Man cons council out of £710k in ‘Greggs’ swindle – BBC News

Posted February 14th, 2025 in coronavirus, fraud, loans, news by Lily

‘Aftab Baig, 47, made fraudulent small business grant claims from Leeds City Council against 32 properties which were branches of the firm during the coronavirus pandemic in May 2020. Baig, who had no links to Greggs and was not employed by the company, was eventually caught out and all but £90,000 was later returned to the council. At Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday, Baig, of Paisley Road West, Glasgow, was found guilty of three counts of fraud and is due to be sentenced at the same court on 31 March.’

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BBC News, 14th February 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Paolo Sandro: Soft, But for Whom? Law and the Creation of Accountability – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted February 13th, 2025 in coronavirus, emergency powers, health, news, rule of law by sally

‘Five years on, and with a potential new pandemic on the horizon (if not already here), researchers from all disciplines have been very busy evaluating how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was managed by different governments around the world. In legal and political studies, for example, there is a growing body of literature which considers the encroachment on civil liberties effected by so-called “lockdown” policies and their overall impact on the rule of law.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 12th February 2025

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Tasneem Ghazi: Political Accountability for the Abuse of Guidance: Comparing English and Irish Guidance during the Coronavirus Lockdown – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted February 4th, 2025 in constitutional law, coronavirus, government departments, Ireland, news by tracey

‘This blog post compares how the government of Ireland and the UK government exercising its responsibility for England used non-statutory guidance during the pandemic to reinforce two severe intrusions upon peoples’ liberty: the orders requiring people to stay home and to refrain from public gatherings.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 3rd February 2025

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Fraudster who defrauded Covid ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme jailed – Crown Prosecution Service

‘An accountant who helped himself to £27,000 from the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme as part of a bigger Covid loans fraud has been jailed for three years and eight months today.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 3rd February 2025

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Katie Lines: Law and Guidance in a Public Health Emergency – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted January 29th, 2025 in constitutional law, coronavirus, government departments, health, news, rule of law by tracey

‘The use of law and guidance in a public health emergency was one of the issues explored by the Independent Commission on UK Public Health Emergency Powers. The Commission, chaired by the Rt. Hon. Sir Jack Beatson FBA and supported by the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, conducted an intensive review of the constitutional and rule of law dimensions of the UK’s Covid-19 response and emergency powers framework. Neither the UK nor Scottish Covid-19 Inquiries are focussing on these aspects of the pandemic response, and so the Commission was launched to fill this gap. Its report was published last spring and makes 44 recommendations for changes in law, policy, practice and procedure.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 29th January 2025

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Unfair dismissal and clerical employment: Reverend S Bozos – Law & Religion UK

‘Fr Stavros Bozos was the priest of the Greek Orthodox parish of the Three Hierarchs in Leeds, seconded from the Church of Greece and under the authority of the Archbishop of Great Britain and Thyateira. His contract of employment included celebrating the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and Great Feast Days and monthly at the Greek School, preaching at the Liturgy, catechism classes for children and adults, helping and supporting the community and church and taking care of the “cleanness and seemly appearance of the Church interior”. He had refused to work from the church after the COVID-19 lockdowns were lifted, insisting on working from home and arguing that he should not be obliged to commute to the church because the community’s computer was located at his home, making the commute a waste of time.’

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Law & Religion UK, 10th January 2025

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

In depth: Should law firms pile pressure on staff to return to the office? – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 14th, 2025 in coronavirus, flexible working, law firms, news by tracey

‘UK plc and public sector organisations are ramping up pressure on staff to come in to the office as pandemic memories fade. Law firms seeking to follow suit need to be aware that there are risks attached.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 14th January 2025

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Covid corruption commissioner starts fraud probe – BBC News

Posted December 3rd, 2024 in coronavirus, corruption, fraud, news, protective equipment by tracey

‘The new Covid corruption commissioner has started an investigation into personal protective equipment (PPE) fraud. Tom Hayhoe’s first task will be reviewing the £8.7bn of PPE bought during the pandemic that then had to be written off the government’s books.’

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BBC News, 3rd December 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Alex Whatley has written an analysis of Advanced Multi-Technology for Medical Industry & Ors v Uniserve Limited & Ors [2024] EWHC 1725 (Ch) – 3PB

Posted November 26th, 2024 in agency, contracts, coronavirus, misrepresentation, news, protective equipment by tracey

‘Alex Whatley has written an analysis of Advanced Multi-Technology for Medical Industry & Ors v Uniserve Limited & Ors [2024] EWHC 1725 (Ch).’

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3PB, 21st November 2024

Source: www.3pb.co.uk

Covid denier who posted violent threats against Chris Whitty jailed for five years – The Guardian

Posted November 12th, 2024 in coronavirus, internet, news, sentencing, terrorism by tracey

‘A Covid denier who suggested “whacking” Prof Sir Chris Whitty with a rounders bat has been jailed for five years after being convicted of encouraging terrorism.’

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The Guardian, 11th November 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

GP jailed for 31 years over ‘audacious’ plot to murder mother’s partner with fake Covid jab – The Independent

Posted November 7th, 2024 in coronavirus, doctors, news, poisoning, sentencing by tracey

‘A GP who disguised himself as a nurse and poisoned his mother’s partner with a fake Covid jab in an “audacious” plot to murder him has been jailed for 31 years.’

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The Independent, 6th November 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Legal issue on ‘negligent’ advice from NHS England arises in long Covid litigation – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A judge has declined to decide whether NHS trusts which relied on ‘negligent’ advice from NHS England during the pandemic are liable for frontline healthcare workers’ long Covid.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 31st October 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

GP admits attempted murder of mother’s partner with fake Covid jab – The Guardian

Posted October 7th, 2024 in attempted murder, coronavirus, doctors, families, news, poisoning, vaccination by michael

‘Thomas Kwan, 53, was on trial at Newcastle crown court and had initially denied attempted murder, but changed his plea after he heard the prosecution open the case against him.’

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The Guardian, 7th October 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Stephen Tierney: Towards a Principle of Positive Engagement?: The House of Lords Constitution Committee reports on The Governance of the Union – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘Over the past decade the House of Lords Constitution Committee has immersed itself in the principles, purposes and operation of devolution. Last week marked 10 years since the referendum on Scottish independence, and in that time the Committee has published multiple reports on the changing face of the territorial constitution, offering encouragement, detailed critique and practical recommendations. A number of these publications are cited in the introduction to its most recent report on The Governance of the Union: Consultation, Co-operation and Legislative Consent, which is published today. This report addresses the new system of intergovernmental relations introduced in 2022, the operation of the Sewel convention, the use of secondary legislation in devolved areas and plans by the new Labour Government for further devolution in England. Most notably, it recommends that a “principle of positive engagement” be added to the existing principles for intergovernmental relations, currently listed in The Review of Intergovernmental Relations policy document of January 2022.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 27th September 2024

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Businessman sentenced for Government backed COVID 19 bounce back loan fraud – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted September 23rd, 2024 in coronavirus, Crown Prosecution Service, fraud, imprisonment, loans, news, sentencing by tracey

‘An entrepreneur was sentenced today (20 September 2024) for fraudulently obtaining a COVID-19 Bounce Bank Loans to a value of £50,000.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 20th September 2024

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Sufficiency of directions in cases involving delay and prejudicial material: Dutta v GMC [2024] EWHC (Admin) 1217 – 2 Hare Court

Posted September 11th, 2024 in appeals, chambers articles, coronavirus, delay, evidence, news, tribunals by tracey

‘Dutta is a well-known name in professional discipline. In this more recent Dutta the High Court upheld certain grounds of appeal in relation to facts found by the MPT and remitted the matter back. However, the High Court rejected grounds which related to delay and the admissibility of evidence.’

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2 Hare Court, 9th September 2024

Source: www.2harecourt.com

Corruption review finds ‘red flags’ in more than 130 Covid contracts – BBC News

‘An anti-corruption charity says it has identified significant concerns in contracts worth over £15.3bn awarded by the Conservative government during the Covid pandemic, equivalent to one in every £3 spent.’

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BBC News, 9th September 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Company boss banned over £145k Covid support claims – BBC News

Posted September 4th, 2024 in company directors, coronavirus, disqualification, insolvency, loans, news by tracey

‘A businessman has been banned from being a company director after making bogus claims for £145,000 in Covid-19 support grants.’

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BBC News, 3rd September 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

NHS clinical negligence agreement “encourages apologies” – Legal Futures

‘A successor agreement to the Covid-19 clinical negligence protocol has been launched , which encourages the NHS to provide a “meaningful letter of apology” where liability is admitted and identify any patient safety lessons.’

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Legal Futures, 28th August 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law and religion roundup – Law & Religion UK

‘Further to the notices relating to Jonathan Fletcher posted by the Diocese of Southwark and the Metropolitan Police, it is perhaps timely to include a link to the Attorney General’s Note, Contempt of court and social media.’

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Law & Religion UK, 14th July 2024

Source: lawandreligionuk.com