Catch up with the latest news.
Couple sentenced for £885,000 fraud
Cardiff couple Mark and Elizabeth Lewis have been sentenced for their parts in a large scale Gift Aid fraud believed to have cost the public revenue £885,000. Mark Lewis was sentenced to four years' imprisonment and his wife Elizabeth Lewis was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment suspended for two years… Read more ...New analysis of UK bribery prosecutions
An analysis of UK bribery prosecutions has revealed that many of the bribes paid out by UK companies to secure business interests are relatively small when compared with the contract gains that result. The review, by accountants Ernst & Young, assessed 27 bribery prosecutions and found that one-third of the bribes paid out… Read more ...Legislation to tackle human trafficking
The UK Government has announced new measures in England and Wales to ensure that human traffickers will face the full force of the law, with the maximum sentence for trafficking offences increased to life. The move will make sure the worst perpetrators can get a life sentence while those who… Read more ...Parole Board oral hearings challenge succeeds
In an interesting ruling, the Supreme Court has ruled that the Parole Board breached three prisoners’ human rights by failing to offer them oral hearings. The appeal concerned the circumstances in which the Parole Board is obliged to hold an oral hearing. The first appellant, Osborn, had been sentenced to… Read more ...NCA begins operations
A man from Troon is among eight people arrested throughout the UK by the newly formed National Crime Agency (NCA) on suspicion of identity theft offences, reports the BBC. Months of planning went into the operation, which involved dozens of police officers from NCA as well as local police forces… Read more ...Fall in number of homicides
There was a 32% fall in the number of homicide cases recorded by the police in Scotland in 2012-13, according to new Government figures. These reveal that there were 62 murders over the last year, down from the 93 murders recorded in 2011-12. “Homicides are continuing to fall, dropping by… Read more ...Serious Crime Prevention Orders in Scotland
The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on its proposal to introduce Serious Crime Prevention Orders (SCPO) in Scotland. An SCPO is a civil order which is made in order to disrupt criminal activity. It does so by imposing binding conditions on individuals or organisations, in the hope of preventing… Read more ...MEPs target organised crime
Earlier this week MEPs approved a European framework aimed at cracking down on organised crime, corruption and money laundering. Issues covered include: Excluding people who are convicted by a final judgment of organised crime, corruption or money laundering from bidding for any public procurement contract anywhere in the EU… Read more ...MEPs approve new law on access to a lawyer
MEPs this week approved a new EU law to guarantee the rights of all citizens to be advised by a lawyer when facing criminal proceedings. The new law will mean that anyone who is a suspect – no matter where they are in the European Union – will be guaranteed… Read more ...