Family of girl who killed herself after arrest challenges detention policy – The Guardian

‘Kesia Leatherbarrow broke a window trying to enter a residential care home for ex-addicts to visit a friend. When officers arrested the 17-year-old, they discovered a small quantity of cannabis. She spent two nights and three days in police custody; a few hours after being released, she hanged herself.’

Full story

The Guardian, 2nd November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Punitive drug law enforcement failing, says Home Office study – The Guardian

Posted October 30th, 2014 in crime, drug abuse, drug offences, enforcement, evidence, health, news, reports by sally

‘There is no evidence that tough enforcement of the drug laws on personal possession leads to lower levels of drug use, according to the government’s first evidence-based study.’

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The Guardian, 30th October 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Six out of 10 prisoners freed from short jail sentences re-offend within a year – Daily Telegraph

‘More than 17,000 prisoners released into the community after serving short jail terms went on to commit new crimes last year, official figures have shown.’

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Daily Telegraph, 24th October 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Drug dealer Christopher Holloway jailed for 10 years – BBC News

Posted October 10th, 2014 in drug offences, internet, money laundering, news, sentencing by sally

‘A man who sold drugs running a “legal high” website made £2.5m from his illegal activity, a court was told.’

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BBC News, 9th October 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

They don’t shoot horse riders, do they? – Sports Law Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers

Posted September 29th, 2014 in appeals, disciplinary procedures, drug offences, horse racing, news, sport by tracey

‘Afficionados of Sherlock Holmes will recall “The Adventure of Silver Blaze”, a tale of horse nobbling and dark deeds amidst the turf fanciers of late Victorian England. “Silver Blaze” (incidentally the only Holmes story to feature a deerstalker cap, and that only in an accompanying illustration) is a story in which the question of custody of the horse is all important, and is best known for the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. The curious incident is that the dog did nothing (it had been doped, using curried mutton – not a frequently encountered doping agent in modern sporting life) , and nothing is also what the rider of the horse did in Turner v British Equestrian Federation (SR/0000120209, 1 August 2014). Nothing wrong, that is.’

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Sports Law Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers, 25th September 2014

Source: www.sportslawbulletin.org

Two men cleared of manslaughter after slimmer died from drinking weedkiller – The Guardian

‘Two men have been cleared of the manslaughter of a slimmer who died after drinking weedkiller that was given to him as a weight-loss aid at his local gym.’

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The Guardian, 11th August 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Daniel Spargo-Mabbs death: Man jailed for drug supply – BBC News

Posted August 4th, 2014 in drug offences, news, sentencing by sally

‘A man has been jailed for five years for supplying drugs after a 16-year-old boy died at a rave in west London.’

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BBC News, 1st August 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Regina v Martin (Dwain) and Another – WLR Daily

Posted July 31st, 2014 in appeals, crime, drug offences, law reports by michael

Regina v Martin (Dwain) and Another [2014] WLR (D)  341

‘To establish an offence of being concerned in supplying controlled drugs, it was necessary to prove that the defendant had participated in the enterprise of supplying controlled drugs to another and that he had knowledge of that enterprise. An arrangement to collect and transport drugs plainly came within the meaning of the word “supply” which was a broad term.’

WLR Daily, 25th July 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Woman who grew cannabis in Sussex home fined £45,000 – The Independent

Posted July 23rd, 2014 in drug offences, fines, news by michael

A 50-year-old woman faces being jailed unless she repays tens of thousands of pounds she made by transforming her Sussex home into a cannabis factory.’

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The Independent, 22nd July 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Mazher Mahmood could face perjury investigation after Tulisa trial collapse – The Guardian

Posted July 23rd, 2014 in drug offences, evidence, news, perjury, trials by michael

‘Police and prosecutors are discussing whether any legal action could follow the collapse of the trial of singer Tulisa Contostavlos, which was abandoned after the judge ruled that the Sun on Sunday’s veteran investigative reporter Mazher Mahmood was likely to have lied about talking to another witness about changing their evidence.’

Full story

The Guardian, 22nd July 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Khat ban: Why is it being made illegal? – BBC News

Posted June 23rd, 2014 in drug abuse, drug offences, families, mental health, news, sale of goods by sally

‘The leafy plant khat, which acts as a stimulant when chewed, is about to become a banned class C drug in the UK. But how big a problem is it and why are ministers making it illegal?’

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BBC News, 21st June 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Delaney v Secretary of State for Transport – WLR Daily

Delaney v Secretary of State for Transport [2014] EWHC 1785 (QB); [2014] WLR (D) 253

‘Clause 6(1)(e)(iii) of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (Compensation of Victims of Uninsured Drivers) Agreement 1999, made between the Motor Insurers’ Bureau and the Secretary of State for Transport and which provided an exclusion from liability for compensation for the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, was incompatible with Council Directive 72/166/EEC, Second Council Directive 84/5/EEC and Third Council Directive 90/232/EEC.’

WLR Daily, 3rd June 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Drug-dealer passenger gets Euro-damages for car crash – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Many readers may be wondering how it comes about that a drug-dealer is entitled to compensation against Her Majesty’s Government in circumstances where he was injured during the course of a criminal joint enterprise. The understandable reaction might be: there must be some rule of public policy, reflecting public revulsion, which bars such a claim. The short answer is that there is not.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 7th June 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Drug dealer wins car crash compensation battle – Daily Telegraph

‘High Court rules British laws on uninsured drivers are ‘in plain breach’ of European Union directives.’

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Daily Telegraph, 3rd June 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

R (on the application of Fitzroy George) (Respondent) v The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Appellant) – Supreme Court

R (on the application of Fitzroy George) (Respondent) v The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Appellant) [2014] UKSC 28 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 14th May 2014

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

What can we learn from drug courts? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘Why were drug courts set up?

The introduction of drug courts in the UK has followed a slightly different trajectory to other jurisdictions, where drug courts filled an important gap in the range of community-based sanctions available to the courts to deal with drug-related crime.’

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 13th May 2014

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Drug driving limits announced – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 28th, 2014 in drug abuse, drug offences, news, road traffic offences by sally

‘Legal limits to prevent drug driving have been set out for the first time by ministers in new laws which will come into force this autumn’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 27th March 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Teen jailed after he got lethal arsenal delivered to family home – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 17th, 2014 in drug offences, firearms, news, sentencing, young offenders by tracey

‘A teenager who bought a machine gun online and had it delivered to his family home, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition and nunchucks, has been jailed for six years.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 14th March 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Regina v Elsayed – WLR Daily

Posted March 14th, 2014 in confiscation, drug offences, law reports, proceeds of crime by tracey

Regina v Elsayed; [2014] EWCA Crim 333;  [2014] WLR (D)  125

‘For the purposes of confiscation proceedings the market value of drugs might vary depending for example on the time at which the drugs were obtained or the capacity or role of the person obtaining them and a judge was entitled to make findings of fact as to what a defendant would do with those drugs, ie sell them as a dealer at street level. Such findings of fact necessarily bore on the value of the property obtained by the defendant.’

WLR Daily, 4th March 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Regina v Dang (Manh Toan) and others – WLR Daily

Posted March 12th, 2014 in appeals, conspiracy, drug offences, law reports, sentencing by tracey

Regina v Dang (Manh Toan) and others; [2014] EWCA Crim 348;   [2014] WLR (D)  118

‘For a defendant to be guilty of conspiring, contrary to the section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977, “to be concerned” in the production of a controlled drug, contrary to section 4(1)(b) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, by supplying equipment to assist others to produce the drug, he had to share in the drug producer’s purpose and had to lend his assistance for that purpose. A generalised awareness that the equipment might be used for the unlawful purpose would not suffice.’

WLR Daily, 7th March 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk