About
A free weekly collection of criminal law links - for practitioners, law students, and anyone with an interest in the criminal justice system of England and Wales.
Curated by Sam Willis, a barrister at 5 King's Bench Walk.
News
'Police and crime commissioners to be scrapped in England and Wales'
Police and crime commissioners (PCC) are to be scrapped in England and Wales to save £100m over this parliament's term, the government has said. The home secretary called the system a "failed experiment" - and less than 20% of voters can name their PCC, the Home Office said. There are 37 elected commissioners under the current system, introduced 12 years ago to improve police accountability. Their main responsibilities include setting an annual budget, appointing chief constables and producing a policing plan. One PCC described the move as "deeply" disappointing, and the shadow home secretary said the government was "tinkering around the edges" while "failing on crime and policing". When the commissioners' terms end in 2028 the role will move to an elected mayor or to council leaders.
Scrapping the role would allow for an extra £20m of investment in front-line policing every year, the Home Office said, enough for 320 constables. Though its stated aim was to make forces more accountable to the areas they serve, the costs of the system and the effectiveness of commissioners has long been criticised. Policing minister Sarah Jones told the Commons on Thursday that the model had "failed to live up to expectations" and "not delivered what it was set up to achieve"...
'Barbers and vape stores among 2,700 high street shops raided in money-laundering crackdown'
Barbers, minimarts, and vape shops are among the 2,700 high street businesses that have been raided in the UK’s largest ever crackdown of its kind on money laundering. Officials state that these cash-rich establishments, which have proliferated across British high streets in recent years, can be exploited for a range of illicit activities, from disguising dirty money and hiding drugs to facilitating people trafficking and smuggling tobacco and vapes...
These extensive raids form the second stage of Operation Machinize, a nationwide initiative launched 18 months ago after the National Crime Agency (NCA) concluded that a critical "tipping point" had been reached. Billions of pounds are laundered through the UK each year, around £12 billion of which is processed in cash. Most of this is thought to come from drugs. A month-long operation in October saw 2,734 premises visited and raided, 924 arrests, more than £10.7 million seized and £2.7 million of illegal goods destroyed. More than 450 companies have been referred to Companies House for further investigation. Nail bars, car washes, takeaways, phone shops and sweet shops were also among the businesses targeted...
'New law to tackle AI child abuse images at source as reports more than double'
Children will be better protected from becoming victims of horrific indecent deepfakes as the government introduces new laws to ensure Artificial Intelligence (AI) cannot be exploited to generate child sexual abuse material... Under stringent new legislation, designated bodies like AI developers and child protection organisations, such as the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), will be empowered to scrutinise AI models, and ensure safeguards are in place to prevent them generating or proliferating child sexual abuse material, including indecent images and videos of children...
Currently, criminal liability to create and possess this material means developers can’t carry out safety testing on AI models, and images can only be removed after they have been created and shared online. This measure, one of the first of its kind in the world, ensures AI systems’ safeguards can be robustly tested from the start, to limit its production in the first place. The laws will also enable organisations to check models have protections against extreme pornography, and non-consensual intimate images. While possessing and generating child sexual abuse material is already illegal under UK law, both real and synthetically produced by AI, improving AI image and video capabilities present a growing challenge...
'Victims' commissioner Baroness Helen Newlove dies aged 63'
Baroness Helen Newlove, the victims' commissioner for England and Wales, has died aged 63 following a short illness, her office has said. The Conservative peer was appointed to the role twice after becoming a campaigner and activist following the death of her husband Garry who was killed when he confronted a group of youths outside the couple's home. "Helen was a committed and passionate advocate for victims," her office said in a statement, adding that she was a "dear friend and a respected colleague" who "transformed" the role of commissioner. Tributes were paid in the House of Lords, while Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy praised her "unparalleled experience and dedication" to her role.
She was most recently appointed to the role in 2023, and was due to serve until the end of this year. She previously served as commissioner from 2012 to 2019. Calling her an "extraordinary public servant", Lammy said: "Her leadership shaped the Victims' Code, strengthened victims' voices in the criminal justice system, and ensured that the Victims and Prisoners Act progressed with victims' interests at its heart. "She championed the rights of victims and witnesses and held agencies to account." Her office said Baroness Newlove "consistently led by example", and that she "reshaped the office into a trusted voice and genuine force for victims". It added that she was driven by her own experience of the criminal justice system...
Cases
Rex v Zhimin Qian and Seng Ling
... The Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies laundered in this case derive from the proceeds of a large scale investment fraud, committed in China through a company called Lantian Gerui, and set up by Ms. Qian and others in March 2014. The fraud was exposed in early 2017. By then the equivalent of approximately £4.6 billion had been invested into the scheme by over 128,000 investors. Although a significant proportion of this was returned, a sizable amount was siphoned off and used by Ms. Qian and her Chinese co-conspirators; many of whom have been prosecuted and convicted in China....
Zhimin Qian you were the architect of this offending from its inception to its conclusion. The scale of your money laundering is unprecedented. Your motive was one of pure greed. You left China without a thought for the people whose investments you had stolen and enjoyed for a period of time a lavish lifestyle. You lied and schemed,all the while seeking to benefit yourself. With the assistance of people you recruited and whose loyalty you bought, you succeeded in evading justice for over seven years. Were it not for your pleas of guilty the total sentence would be 13 years. With credit it will be 11 years and 8 months, on each Count concurrent...
Other
'In depth: Criminal courts system cannot survive as it currently stands, says Leveson'
Sir Brian Leveson warns that the criminal justice system faces collapse if the government does not adopt the ‘broad thrust’ of his proposals. Spending more money or increasing sitting days simply won’t cut it...
While recommendations such as greater use of out-of-court resolutions have been welcomed by the legal profession, measures that would drastically curtail the number of jury trials have caused alarm. Sir Brian’s response? The system cannot survive as it currently stands. ‘What I have said to the bar and Law Society and others who say “well, a bit more money and more sitting days will solve this” – it won’t… If you look at just increasing sitting days, which is what the Bar Council have suggested, there are far too many ineffective cases because there isn’t a prosecutor or a defence lawyer in court. So if you increase the number of sitting days, you are going to increase the number of cases where there isn’t a barrister or a solicitor in court available to prosecute or defend the case. Just increasing the number of sitting days doesn’t get you over the problem. Equally, there is a limit to the number of days we’ve got for judges’...
'Attorney General’s Youth Ambassadors Programme'
The Attorney General’s Youth Ambassadors Programme (YAP) offers a unique opportunity for young people to become champions of the rule of law within their communities. As a Youth Ambassador, you will create and lead a youth-driven communications campaign, designed to engage and inspire your peers. Throughout the programme, you’ll receive expert guidance, take part in visits to key legal and political institutions, and interact with the Law Officers. This initiative is designed to develop your leadership, advocacy, and public engagement skills, while deepening your understanding of the UK’s legal system. The YAP is run by the Rule of Law Unit at the Attorney General’s Office...