Daily roundup 13 June: Neglect sentences, inflation rise and alertness

Abusive or neglectful parents who blame their partner for their own child cruelty could face tougher sentences under new proposals. The BBC reports that new sentencing guidelines in England and Wales say blaming others should be considered an "aggravating factor" when deciding a sentence. The change comes after many cases where one parent or carer sought to blame the other for what had happened.


An urgent rethink of the current four-year freeze in benefits is needed to protect struggling families from further damage, the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has warned, after inflation jumped to a four-year high of 2.9 per cent. Alison Garnham, chief executive of CPAG, said that unless there is an "urgent rethink" of the current freeze on benefits, the living standards of ordinary families will slip and slide downwards with serious consequences, particularly for children.


School children are more alert and have quicker reaction times in the afternoon, a study has found. The Guardian reports that many primary schools design timetables around the assumption that children are more focused and open to learning in the morning, but researchers have found that their reaction times in tests are faster later in the school day.


The European Court of Human Rights is due to decide today whether it will hear legal arguments from the family of a severely ill baby who want him to be sent to the US for treatment. The Guardian reports that Chris Gard and Connie Yates, from Bedfont in west London, believe their 10-month-old son, Charlie Gard, who suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage, should undergo experimental medical therapy in the US in the hope of prolonging his life.


A woman who faked a paternity test to fool an ex-partner into believing he was her baby's father has been jailed. The BBC reports that Danielle Morris, from Seaforth, Merseyside, initially told Jamie Somers in May 2014 that he was not the father, but later changed her story.