Daily Crime News

‘Victims of alleged domestic abuse are seeing their cases dropped at a rapidly increasing rate, according to data obtained by the BBC.’ Full StoryBBC News, 15th October 2021Source: www.bbc.co.uk

England's lead officers tackling the crime say it's happening in places with no CCTV or security.

Bar students should be given detailed information from chambers about their pupillage criteria to avoid suffering from “buyer’s remorse” when they realise how difficult it is to succeed. The post Bar students need more pupillage data to avoid “buyer’s remorse” appeared first on Legal Futures.

Tory Philip Allott caused outrage in wake of the murder by saying women ‘need to be streetwise’A Conservative police commissioner accused of victim-blaming in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard has resigned after being told there was a “catastrophic lack of confidence” in his position.Philip Allott, who oversees North Yorkshire police and the region’s fire service, was criticised after he said women “need to be streetwise” about powers of arrest and should “just learn a bit about that legal process” in case they were approached by officers. Continue reading...

A Dutch national who was caught in the process of sneaking 9 Albanian nationals into the UK in a sailing vessel has been jailed.

The Solicitor General, Alex Chalk QC MP, today met Warwick University’s Law, Politics and Philosophy (PPL) Society to discuss his role as one of the UK’s Law Officers and what the Government is doing to tackle hate crime.

The CBA (@TheCriminalBar) retweeted:Pre pandemic 2010/11 to 2018/19“budget for criminal defence legal aid has fallen from £1.3 billion to £879 millionswathes of defendants ...now shut out of the system after the introduction of a means test in 2014”#SpendingReview ⁦@TheCriminalBar⁩thetimes.co.uk/article/65db16…- James Rossiter (@JamesDRossiter)04:48 - Oct 13, 2021

A man who sexually assaulted three women has had his sentence increased under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme

Drug dealing, assaults and thefts from gift shop among more than 200 crimes recorded in year to MarchTwo drug dealers were arrested and 13 people were detained for possession of various drugs on the parliamentary estate in the space of a year, according to Scotland Yard.Those were among more than 200 crimes recorded at the Palace of Westminster by the Metropolitan police in the 12 months to March. While this is fewer than in some recent years, it was at a time when few MPs and staff were even present, due to Covid restrictions. Continue reading...

Campaigners hail MoJ decision to allow inmates to compete for first time using prison computersThe benefits of chess have long been extolled for retaining mental agility and as an escape from boredom, making it the perfect pastime for prisoners confined to four walls.So the decision to grant inmates at two prisons in England permission to play competitive chess in an international tournament for the first time, allowing them direct access to the internet to make their moves from prison computers, has been lauded by campaigners. Continue reading...

‘All police forces in England and Wales are to review allegations of indecent exposure, sex offences and violence against women by serving officers.’ Full StoryThe Independent, 12th October 2021Source: www.independent.co.uk

Children were held in a ‘chaotic’ privately-run prison in Milton Keynes for up to 23 hours a day throughout the summer without proper air conditioning or ventilation, according to a damning report from prison inspectors identifying widespread failings. Oakhill secure training centre is run by G4S and holds up to 80 boys aged 12 to

We are seeking views on the draft codes of practice for officers who will exercise new powers to stop, question, search and detain a person at a UK port or border.

Government ministers and experts from across the home nations came together to discuss new ways to tackle illegal drug use across the UK.

Daniel Dunkerley has had his sentence increased to 7 years imprisonment

A man who obtained and shared indecent images of children has had his sentence increased.

The global coronavirus pandemic, and the rise in people working from home, has unfortunately provoked a growth in cyber-crime. The UK government estimates that the cost of cyber-crime is £27bn per annum. The post The rise of cyber-criminal threat for law firms since Covid-19 appeared first on Legal Futures.

A new Video Hearings Service, upgrading the Cloud Video Platform used during Covid, is to be rolled out across courts and tribunals, the Lord Chief Justice has revealed. The post Courts and tribunals to upgrade video technology, Burnett says appeared first on Legal Futures.

Children locked in rooms at youth prison up to 23 hours a day – report  The Guardian

A headteacher and her father were today (11 October) sentenced for running an unregistered school in south London.

Nusrit Mehtab says police unit where Wayne Couzens once served is male-dominated and ripe for changeThe Metropolitan police shelved plans to reform its unit dedicated to protecting politicians and diplomats because of “resistant and uncooperative” officers, according to a former superintendent who was the force’s most senior woman of colour.Nusrit Mehtab, who resigned in January last year, said the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command (PADP), where Sarah Everard’s killer, Wayne Couzens, once served, was “very male-dominated” and ripe for reform. The Met had had a chance to “put things right and they didn’t”, she added. Continue reading...

Headteacher Nadia Ali, 40, and director Arshad Ali, 75, admitted running Ambassadors Home School Limited in Mitcham Lane, Streatham illegally despite being prosecuted previously for the same offence. 

A man has today (Monday 11 October) received a suspended prison sentence and banned from owning animals for life after pleading guilty to several animal cruelty and animal welfare offences.

One of Liverpool and UK's most wanted arrested after seven years on the run  Liverpool Echo

Service includes virtual consultation rooms and connectivity monitoring.

An innovative prison programme that encourages inmates to repair and recycle bikes will aim to refurbish over 900 bikes for hospital staff and children from disadvantaged backgrounds, helping prisoners gain new skills and turn their lives around.

The CBA (@TheCriminalBar) retweeted:Our letter in response to the magistrates’ call for increased sentencing powers to deal with the case backlog (already stacked before the pandemic due to cuts to the criminal justice system)[email protected] @TheCriminalBar @JoSidhuQC twitter.com/jamesdrossiter…- Kirsty Brimelow QC (@Kirsty_Brimelow)00:50 - Oct 11, 2021Quoted Tweet:“contraction in capacity of courts to deal with the business of justice has been compounded by steady exodus of criminal prosecutors and defenders, following years of declining real incomes and relentless work pressures” @TheCriminalBar @JoSidhuQC @Kirsty_Brimelow via @Telegraph pic.twitter.com/ikpxgxEPSj- James Rossiter (@JamesDRossiter)00:29 - Oct 11, 2021

The Met Police has an "unusual and unjustified" strategy over knife crime, a report claims.

Almost one in three police forces have referred allegations of sexual assault and harassment against their own officers to the police watchdog in the days following the sentencing of Wayne Couzens for Sarah Everard’s murder. According to a report in the Observer, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has received 27 referrals involving officers and

A High Court judge has strongly criticised a law firm and its client for appearing to blame his clerk for the leak of a draft judgment - which it turned out had not even happened. The post Judge’s fury at suggestion his clerk leaked draft ruling appeared first on Legal Futures.

Exclusive: campaigners concerned after FoI revelation that 17 forces do not have specialist Rasso unitsAt least two-fifths of police forces in England and Wales do not have specialist rape and serious sexual offence (Rasso) units, the Guardian can reveal.Campaigners against gender-based violence said the lack of such units was deeply worrying at at time of low public confidence in the police and with rape prosecutions running at historically low levels. Continue reading...

Audio clips from child sex offenders are released by police to deter others following in their path.

A domestic abuse victim says her experience of the system was harrowing and absolutely horrific.

Home Office fears PM views aggressive targeting of women and girls as ‘mere wolf whistling’ amid moves to create specific offenceBoris Johnson has infuriated the home secretary by overruling attempts to make public sexual harassment a crime. This has prompted concern at the Home Office that the prime minister views the issue as mere “wolf whistling”, rather than the aggressive targeting of women and girls going about their daily lives.Sources say tensions have emerged between Johnson and Priti Patel, and other senior Home Office figures, after he blocked plans to make public sexual harassment a specific offence. Continue reading...

These Regulations amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/582) (“the International Travel Regulations”).

Jaime Alejandro Garcia-Perez has had his sentence increased by the Court of Appeal following a referral by the then Solicitor General.

PC Chris Dwyer is alleged to have taken them from a charity tuck shop without paying in full.

Guy Sims made arrangements to travel across the country in order to sexually abuse teenage girls.

Respondents said they did not want to contact a lawyer as they would be charged for their time.

Doug Wilson OBE, Director General of the Attorney General's Office, is pleased to announce Kelby Harmes has been appointed Director and Deputy Head of the AGO.

A sex offender has had his sentence increased following intervention by the then Solicitor General, The Rt Hon Lucy Frazer QC MP.

Courts and tribunals across England and Wales are going green thanks to a £40m government investment to cut their carbon emissions.

Flashing is a sexual offence, victims say it can have a lifelong impact and experts say it can lead to escalating crimes against women. Why is the police response so often dismissive?Cathkin Braes country park, in south Glasgow, is beautiful. You can see the city and, behind it, the mountains. Clara (not her real name), a 35-year-old community worker from Glasgow, went there in March to enjoy the view from her campervan. As she relaxed, she looked over and saw a car parked beside her, with the passenger window rolled down. A man was staring at her, and masturbating. He clearly relished her visible fright. “That is what was turning him on,” Clara said. “His head was nearly out of the passenger window, staring at me.”Because she was in a campervan, it wasn’t easy to get away quickly: Clara had to get out to fold away some seats. “I decided to jump out,” she says, “and when I looked at him, he was wiping ejaculation off his dashboard and looking at me.” She took a photograph of his car numberplate and drove away. But the man realised what she had done and gave chase. For 15 minutes, he tailed her through the streets of Glasgow. Frightened for her life, Clara drove to a police station, but the man turned off before she arrived. Continue reading...

‘The Nationality and Borders Bill further criminalises people coming to the UK to seek asylum. It does so by switching the emphasis from ‘entering’ the UK to ‘arriving’ in the UK. The difference is significant. Together with a combination of other powers, it means that people can be stopped from crossing the English Channel in

Prison inspectors have warned against the deployment of a controversial pepper spray used to suppress violent prisoners becoming ‘routine’ at a prison in Staffordshire. An unannounced inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons of HMP Swinfen Hall, a category C prison which holds 531 men mostly serving sentence of over four years, called into question the

Mental health provision in prisons is in a terrible state. So terrible that MPs across political divides are calling for ‘root and branch reform’. In a damning report by the influential Justice Select Committee current services are described as ‘disjointed and incoherent’. The report passed by largely unnoticed in the media when it was published

A woman says letters from prison made her feel there was "no escape" from her abusive ex.

Former senior figures call for ‘Stephen Lawrence moment’ to overhaul forces in England and WalesSystematic underfunding of the police in England and Wales during 10 years of austerity “severely diminished” officers’ ability to recognise and target criminals who attack women and girls, according to former senior police figures.They called for a “Stephen Lawrence moment” of transformation in the service and a full judge-led inquiry to restore faith in policing. Continue reading...

Lord chancellor asked about delays, family law and data in first live interview since taking over justice brief.

‘Civil liberties groups have reacted with dismay to Priti Patel’s plan to criminalise protest groups, saying demonstrations are a “core pillar of any healthy democracy”.’ Full StoryThe Guardian, 5th October 2021Source: www.theguardian.com

Following a complex investigation supported by Europol, the Dutch National Police (Politie) together with the Czech National Organised Crime Agency (Národní centrála proti organizovanému zločinu) and the Slovak National Crime Agency (Národná kriminálna agentúra) swooped on a gun trafficking gang, arresting 6 of its members this past month in the framework of Operational Taskforce LOS. 

There has been a dramatic increase in the length of custodial sentences for most serious crimes over the last two decades despite a fall in public concern with the minimum term for murder rising from 12.5 years in 2003 to 20 years in 2020. According to a new report by the Prison Reform Trust, there

A non-practising barrister has been reprimanded and fined for describing herself as a “barrister at law” on emails and telling a client she could represent her. The post Non-practising barrister fined for calling herself “barrister-at-law” appeared first on Legal Futures.

UK industry body warns of ‘wild west of safety’ after investigation into toys being sold on major sitesNearly half the toys purchased from third-party sellers on online marketplaces were dangerous, according to an investigation by an industry body that warns of a “wild west of safety”.The research by the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) identified toys that could choke, burn or even poison a child being sold on major sites including Amazon and eBay. Continue reading...

The government is keen for police to expand their use of the practice to identify more drug users and crack down on so-called recreational drug use.

Priti Patel has announced a policing inquiry during a Conservative conference focused on women's safety.

The CBA (@TheCriminalBar) retweeted:Imagine being Justice Secretary in a week when the deficiencies in criminal justice - the delays, the chronic lack of resources, the record trial backlog - are being laid bare, and then giving a keynote speech in which you don’t mention underfunding once. twitter.com/dominicraab/st…- The Secret Barrister (@BarristerSecret)05:17 - Oct 05, 2021Quoted Tweet:From tagging more criminals to introducing a Victim’s Law, this government is putting justice for victims at the heart of everything we do [1/3]conservatives.com/news/we-will-m…- Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab)03:44 - Oct 05, 2021

The measures include a new offence of interfering with the operation of key infrastructure – including motorways, railways, and airports.

The government will also launch a taskforce to drive cross-government action on tackling violence against women and girls.

Serial killer Stephen Port murdered four men between 2014-15 with fatal overdoses of the drug GHB.

Guildford pub bomb victim Ann Hamilton's sister says she would confront the bombers, if she could.

Representative bodies highlight importance of legal services sector at Conservative conference.

Offenders’ community punishments will be better focused on paying back society, the Deputy Prime Minister vowed today (5 October 2021).

Almost 26,000 extra offenders will be tagged over the next 3 years under an ambitious £180 million plan to expand the use of electronic monitoring to cut crime.

Solicitor-general Alex Chalk QC MP says he thought about the idea last year.

Treasury urged to address 'severe delays, insurmountable backlogs, crumbling buildings and chronic underfunding’.

The home secretary wants powers to stop people attending demos if they are likely to commit crime.

"You have eroded the confidence that the public are entitled to have in the police forces of England and Wales. It is critical that every subject in this country can trust police officers when they encounter them and submit to their authority, which they are entitled to believe is being exercised in good faith" - Sentencing remarks - Lord Justice Fulford - 30 September 2021 - R v Couzens. Powers of arrest are a difficult legal topic but they have come to greater public prominence due to the actions of Wayne Couzens who kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard. Couzens was a serving Police Officer who purported to arrest Sarah as she was walking home having visited a friend. What does the law say about arrest and use of force?Arrest with a warrantAn arrest may be authorised by the warrant of a Justice of the Peace - Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 section 1 which enables a JP to issue either a summons or issue a warrant to arrest an individual and bring him before a Magistrates' Court.. Arrest without warrant:The Police do not usually require such a warrant because the law gives Police Officers (Constables) immense powers. They are entrusted to exercise them properly.The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 section 24 is the principal power enabling the Police to arrest without warrant. The requirements set out in the section must be complied with strictly. Note that this power of arrest is exercisable only if the constable has reasonable grounds for believing that for any of the reasons in section 24(5) it is necessary to arrest the person in question.If an arrest is not necessary it is open to the Police to ask the individual to attend at a Police Station for interview. Also, the individual could offer to do so voluntarily - see PACE section 29..Ordinary citizens have a power of arrest but it is exercisable only in limited circumstances. This power is not discussed further in this post - Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 section 24A .If there are no legal grounds for an arrest or if an arrest is made without following correct legal process then a civil action may arise for a tort (civil wrong) such as unlawful arrest or false imprisonment. Such actions are legally difficult and require specialist legal advice.Following arrest:An individual who is arrested must be informed that he is under arrest and the reason for the arrest - PACE section 28.  Also, where an arrest takes place outside a Police Station, the Police must take the arrested individual to a Police Station as soon as reasonably practicable - section 30.Search:PACE 1984 section 32 confers a power on the Police to search an individual following arrest. This power has specified limitations as set out in section 32.The non-uniformed officer:A Police Officer who is NOT in uniform continues to have Police powers. According to this BBC article, the College of Policing has stated that it would be "highly unusual for a plain-clothes officer to be working alone" and "if they are, it is standard practice that they should call other officers ..."Any Police Officer - whether uniformed or not - should be able and willing to show a warrant card if requested to do so.The same BBC article also refers to "off-duty Police Officers."  According to the article, they are expected to intervene if they see someone committing an offence or there is another need to protect the public - even when off duty. An officer can exercise most of their powers all the time - and as soon as they do so they are classed as being on duty.Reasonable force:The Police are entitled to use reasonable force when making an arrest - see Criminal Law Act 1967 section 3.and PACE 1984 section 117.  Handcuffing is one example of use of force and must be justified objectively - e.g. where the arrested individual is violent or likely to be violent.According to this report by HMICFRS (January 2021), before April 2017 there was no national requirement to record use of force except in a number of specified cases such as Taser use. The report states that data regarding the use of force has been collected since 2017 but is 'not yet reliable enough to support definitive assessments'.The use of unreasonable force may result in the the Police Officer being liable in tort (trespass to the person) or an offence (e.g. assault) may have been committed. In criminal proceedings, the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 section 76 comes into play. Whether the degree of force used was reasonable in the circumstances is to be decided by reference to the circumstances as the defendant believed them to be. Police Complaints:Anyone who is concerned about Police conduct they have experienced should give serious consideration to making a complaint - see Independent Office for Police Conduct. The complaints process is a crucial part of the machinery available for maintaining Police standards.PACE Code G:Code G issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act applies to the statutory Police power of arrest.According to the Code, an arrested individual must be cautioned unless (a) it is impracticable to do so by reason of their condition or behaviour at the time; (b) they have already been cautioned immediately prior to arrest. The words of the caution are -"You do not have to say anything. But, it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence"The words "Do you understand" are often added in films / TV crime programmes. Those words are not part of the caution and thus there is no requirement to answer even if they are included.This version of the caution was introduced following inroads into the right to silence brought about by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. This is yet another area of complex law and is not pursued further here.Media:BBC 1 October 2021 - Sarah Everard: What you should do if you are stopped by the PoliceThe Guardian 1 October 2021 - Sarah Everard case: people stopped by lone officer could 'wave down a bus', says MetLiberty 30 September 2021 - Liberty responds to the sentencing of Sarah Everard's killer

This report provides the Environment Agency with independent metrics on the scale and nature of waste crime.

‘The number of people sentenced to more than 20 years in prison has quadrupled over the last decade, figures have shown. Given the increase in average tariff lengths handed down by courts, this figure is expected to continue to rise substantially over coming years.’ Full StoryThe Guardian, 3rd October 2021Source: www.theguardian.com

Criminals are using students and others to unwittingly move funds through their bank accountsReaders’ £1m losses highlight scale of the UK’s fraud crisisThe job advert seemed timely. It offered between £500-£1,000 a week to work from home as an agent for cryptocurrency transactions. Lauren*, 21, was heavily in debt after a period of unpaid sick leave and leapt at the chance to rebalance her finances.“It had been promoted on social media by a couple of people I’d been at school with so I trusted it,” she says. “It seemed such a coincidence that this came along just when I needed it.” Continue reading...

Force published about 2,100 seized knife images in a year, which experts say could be counterproductiveYoung people may be nudged into carrying knives by the police, research has found, as a new count showed the Metropolitan police circulated more than 2,100 images of seized knives on Twitter in a year.In the same period, three leading violent-crime prevention charities – Hope Collective, the Ben Kinsella Trust and Dwaynamics – circulated two images of knives between them, according to research by the Green party in the London assembly. Continue reading...

Successful bids from the third round of the Safer Streets Fund announced, with Police and Crime Commissioners and local authorities to receive an extra £23.5m

Campaigners say posting such photos on social media accounts does more harm than good.

Guideline figures for carrying out a summary assessment of court costs, listed by pay band and grade for different parts of the country.

‘Sarah Salmon reports on how a social landlord successfully defended a private prosecution brought by an occupier of one of its properties under section 82 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.’ Full StoryLocal Government Lawyer, 1st October 2021Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Sarah Everard's killer is believed to have been in a chat with officers sharing "discriminatory" content.

‘Britain’s drug laws are racist and need to be overhauled, a former government adviser has said. Lord Simon Woolley, who used to lead the government’s race disparity unit, said the 50-year-old Misuse of Drugs Act should be reviewed, as it is a “tool of systemic racism”.’ Full StoryThe Independent, 30th September 2021Source: www.independent.co.uk

Policy and guidance on responding to requests from prisoners to get married or enter into a civil partnership.

Rules and guidance for prisons on escorting prisoners outside of prison.

From 1 October, UK Border Force will stop accepting insecure ID cards from most EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, in a move that will strengthen UK borders

17 projects aimed at tackling the combatting the illegal wildlife trade to benefit from latest round of Challenge Fund funding

Autonomy founder Lynch scores extradition decision delay as Home Sec ponders sending him to US  The Register

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick says no words can express its fury and sadness.

Kate Wilson met the undercover officer while he was posing as an environmental campaigner in 2003.

The cumulative findings of the CPS review for completed prosecutions between March 2020 and August 2021 under the Coronavirus Act and Health Protection Regulations are detailed in the table below.

Outstanding cases in the Crown court pass 60,000 for the first time.

The CBA (@TheCriminalBar) retweeted:Valerie Charbit talks to @legalhackette @TimesLaw about upcoming Kindness project with @TheCriminalBar & SEC in the wake of latest stats showing barristers suffering from 'burn out' & a high rise in mental ill health. Read more: bit.ly/2XZF6sv #WellbeingAtTheBar pic.twitter.com/lsUPQe7Sxc- Red Lion Chambers (@RedLionChambers)03:11 - Sep 30, 2021

Women's confidence in the police has been "shattered" by the murder, senior MP Harriet Harman says.

Inspectors say force has failed to address ‘significant delays’ in handling of serious crimesInspectors have issued an unprecedented warning about public safety in Greater Manchester after finding serious failings in the region’s police force – four years after the alarm was first raised.The inspector of constabulary said he was deeply concerned that Greater Manchester police (GMP) was failing vulnerable victims of crime, with some waiting days or weeks for a response. Continue reading...

Prisoners in England and Wales are handed such sentences for the most serious cases of murderHome secretaries have had the power to impose whole-life orders (formerly known as whole-life tariffs) since 1983 when the then incumbent, Leon Brittan, introduced the power. By contrast, judges have only held such powers since the passing of the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) 2003.While dozens of such sentences had been issued by the end of the 1980s, since the CJA the vast majority have been imposed by judges. Continue reading...

The police inspectorate is "concerned about public safety" over Greater Manchester Police's failures.

A review looking at the prevalence, risk factors and public health harms associated with gambling and the economic and social burden.

More victims of rape and sexual violence will be spared the stress of being cross-examined in court under a scheme rolled out to a further 4 Crown Courts today (30 September 2021).

Crime figures in rural and urban areas.

Simon Woolley says failure of drugs legislation is having a devastating impact on public healthBritain’s drug laws are racist and cause “high levels of mental health harm” among black people, a former No 10 race adviser has said.Simon Woolley said drugs legislation introduced 50 years ago had failed to cut the use, supply and harms associated with illegal drugs, and instead was used “as a tool of systemic racism”. Continue reading...