Dine-and-dash couple jailed and fined – BBC News
‘A couple who dined and dashed at five restaurants using their children to walk out on bills of more than £1,000 have been jailed.’
BBC News, 29th May 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: theft
Post Office scandal: Police to deploy 80 detectives for criminal inquiry – The Guardian
‘Police are planning to deploy 80 detectives for their criminal inquiry into the Post Office scandal, the Guardian has learned, but victims will face a long wait to discover if charges will follow.’
The Guardian, 27th May 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
The Post Office: Disclosure Lessons from a National Scandal – Guildhall Chambers
‘An estimated 736 people were prosecuted by the Post Office between 2000 and 2014, Horizon software having been first introduced in 1999, and responsibility for prosecutions, in all but exceptional cases, being handed over to the Crown Prosecution Service in 2014. Many of those prosecuted were imprisoned, 4 committed suicide and all faced the stigma and stress of criminal prosecution. The Court of Appeal in Hamilton v Post Office Limited [2021] EWCA Crim 577 quashed 39 convictions (of the 42 appellants) on the basis that there had been an abuse of process on two grounds: that a fair trial was impossible and that it was an affront to public conscience for the appellants to have faced prosecution. This judgment followed the Post Office Group Litigation in the High Court before Fraser J known as Bates and Others v The Post Office Limited [2019] EWHC 3408.’
Guildhall Chambers, 11th March 2024
Source: www.guildhallchambers.co.uk
Ashton-under-Lyne car thief jailed for kidnap of blind passenger – BBC News
‘A man who stole a car while a vulnerable 89-year-old passenger was inside it has been jailed.’
BBC News, 15th April 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Post office operator wrongly jailed while pregnant rejects executive’s apology – The Guardian
‘A post office operator who was wrongly prosecuted while pregnant has rejected a Post Office executive’s apology for having sent an email celebrating her conviction as “brilliant news”.’
The Guardian, 11th April 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
Shoplifting crackdown to include £55m for facial recognition tools in England and Wales – The Guardian
‘The government is investing more than £55m in expanding facial recognition systems – including vans that will scan crowded high streets – as part of a renewed crackdown on shoplifting.’
The Guardian, 10th April 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
Former British Museum curator ordered to return ‘stolen items’ – The Independent
‘A former British Museum curator who allegedly stole and damaged artefacts has been ordered by the High Court to return any he may have.’
The Independent, 27th March 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
What is the Post Office Horizon bill and why is it controversial? – The Guardian
‘The Post Office (Horizon system) offences bill, published on Wednesday, will quash the convictions of people resulting from the scandal, which involved hundreds being wrongly prosecuted on the basis of a faulty IT system. Here the Guardian explains the thinking behind the bill and why it is controversial.’
The Guardian, 13th March 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
Post Office scandal victims convictions to be quashed – BBC News
‘A new law will be introduced on Wednesday to clear the names of the hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongly convicted in the Post Office scandal.’
BBC News, 13th March 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Post Office scandal victim feels ‘survivor’s guilt’ after compensation – BBC News
‘Former sub-postmaster Jo Hamilton says she feels “survivor’s guilt” after settling with the Post Office over the Horizon IT scandal for an undisclosed sum.’
BBC News, 5th March 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Labradoodle thief guilty of Donald Patience murder – BBC News
‘A man who strangled a dog owner and then stole his pet labradoodle has been found guilty of murder.’
BBC News, 29th February 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Suffolk couple stole £200K intended for disabled son’s care – BBC News
‘A couple claimed more than £200,000 for care for their disabled son, but kept the money to fund their own “extravagant lifestyle”.’
BBC News, 25th February 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Proposed sentencing guidelines for aggravated vehicle taking and motoring offences unveiled – Solicitors Journal
‘The independent Sentencing Council has published proposed sentencing guidelines for individuals convicted of motoring offences committed while driving vehicles without the owner’s consent.’
Solicitors Journal, 21st February 2024
Source: www.solicitorsjournal.com
Ministers to press ahead with legislation to exonerate Post Office Horizon victims – The Guardian
‘Ministers have vowed to press ahead with legislation to automatically overturn convictions related to the Post Office Horizon scandal by the end of July.’
The Guardian, 22nd February 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
Stolen treasures – Counsel
‘In August 2023, the British Museum issued a press release that set hares running in the art world. Two thousand assets from its permanent collection had been stolen or damaged. Some, it transpired, had gone missing in plain sight. This prompted a fast-moving review into the Museum’s security apparatus, resulting in the resignation of its director and the dismissal of members of staff implicated in a programme of digital heists. But most notable, perhaps, was the ire of public scrutiny that was raised in the wake of the scandal: how did the Museum drop the ball so critically that the security and integrity of its entire collection came to be compromised? The seriousness of the matter was compounded, no doubt, by the fact that the provenance of scores of the stolen pieces derived from other civilisations. As such, a decades-old debate has now reignited concerning the moral basis for the acquisition and continued custodianship over foreign cultural treasures.’
Counsel, 19th February 2024
Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk
Horizon scandal: Five short-changed postmasters to get full compensation – BBC News
‘A small group of former sub-postmasters whose convictions were overturned have finally been told they will receive full compensation.’
BBC News, 12th February 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Horizon scandal: post office operator cleared after years of suffering in silence – The Guardian
‘A former post office branch operator who suffered in silence and endured humiliation after being convicted of fraud based on evidence from the faulty Horizon IT system has had her conviction quashed by the court of appeal.’
The Guardian, 25th January 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
Robert Craig: The constitutional implications of legislating to exonerate the Post Office sub-postmasters – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘Some commentators have claimed that the decision to expedite the process of formally exonerating the sub-postmasters potentially runs afoul of certain core constitutional principles, in particular the separation of powers. It has also been claimed that the “crown does not have a prerogative of justice but only a prerogative of mercy”. This blog considers and challenges those claims.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 16th January 2024
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
Two men jailed on racist police officer’s evidence have convictions overturned – The Guardian
‘Two men who were framed by a racist and corrupt detective for the same offence he was later jailed for have had their convictions posthumously quashed by the court of appeal 46 years later.’
The Guardian, 18th January 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
Cat and dog theft set to be made criminal offence – BBC News
‘The government is expected to back making stealing cats and dogs a specific criminal offence in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.’
BBC News, 19th January 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
