Category: crime

Drug dependence: treatment over incarceration – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted October 19th, 2016 in crime, drug abuse, drug offences, health, news, rehabilitation by sally

‘Drug dependence has significant direct and indirect costs to society beyond the impact on individuals. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction estimates that in 2010 alone, between €3.7b to 5.9b of public money was spent on drug-law offenders in prisons in Europe. This figure does not include the cost of criminal justice responses to drug-using offenders who have been convicted of other crimes that may have been motivated in part by drug-dependency.’

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 18th October 2016

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Game of tomes: Blackstone’s gets the judges’ nod – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 13th, 2016 in courts, crime, news by tracey

‘Blackstone’s Criminal Practice will remain the standard text in criminal courts, the judiciary has confirmed, ending speculation that an earlier decision to replace the venerable Archbold would be reversed.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 12th October 2016

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Police not recording most UK slavery cases as crimes, says report – The Guardian

Posted October 13th, 2016 in crime, news, police, reports, trafficking in human beings by tracey

‘UK police forces are failing victims of modern slavery by not recording what happens to them as crimes, meaning many cases are never investigated, the independent anti-slavery commissioner has said in his first annual report.’

Full story

The Guardian, 12th October 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

IPCC will not investigate South Yorkshire Police chief David Crompton over conduct at Hillsborough inquest – The Independent

Posted October 13th, 2016 in complaints, crime, inquests, misfeasance in public office, news, police, professional conduct by tracey

‘The police watchdog has announced it will not investigate claims that a chief constable instructed lawyers to “pour blame” onto Hillsborough victims at the inquest into the disaster.’

Full story

The Independent, 12th October 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Coroner asks CPS to probe Freckleton baby death – BBC News

Posted October 6th, 2016 in birth, coroners, crime, Crown Prosecution Service, homicide, inquests, news by tracey

‘The inquest into a baby boy’s death at a vicarage in Lancashire has been halted and the coroner has referred the case to prosecutors.’

Full story

BBC News, 5th October 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Asylum seeker allowed to remain in Britain after plea by MP is finally facing deportation after being jailed for sex attack – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 15th, 2016 in asylum, crime, deportation, immigration, news, sentencing, sexual offences by tracey

‘An asylum seeker who was allowed to remain in Britain after an MP campaigned for him to stay is finally facing deportation after being jailed for a sex attack.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 14th September 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Illegal mobile phone use by motorists is increasing, says RAC – The Guardian

Posted September 15th, 2016 in crime, news, reports, road traffic offences, telecommunications by tracey

‘Illegal mobile phone use by drivers is rising, according to new research that found 31% of motorists admitted to using a handheld phone behind the wheel compared with 8% in 2014.’

Full story

The Guardian, 15th September 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MPs slam ‘national scandal’ of FGM- Britain’s hidden crime – The Independent

Posted September 15th, 2016 in child abuse, crime, female genital mutilation, human rights, news, select committees by tracey

‘Britain’s failure to protect girls from female genital mutilation (FGM) has been described as a “national scandal” by a committee of MPs, who said it was “beyond belief” that, 30 years since it became illegal, not a single person has been convicted of the crime. They described it as a “hidden crime” and “preventable” child abuse.’

Full story

The Independent, 15th September 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Bar ethics chiefs issue advice and warning to criminal bar – The Bar Council

Posted September 8th, 2016 in appeals, barristers, crime, press releases by tracey

‘Barristers who were not trial counsel, but who are instructed to represent convicted defendants in the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal have been given new guidance by the Bar Council’s Ethics Committee on their duty to check the factual basis for the appeal or risk criticism and action by the court.’

Full press release

The Bar Council, 7th September 2016

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Old Bailey judge retiring after 20 years condemns burden foreign criminals are placing on state – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 8th, 2016 in crime, criminal justice, elderly, immigration, judges, news, offensive weapons, terrorism, young offenders by tracey

‘An influx of Eastern European criminals risks clogging up the criminal justice system and placing an extra burden on its finances, a senior Old Bailey judge warns. His Honour Judge Tim Pontius also expresses concern at the surge in historic sex abuse cases which he called “troubling”, while conceding that the system is struggling to cope with young Islamist terrorists.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 7th September 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Attorney General Jeremy Wright speech to the Cambridge Symposium on Economic Crime – Attorney General’s Office

Posted September 7th, 2016 in attorney general, crime, news, speeches by sally

‘The Attorney General on the threat faced today [5 September] from economic crime and how the UK Government is addressing it.’

Full story

Attorney General’s Office, 5th September 2016

Source: www.gov.uk/ago

Sexist hate crimes given second-class status, says senior Tory MP – The Guardian

Posted August 30th, 2016 in crime, gender, harassment, hate crime, news, police, women by sally

‘Gender-related hate crime has been given second-class status while sexist behaviour online, in the street and in the classroom has been going unchallenged, according to Maria Miller, who chairs the women and equalities select committee.’

Full story

The Guardian, 29th August 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ancient grazing rights threatened as controversial baaaaaaad behaviour orders used to criminalise sheep – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 4th, 2016 in animals, anti-social behaviour, commons, crime, fines, local government, news by Mark L

‘it is one of the most ancient surviving commoners’ rights in England, thought to date at least to the Norman conquest if not before. But the custom of allowing sheep to roam freely in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire is set to be criminalised in one village, in the latest manifestation of controversial new antisocial behaviour laws nicknamed the “busybodies’ charter”.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 4th August 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

London 2011 riots: Stop and search change ‘led to knife crime’ – BBC News

Posted August 4th, 2016 in consultations, crime, London, news, offensive weapons, police, public order, racism, statistics, stop and search by Mark L

‘It is “highly likely” a drop in police stop and search usage has led to a rise in knife crime, a member of the panel which advised the government following the 2011 riots has said.’

Full story

BBC News, 4th August 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Crime rate set to double after true scale of internet offences revealed – The Guardian

Posted July 21st, 2016 in computer crime, crime, internet, news, statistics by tracey

‘There were more than 5.8m incidents of cybercrime in the last year, the Office for National Statistics has said, far higher than previously thought and enough to nearly double the crime rate in England and Wales.’

Full story

The Guardian, 21st July 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Criminals winning ‘cyber arms race’ – National Crime Agency – BBC News

Posted July 7th, 2016 in computer crime, conspiracy, crime, internet, news by sally

‘Businesses and law enforcement agencies are losing the “cyber arms race” with online criminals, the UK’s National Crime Agency has warned.’

Full story

BBC News, 7th July 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

A radical moment for Britain’s sex workers – The Guardian

Posted July 5th, 2016 in crime, news, parliament, prostitution, select committees by sally

‘The Commons inquiry into prostitution has recommended legalising brothels and soliciting as quickly as possible. So, what happens now?’

Full story

The Guardian, 4th July 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

First North East prosecution for controlling and coercive behaviour – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted June 16th, 2016 in coercive & controlling behaviour, crime, harassment, press releases, prosecutions, sentencing by tracey

‘A Cleveland man has today been sentenced in what is believed to be the North East’s first prosecution for the new criminal offence of controlling and coercive behaviour.’

Press release

Crown Prosecution Service, 10th June 2016

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Record low UK crime rate is ‘only benefiting the wealthy’, new survey shows – The Independent

Posted June 7th, 2016 in crime, equality, news by tracey

‘New research suggests people living in well off areas have been the main beneficiaries of Britain’s falling crime rate – while those living in poorer parts of the country have seen far smaller reductions.’

Full story

The Independent, 6th June 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Criminalisation of lesbians on the rise – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 17th, 2016 in crime, foreign jurisdictions, homosexuality, news, reports, women by sally

‘At least 10 countries that previously criminalised only male same-sex sexual conduct have recently expanded their criminal codes to encompass sexual conduct between women, groundbreaking research has discovered.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 17th May 2016

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk