Law and the Justice System

The Online Safety Bill returned to the House of Lords for consideration of Commons amendments in 'ping pong', on Tuesday 19 September.

The Online Safety Bill seeks to establish a new regulatory regime to address illegal and harmful content online and impose legal requirements on search engine and internet service providers, including those providing pornographic content. The bill will also confer new powers on the Office of Communications (Ofcom), enabling them to act as the online safety regulator.

New figures from the Home Office show a sharp rise in the amount of money and assets recovered from criminals in the year to March.

Around £1.4 million was seized by West Mercia Police last year in the year to March – a significant rise from £908,000 in 2021 to 2022.

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2023/09/21/west-mercia-police-seizes-14-million-recovered-from-criminals-as-fraud-recoveries-surge/

MPs have voted to back a narrower new offence of ‘failure to prevent’ fraud than proposed by UK peers, and to reject calls for a separate new offence of ‘failure to prevent’ money laundering to be added to the UK statute book.

https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/news/plans-broad-failure-prevent-fraud-offence-rejected-by-uk-mps

Surrey Police seized almost £1 million in assets and money from criminals in the year to March, new figures show.

Police forces can recover the proceeds of crime through confiscation and forfeiture orders, which require those found guilty to pay a fine, or give the police the power to seize assets from them.

England and Wales’ Commercial Court remains a popular jurisdiction to file fraud claims for international and domestic parties alike, while crypto-asset litigation is rising, according to analysis of court data by Stewarts and a data firm.

Contentious boutique law firm Stewarts has cooperated with disputes data analytics company Solomonic to publish a report with insights into commercial civil fraud claims being brought in England and Wales, which shows a rising volume of fraud claims from 2014.

Stephen Parkinson will be the new Director of Public Prosecutions and head of the Crown Prosecution Service the Attorney General has announced today.

Rt Hon Victoria Prentis KC MP selected Mr Parkinson following an open and transparent competition. It is expected that he will take up the appointment from 1 November for an initial term of five years. He will succeed the outgoing DPP, Max Hill KC.

A couple who defrauded Stephen Terry's Hardwick restaurant in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire out of £150,000 have been told to pay back just £1.

Nicola Nightingale, 48, was working as a financial administrator at the restaurant when she committed the fraud between 2018 and 2020.

MPs have criticised the government for “dragging its feet” over the Economic Crime Bill, after a string of measures aiming to toughen up dirty money protections were voted against or watered down.

Peers had passed a series of amendments to the legislation aimed at fighting back against economic crime, fraud and illicit wealth prior to Parliament’s summer recess.

Piloted in London, the Action Fraud National Economic Crime Victim Care Unit (NECVCU) provides victims of fraud and cybercrime with bespoke and specialist advice to help them protect themselves from falling victim again.

Since 2018, it has engaged with almost 350,000 victims and prevented an estimated £2,882,616 being lost to fraud.

https://www.policeprofessional.com/news/specialist-unit-to-support-vulnerable-fraud-victims-rolled-out-across-all-forces/

A man who bought three Spanish villas after stealing from the taxpayer has been ordered to pay £1.2 million back or face another seven years in jail.

Graham Drury, 71, of Wrexham, was jailed for five and a half years in 2021 after submitting fraudulent VAT returns to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).