All posts tagged: prosecution

Five new assisted suicide cases referred to Crown Prosecution Service in a year

Five new assisted suicide cases referred to Crown Prosecution Service in a year

Published by Sam

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has updated its assisted suicide figures, revealing that five assisted suicide cases have been referred to them in the past year. Humanists UK calls for parliament to legalise assisted dying, instead of leaving an unclear law to be interpreted by the CPS. From 1 April 2009 up to 31 March 2024, the CPS’s manual records show: 187 cases that have been recorded as assisted suicide have been referred to the CPS by the police. Five new cases from 31 March 2023 to 31 March 2024 127 were not proceeded with by the CPS (an increase of two) 36 cases were withdrawn by the police (an increase of one) Six cases are ongoing (an increase of two) Since 2009, four cases of encouraging or assisting suicide have been prosecuted. One case of assisted suicide was charged and acquitted after trial in May 2015, and eight cases were referred onwards for prosecution for homicide or other serious crime. Nathan Stilwell, Assisted Dying Campaigner for Humanists UK, said: ‘We don’t know the details …

Carers in the UK: have you been threatened with prosecution for benefit fraud? | Carers

Carers in the UK: have you been threatened with prosecution for benefit fraud? | Carers

Published by skeptic

Tens of thousands of unpaid carers looking after disabled, frail or ill relatives are being forced to repay huge sums to the government and threatened with criminal prosecution after unwittingly breaching earnings rules by just a few pounds a week. People who claim the £81.90-a-week carer’s allowance for looking after loved ones while working part-time are being forced by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to pay back money that has been erroneously overpaid to them, in some cases running to more than £20,000, or risk going to prison. We’re interested to hear from carers in the UK who have been affected by this issue. Have you been receiving carer’s allowance and been investigated for benefit fraud, and if so, what was the outcome of this, and how has this affected you and your family? Share your experience Tell us if you’ve been investigated by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for claiming carer’s allowance, and how this has affected you.  Your responses, which can be anonymous, are secure as the form is …

KuCoin faces federal prosecution for AML and registration skirting

KuCoin faces federal prosecution for AML and registration skirting

Published by skeptic

Federal prosecutors in New York announced charges against KuCoin, a leading cryptocurrency exchange, for breaching U.S. anti-money laundering laws on Tuesday (Mar. 26). The charges accuse the Seychelles-based company of neglecting to properly vet its customers, which allegedly allowed for the transfer of billions in illicit funds since its inception in 2017. The prosecutors argue that KuCoin unlawfully courted business from American clients without the necessary registration with the Treasury Department or the implementation of required client identity verification procedures in compliance with U.S. laws. KuCoin responded to the allegations on the social media platform X, assuring its customers that their assets are secure and that its legal team is addressing the claims. The company emphasized its commitment to complying with the laws and regulatory standards of various countries. #KuCoin is operating well, and the assets of our users are absolutely safe. We are aware of the related reports and are currently investigating the details through our lawyers. KuCoin respect the laws and regulations of various countries and strictly adheres to compliance… — KuCoin (@kucoincom) …

Fani Willis’ Trump prosecution is alive but not well

Fani Willis’ Trump prosecution is alive but not well

Published by skeptic

Special prosecutor Nathan Wade’s resignation Friday from the Georgia racketeering prosecution of Donald Trump and others was the right decision and, indeed, a virtually forced one. Judge Scott McAfee’s resolution of a defense motion to disqualify Wade’s boss, Fulton County Dist. Atty. Fani Willis, left no practical alternative. But it would be a mistake to assume that Wade’s withdrawal puts an end to the ugliness and doubt surrounding Willis’ handling of the case. To dispel the appearance of a conflict of interest arising out of a romantic relationship between the two prosecutors, McAfee held that either Wade or Willis, along with her entire office, would have to step aside. That made Wade’s withdrawal, which many observers had been urging, the best way to begin to clean up a distracting mess while allowing Willis to continue leading her office and its highest-profile prosecution. But the order, and the circus-like atmosphere of the multiday evidentiary hearing that preceded it, in some ways served only to intensify the controversy surrounding the case and ensure that the rhetorical challenges …

Crown Prosecution Service lawyers trivialise teen sexual abuse, report says | Crown Prosecution Service

Crown Prosecution Service lawyers trivialise teen sexual abuse, report says | Crown Prosecution Service

Published by skeptic

Lawyers in the Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales have trivialised teen sexual abuse, are “obsessed” about the credibility of rape victims and used victim-blaming language, according to a critical official examination into how the service deals with serious sexual crimes. The report is the first major independent examination into how the CPS prosecutes rape since a promised overhaul of the criminal justice system. It warns of a reliance on “new myths” about modern sexual practices, and says mental health is still acting as a barrier to victims receiving justice. The report – expected to be put into the public domain this week – comes almost three years after ministers apologised unreservedly to victims, following a catastrophic decline in rape prosecutions in England and Wales since 2016. In 2021 the government’s rape review ordered a raft of sweeping changes to the police and CPS. A radical new operating model, under the banner of Operation Soteria, told officers and prosecutors to root out engrained rape myths and focus on predatory behaviour rather than victims’ credibility. …

Legal experts warn Trump lawyers could face “criminal prosecution” if they knew ex-CFO lied

Legal experts warn Trump lawyers could face “criminal prosecution” if they knew ex-CFO lied

Published by skeptic

Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg on Monday pleaded guilty to perjury, admitting to lying under oath to the New York attorney general’s office as it was investigating Donald Trump. The repercussions of Weisselberg’s plea agreement could have serious consequences for Trump’s attorneys, including Alina Habba, Clifford Robert, and others, The Daily Beast reported.  Judge Arthur Engoron considered Weisselberg an unreliable witness and questioned his ability to recall his position as the Trump Organization’s finance chief throughout the former president’s civil fraud trial, in which Trump is accused of inflating valuations on financial statements for personal gain. After the New York Times published a report detailing that Weisselberg had been involved in secret negotiations with prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, Engoron demanded that Trump’s lawyers provide answers. He asked that they submit letters “detailing to me anything you know about this that would not violate any of your professional ethics or obligations.”  “I do not want to ignore anything in a case of this magnitude,” Engoron said. Under the New York Rules of …

Young South Korean Doctors Resist Back-To-Work Orders, Risking Prosecution

Young South Korean Doctors Resist Back-To-Work Orders, Risking Prosecution

Published by skeptic

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — As South Korea’s government made a last plea for junior doctors to end a walkout hours before a Thursday deadline, many were expected to defy orders to return to work, risking suspensions of medical licenses and prosecution. Thousands of medical interns and residents have been on strike for about 10 days to protest the government’s push to boost medical school enrollments. Government officials have warned that strikers would face legal repercussions if they don’t return to their hospitals by Thursday. As of Wednesday night, about 9,076 of the country’s 13,000 medical interns and residents were confirmed to have left their hospitals after submitting resignations, according to the Health Ministry. It said that 294 strikers had returned to work. There was no word on any others going back to their jobs as of 6 p.m. (0900 GMT). Observers say many strikers are likely to defy the deadline, continuing the labor boycott for weeks or months. The government is expected to begin formal steps toward penalties on Monday, as Friday is a …

Prosecution Of Far-Right But Not Antifa For Same Riots ‘Constitutionally Impermissible’: Judge

Prosecution Of Far-Right But Not Antifa For Same Riots ‘Constitutionally Impermissible’: Judge

Published by skeptic

Authored by Caden Pearson via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), A federal judge on Wednesday found that the “selective prosecution” of far-right groups without charging their far-left counterparts for the same acts is “constitutionally impermissible.” An Antifa extremist pushes a burning recycling bin at Trump supporters during a free speech rally in Berkeley, Calif., on April 15, 2017. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images) U.S. District Court Judge Cormac Carney of southern California therefore dismissed charges against two men from the “white nationalist” Rise Above Movement (RAM) who violently clashed with members of the far-left group Antifa at three southern California pro-Trump events in 2017. In his 35-page order, the judge stressed the importance of equal protection under the law. He said that although the two men may have been involved in violent acts, prosecutors were wrong to exclusively target them without also pursuing charges against Antifa members implicated in similar violent actions at political events. “Such selective prosecution leaves the troubling impression that the government believes speech on the left more deserving of protection than speech on …

Bipartisan Wisconsin ethics commission refers Trump PAC for felony prosecution over alleged scheme

Bipartisan Wisconsin ethics commission refers Trump PAC for felony prosecution over alleged scheme

Published by skeptic

A bipartisan ethics commission in Wisconsin on Friday recommended felony charges against one arm of Donald Trump’s fundraising operation and other Republicans for a scheme they say was intended to skirt campaign finance laws and take down a powerful Republican lawmaker who distanced himself from the former president, the Washington Post reports. The referrals for prosecution, first reported by WisPolitics, were made public Friday and mark another legal trouble for Trump, who currently faces nearly 100 felony charges in four cases in state and local jurisdictions.  The Wisconsin Ethics Commission’s investigation revolves around the 2022 primary race between Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, one of the state’s most powerful Republicans, and political newcomer Adam Steen, who allied with the former president. The commission this week found probable cause that Trump’s Save America leadership PAC and several state and local GOP officials, committed felonies, alleging that Steen, Steen’s campaign and three county Republicans attempted to circumvent campaign finance laws by funneling individual donors’ money through one of the county parties to his campaign or vendors, records released …

Post Office would stand by prosecution of more than 350 sub-postmasters, boss told minister in letter | UK News

Post Office would stand by prosecution of more than 350 sub-postmasters, boss told minister in letter | UK News

Published by skeptic

The boss of the Post Office wrote a letter to ministers saying he would stand by the prosecution of more than 350 of the sub-postmasters convicted in the Horizon scandal. Chief executive Nick Read sent the letter to Justice Secretary Alex Chalk last month, informing him that the Post Office would be “bound to oppose” appeals against at least 369 prosecutions. The document was dated 9 January – the day before the government announced plans for a new law to exonerate and compensate sub-postmasters who had been wrongly convicted in the Horizon scandal. Mr Read’s letter was published by the Post Office on Thursday, as the government confirmed it was pressing ahead with the legislation to automatically quash convictions by July. In response, the government said it would introduce “safeguards” to avoid “anyone who was rightly convicted” attempting to “take advantage” of the compensation scheme. “Innocent post-masters have suffered an intolerable and unprecedented miscarriage of justice at the hands of the Post Office, which is why we are introducing legislation to swiftly exonerate all those …