questioned about the assault he claimed self defence until CCTV footage disproved his claims.

The victim was taken to hospital by ambulance.

Prosecutor Alan Murphy said the victim “is in his final years and was concerned about successfully completing his degree course because of the effects of the assault”.

Heidi Kubik, mitigating for Shahnavaz said: “He’s supported in court by both parents and other family members, who take this matter very seriously.

“It was a moment of madness and the biggest mistake of his life.”

The offence has cost Shahnavaz a twelve month study placement in Hong Kong.

Sandyford residents who have been affected badly by the bypass have cited dust, noise and damage to property since the road was completed in 2008.

One resident said: “I spoke to my solicitor and he said we should be finding out if we’re getting any money in the next couple of weeks.

“The road has definitely had an impact on a lot of people’s lives, including mine.

“I work from home and you can hear the noise from the road throughout the day, especially when you have your windows open.

“We’ve also had to put up with travellers staying on the land next to the bypass and leaving it in a mess.

“I was told I would be entitled up to two per cent of the average house price in the area.”

Compensation would not be enough for one resident who stated he would rather the bypass was not built, saying: “I’ve heard some people have started to receive money but it doesn’t look like I’ll be getting anything because my house is apparently just outside the catchment area.

“We’ve had nothing but trouble since the road opened.”

Another was particularly perturbed by the noise: “It used to be a quiet little cul-de-sac here but now all you can hear is the constant noise from cars.

“Most of the people living here have got claims in. My solicitors said they were waiting for the council to make them an offer.”

The council have responded, defending the road, stating: “We have carefully and fairly assessed compensation claims made by residents in respect of the Tunstall Northern Bypass.

“This road network has improved the transport links across that area of the city for commuters and residents.

“To date 336 claims have been received for which compensation has either been paid or will be paid shortly.”

In total the council received 500 compensation claims from disgruntled residents which were assessed under Part 1 of the Land Compensation Act 1973.

By all accounts the families have received £29,000 for each person killed and £10,000 for each person injured.

Staff Sergeant Robert Bales was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder over the massacre.

At a meeting with US military and Nato-led forces the family members were informed of the compensation payouts at the offices of Kandahar’s governor.

Haji Jan Agha, an attendee who lost family members said: “We were invited by the foreign and Afghan officials in Panjwai yesterday and they said this money is an assistance from [US President] Obama.”

At the meeting it transpired that some of the families would be flown to the US to give their accounts and evidence of the actions of Staff Sgt Bales when he stands trial and some would give evidence over a videolink.

Speaking on the compensation, a spokesperson for Isaf said it does “make restitution for losses resulting from combat, combat-related activities or operational necessity”.

Lieutenant Commander Brian Badura said: “Individual troop-contributing nations may participate in some form of restitution consistent with the cultural norms of Afghanistan.

“As a settlement of claims in most cases is a sensitive topic for those who have suffered loss it is usually a matter of agreement that terms of settlement remain confidential.”

A BBC reporter recently said that the US normally compensates $2500 for civilians accidentally killed by their servicemen. The payouts in this instance are representative of the circumstances.

Bales killed 9 children and 8 adults when he went on a killing rampage. He has also been charged with six counts of attempted murder for attacks on a woman and four children.

His lawyer played down rumours Bales was drunk at the time of the killings and said there was no forensic evidence against him.

The killing spree has undermined relations between the US and Afghanistan governments, with the Taliban calling off peace talks in the wake of the tragedy.

Bales could face the death penalty if he is found guilty. The outcome of his trial will not be reached for several years.