Milton Keynes murder: Chainmail-wearing killer found guilty – BBC News
‘A drug dealer who wore a chainmail vest to protect himself has been found guilty of murdering a rival.’
BBC News, 20th October 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: drug offences
Nationwide Organised Crime Gang sentenced – Crown Prosecution Service
‘Eighteen members of a gang who ran a county lines drugs operation stretching from north Wales and Merseyside as far as Anglesey, Cornwall and Scotland have been sentenced to a total of nearly 147 years’ imprisonment, with individual sentences ranging from 4 to 21 years at Mold Crown Court.’
Crown Prosecution Service , 11th September 2020
Source: www.cps.gov.uk
Judge makes formal complaint over Covid custody waits – BBC News
‘A judge has claimed he was put under “improper and undue influence” to keep a defendant in custody.’
BBC News, 11th September 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Rapper Ceon Broughton wins appeal against manslaughter conviction following festival death of Louella Fletcher-Michie – Garden Court Chambers
‘Ceon Broughton, a rapper jailed over the death of his partner Louella Fletcher-Michie from a drug overdose at Bestival has won his appeal against his manslaughter conviction. Broughton’s conviction in 2019 and seven-year prison sentence for manslaughter was quashed on 18 August 2020 by the Court of Appeal. The appeal was heard before The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales Lord Burnett, Mr Justice Sweeney and Mr Justice Murray.’
Garden Court Chambers, 18th August 2020
Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk
Jaden Moodie: ‘Chances missed’ to protect boy groomed by dealers – BBC News
‘A boy who was “butchered” in a drugs turf war after being groomed by drug dealers had been arrested in a crack den months earlier but police did not contact child exploitation staff, a report has found.’
BBC News, 26th May 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
European Court of Human Rights to Consider Impact of Covid-19 – UK Human Rights Blog
‘The applicant in Hafeez is a sixty-year old man with a number of health conditions, including diabetes and asthma. He was arrested pursuant to a request by the US Government for his extradition on drugs charges. He challenges the decision to extradite him, arguing that his pre-conviction and post-conviction detention conditions in the US would be inhuman and degrading; and that there is a real risk that he would be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 18th April 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
Coronavirus: County lines drug dealers ‘stick out like a sore thumb’ during lockdown, say police – The Independent
‘The coronavirus pandemic could provide an unexpected opportunity for police forces to tackle county lines drug dealing as the lockdown means criminals “stick out like a sore thumb”, senior officers have said.’
The Independent, 20th April 2020
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Lewis Graham: Life Sentences under the Convention: Law or Politics? – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘Sometimes cases stand for far more than their strict ratio decidendi. The High Court’s recent ruling in Hafeez v Secretary of State for the Home Department is a prime example of such a case. The facts are simple. The US sought from the UK the extradition of Mr Hafeez, the alleged leader of an international crime syndicate and so-called “Sultan of drugs”. Unsurprisingly, Mr Hafeez resisted that motion, claiming that were he to be extradited, he would in all likelihood be sentenced to life without parole in the US, which would breach his rights under the ECHR. The UK, he argued, would be complicit in breaching his rights were it to proceed with the extradition. The High Court was to determine whether this was in fact the case.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 3rd April 2020
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
The Supply of DNP that resulted in a Manslaughter Conviction – St Pauls Chambers
‘EP was a 21 year old who suffered a number of mental disorders, bulimia nervosa, unstable personality disorder, depression and features of dependence syndrome. He had supplied her with DNP over the internet. She had consumed a number of capsules of DNP and suffered a most distressing death as it destroyed her internal organs causing them to fail. There is no effective treatment for what she suffered.’
St Pauls Chambers, 20th March 2020
Source: www.stpaulschambers.com
Wiltshire woman jailed for smuggling crystal meth in dolls – BBC News
‘A woman who helped smuggle crystal meth with a street value of nearly £1m into the UK disguised as dolls and coffee beans has been jailed.’
BBC News, 19th March 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Appellant fails in challenge to closure order barring him from accessing his flat – Local Government Lawyer
‘An appellant has lost his appeal over a closure order under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 that meant he was barred from accessing his flat.’
Local Government Lawyer, 26th February 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
British woman repeatedly trafficked for sex after Home Office failures – The Guardian
‘A young and highly vulnerable British sex trafficking victim was re-trafficked by county lines drug gangs on multiple occasions after the Home Office repeatedly refused to fulfil its legal obligation to provide her with safe accommodation.’
The Guardian, 16th February 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Charity warns over ‘safe’ legalisation of cannabis – The Guardian
‘One in 20 adults would take cannabis on a regular basis if it were legalised, similar to the number of people who currently use it, according to a poll for a leading mental health charity.’
The Guardian, 9th February 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Cocaine seizure: Men jailed after 750kg haul found on boat – BBC News
‘Two men have been jailed for conspiracy to import cocaine after one of the largest hauls of the drug in UK history was found on board a boat.’
BBC News, 27th January 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Prison counsellor jailed for smuggling drugs after inmates threatened him to become courier – Daily Telegraph
‘A prison counsellor has been jailed for smuggling drugs inside a jail after he was threatened by inmates to become a courier when he scuppered their deals.’
Daily Telegraph, 21st January 2020
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
BAME offenders ‘far more likely than others’ to be jailed for drug offences – The Guardian
‘Black and minority ethnic offenders are far more likely to be sent to prison for drug offences than other defendants, according to groundbreaking research commissioned by the Sentencing Council.’
The Guardian, 15th January 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Disjointed’ policing hampering efforts to tackle county lines exploitation, watchdog finds – The Independent
‘Disjointed policing and a lack of coordination between forces are worsening the issue of county lines drugs gangs exploiting children, a government watchdog has warned.’
The Independent, 10th January 2020
Source: www.independent.co.uk
County lines: Call to review ‘criminal abuse’ of pay-as-you-go phones – BBC News
‘The government has been urged to consider imposing restrictions on pay-as-you-go mobile phones to prevent county lines drug gangs using them.’
BBC News, 10th January 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
MS patient found not guilty of cultivating cannabis for medical use – Garden Court Chambers
‘Carlisle Court acquitted an MS patient today of cultivating cannabis, following the Crown Prosecution Service’s decision not to offer evidence in court today on a public interest basis.’
Garden Court Chambers, 6th January 2020
Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk
Manchester rapes: How Reynhard Sinaga found his victims – BBC News
‘Reynhard Sinaga is thought to be the UK’s most prolific rapist ever. For several years, until he was caught in 2017, he preyed on young men enjoying a night out.’
BBC News, 6th January 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
