Law and the Justice System

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has recovered around £1 million in the latest legal step of a probe into an organised crime group linked to a lottery winner, a bomb plot and a £55 million tax fraud.

Investigators have spent 13 years looking at the activities of Jonathan Nuttall and associated companies and individuals, revealing a complex payroll fraud and global money laundering scheme, a judge was told.

Southwark Crown Court has published a practice note on Judicial Control and Management of Heavy #Fraud and Other Complex Criminal Cases.

https://www.criminalbar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-07-01-Southwark-Practice-Note-No.1-FINAL-INCL.-DMD.pdf

To find offence specific guidelines, type the name of the offence in the box below. You can also use words or phrases related to the offence, the name of the Act or section, or the CJS offence code. Guidelines shown in purple are not yet in force. There is more guidance on the magistrates’ courts sentencing guidelines homepage.

https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/

A new national charity has been established to help those who have been affected by cyber or fraud crime.

The hub has been formed by the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland (CFCS) in response to a swift rise in calls from concerned members of the public to its helpline.

Last year, calls to the helpline doubled, with six in 10 coming from members of the public seeking advice following a suspected cyber or fraud crime.

https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,scottish-charity-launched-to-support-victims-of-cyber-crime-and-fraud-22129

The new criminal offence of failure to prevent fraud will likely result in a transformational corporate culture shift with respect to how fraud is viewed amid an ongoing fraud epidemic in the UK.

Currently, approximately 40% of reported crime in England and Wales is due to fraud, according to a recent House of Commons Justice Committee report (50 pages / 586 KB).

The general election appears to have delayed the likely implementation of the new failure to prevent fraud offences which were included in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (s 199 onwards). Regulations to bring the relevant sections into force can only be made after the secretary of state has published guidance on the procedures that relevant bodies can put in place to prevent persons associated with them from committing the fraud offences set out in the legislation (the guidance is required by s 204 of the Act).

https://www.taxjournal.com/articles/-failure-to-prevent-offences-delayed

The Independent Review into disclosure and fraud offences promised as part of the government’s May 2023 Fraud Strategy has now published its preliminary findings in the disclosure aspect of the investigation.

The independent review is due to examine the disclosure regime in the context of the ‘digital age’ and challenges in the investigation and prosecution of modern fraud.

Imagine a world in which the police, lawyers and cryptocurrency exchanges worked harmoniously together, in aid of the victims of crypto scams…well…

In a groundbreaking case, the collaborative efforts of police, lawyers, and cryptocurrency exchanges led to the successful recovery of stolen life savings for an elderly, vulnerable victim. This success story showcases the power of innovative thinking and cooperation in the fight against cryptocurrency fraud.

A FRAUDSTER described by a judge as the most “fundamentally dishonest” man he had ever seen has been ordered to repay just £16,700 after conning his victims out of more than £620,000.

In January, Darryl Evans was jailed for a total of eight years, having been convicted of 26 charges of fraud and one charge of theft.

The emotional impact of online fraud for victims is worse than the financial hit, even when the loss was tens of thousands of pounds, according to new findings from a study speaking to victims of online fraud.

The new report from Crest Insights, funded by the Dawes Trust and in partnership with Birkbeck University and the Police Foundation, was based on a series of one-to-one interviews with victims of different types of fraud such as bank, identity, and romance fraud and, as well as focus groups with members of the public.

https://policeprofessional.com/news/emotional-toll-on-fraud-victims-worse-than-financial-impact-research-shows/