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☆ Kevin Spacey arrives at London court for sex offence trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey arrived at a London court on Wednesday for the start of his four-week trial on a dozen sex offence charges. Spacey, 63, denies allegations of historic offences committed against four men which are said to have taken place between 2001 and 2013. The charges against Spacey include indecent and sexual assaults and a more serious offence of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent, which carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment. Last November the Crown Prosecution Service authorised a further seven charges involving sex assaults on one man between 2001 and 2004. Spacey, once one of Hollywood's biggest stars, has largely disappeared from public view since being accused of sexual misconduct six years ago.

Persons: Kevin Spacey, Spacey, Michael Holden, Mark Heinrich, Christina Fincher Organizations: London's, Prosecution Service, Thomson Locations: London's Southwark, London, Gloucestershire, England, United States, Manhattan

☆ UK SFO delays decision on whether to charge Glencore staff until year-end
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The SFO is investigating former employees of Glencore's UK subsidiary Glencore Energy UK Limited over potential criminal offences in relation to its operations in West Africa. The ex-Glencore employees who are under investigation by the SFO have been granted anonymity pending a decision by the SFO on whether to bring criminal charges. Glencore's UK subsidiary last year admitted seven bribery offences related to paying – or failing to prevent the payment of – millions of dollars in bribes to officials in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and South Sudan. At its sentencing in November, prosecutors told the court that Glencore employees and agents used private jets to transfer cash to pay bribes to officials in Cameroon and South Sudan. Glencore was ordered to pay a total penalty of 276.4 million pounds ($352 million) for its offending, which the sentencing judge described as "endemic" corruption.

Persons: Alexandra Healy, Glencore, Sam Tobin, Christina Fincher Organizations: SFO, Glencore's, Glencore Energy, Limited, Glencore, London's, London's Southwark Crown, Thomson Locations: London, West Africa, London's Southwark, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, South Sudan

One year after the US Supreme Court struck down Roe v Wade and reignited a worldwide protest movement against restricting abortion access, pro-choice advocates in the UK say little progress has been made to increase access to reproductive health services. Proudman said the decision of the US Supreme Court last year to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade ruling had made her reflect on the state of abortion laws in the UK. So, we’re effectively asking that politicians do the same,” O’Brien told CNN. The recent criminal conviction in Stoke-On-Trent has only highlighted how “restrictive” and “draconian” UK abortion laws are, O’Brien said. ‘Ready to take action’Charities such as BPAS which provide abortion care to women on behalf of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) maintain that the current abortion laws are making life “more difficult” for providers, clinicians and women themselves.

Persons: Roe, Wade, “, ” Nadia Hirsi, Jennifer Dean, ’, Jenny Wickham, ”, Charlotte Proudman, didn’t, Nadia Hirsi, Ella Valentine, Sana Noor Haq, CNN Jennifer Dean, CNN Proudman, Stella Creasy, Proudman, Katherine O’Brien, we’re, ” O’Brien, O’Brien, Annabel Sowemimo, ” Sowemimo, White Organizations: London CNN, US Supreme, CNN, Trent Crown, Public Prosecutions, Wales, US, Charity, British Pregnancy Advisory, Proudman, Trent, US Centers for Disease Control, National Health Service Locations: UK’s, London, England, Wales, British, Stoke, Trent, USA, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Canada, Poland, Texas, Netherlands

☆ Woman who took abortion pill after UK term limit sentenced to 28 months
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Sana Noor Haq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A British woman who used medication to induce an abortion after the United Kingdom’s legally allowed limit has been sentenced to prison for 28 months, the PA Media news agency reported. The woman was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant at the time, a post-mortem examination revealed. Abortion laws in the UK stipulate that a person may be able to have a medical abortion at home if they are less than 10 weeks pregnant, according to the National Health Service. The case triggered calls for an “urgent reform” of abortion laws in the UK. A woman who had an abortion without following correct procedures just got 28 months under an 1868 act,” UK lawmaker Stella Creasy tweeted.

Persons: CNN —, BPAS, ”, Robert Price, “, Pepperall, Stella Creasy, Rishi Sunak, I’m Organizations: CNN, United, PA Media, Trent Crown, Pregnancy Advisory, National Health Service, British Locations: Stoke, Trent, England, Netherlands, Scotland, wales, Great Britain

☆ A reality TV star who posted an explicit video of him and his ex-girlfriend on OnlyFans without her permission was jailed for almost 2 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

OnlyFans and reality TV star Stephen Bear was sentenced to 21 months in prison for "revenge porn." The "Ex on the Beach" contestant shared an explicit video of his ex-girlfriend without her consent. The video was filmed on CCTV at his home without her knowledge and was later posted on OnlyFans. The platform deactivated his account the day after Harrison reported the video, per The Sun. Users can report if explicit content of them has been shared online and ask the center to remove it.

☆ Financiers sentenced to 11 years for defrauding Libya fund - UK court
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - A former JPMorgan investment manager and an ex-Julius Baer banker were sentenced to a total of 11 years by a London court on Monday for defrauding a Libyan sovereign wealth fund out of millions of dollars. Marino, formerly head of JPMorgan’s alternative investment emerging market group, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison. Ohmura – ex-global head of structured investments at Julius Baer company Global Asset Management, who helped dishonestly extract investment fees from LAP – was sentenced to three-and-a-half years. The judge had previously issued a warrant for Marino’s arrest in October after he failed to appear at his trial. Reporting by Sam Tobin, editing by William James and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Man arrested for stealing truck filled with $48,000 worth of Cadbury Creme Eggs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A man was convicted in England for stealing a truck filled with 200,000 Cadbury eggs. Prosecutors say he broke into an industrial park and took the truck. According to prosecutors, Joby Pool used a metal grinder to break into an industrial park in Telford, England on February 11, the Associated Press reported. Once inside, prosecutors said he made off in a stolen truck containing more than $48,000 worth of Cadbury Creme Eggs, according to the AP. "Given the shrinkflation of Cadbury eggs over the years, I'd argue it's the moral thing to do," one person tweeted.

☆ David Carrick, Former London Police Officer, Gets At Least 30 Years in Prison for Rape
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Max Colchester | David Luhnow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Protesters gathered earlier this week outside Southwark Crown Court in London during the sentencing of former police officer David Carrick. LONDON—Former British police officer David Carrick on Tuesday was sentenced to at least 30 years in jail after he was found guilty of committing a series of rapes over the last two decades as an active policeman, raising difficult questions over how London’s Metropolitan Police force vets its officers. Mr. Carrick pleaded guilty to 49 charges relating to 12 victims between 2003 and 2020. The admissions made him one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders. Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said during sentencing that Mr. Carrick, 48, felt untouchable because of his job and had caused “irretrievable devastation” in the lives of the women he raped and abused.

☆ London police officer jailed for at least 30 years for serial rape
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Carrick’s offences, which included 24 counts of rape, were all committed while serving in the Metropolitan Police – piling further pressure on Britain’s biggest police force, which is already reeling from a series of scandals in recent years. The London force, which dismissed Carrick last month, has previously apologised for failing to spot his pattern of abuse earlier. Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray said in a statement on Sunday evening that she was “truly sorry for the harm and devastation” caused to Carrick’s victims. Carrick pleaded guilty to a total of 49 offences, including rape, attempted rape, sexual assault, false imprisonment and coercive and controlling behaviour. The judge told Carrick: "You have lost your liberty, your job and your status.

☆ A British youth working from a bedroom at his grandfather's house made 'slick videos' that could have inspired 2 US mass shooters, a court heard
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Far-right videos made by a British teen were viewed by two men who went on to commit mass shootings. The court previously heard that his videos had been viewed by two men who went on to commit mass murders in the US last year. Payton Gendron, the then-18-year-old mass shooter who killed 10 Black people in Buffalo, New York, last May, was known to have watched Harris' videos. The Buffalo shooter commented on a video made by Harris about the perpetrator behind the 2019 mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, The Guardian reported. The Buffalo shooter responded: "You are not alone my friend."

☆ London police officer admits to being serial rapist
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Aina J. Khan | Aina Is A Freelance Reporter With Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON — A London police officer has admitted raping and sexually assaulting a dozen women over nearly two decades, in a case described as "devastating" for the already frayed public trust in the force. “He has devastated colleagues.”“He used the fact he was a police officer to control and coerce his victims. Carrick met some of the women through online dating sites or on social occasions, using his position as a police officer to gain their trust, according to The Associated Press. Police have been working to repair ties with the community and restore trust among women after a string of cases that fueled concerns around sexual misconduct, misogyny and racism. Earlier this month, one officer pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and assault of a woman in her 20s while off duty, and another officer was convicted of harassment of a female colleague.

☆ British police officer pleads guilty to 49 counts of rape, sexual assault, and other crimes, as head of London's Metropolitan Police says: 'We've let women and girls down'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

David Carrick, a former British police officer, pled guilty to dozens of counts of rape and sexual assault. By failing to stop Carrick sooner, the head of the Metropolitan Police said the agency "let women and girls down." David Carrick, 47, a former armed officer with the Metropolitan Police, pled guilty to six counts, including rape and sexual assault, at Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday. He previously pled guilty to committing 43 offenses — including 20 counts of rape and several counts of sexual assault as well as controlling or coercive behavior — in December, the UK's Crown Prosecution Service said. Metropolitan Police/Media UseGoing forward, the Metropolitan Police said, Carrick's crimes have laid the foundation for new protocols to deal with offenders within law enforcement's own ranks.

☆ Kevin Spacey pleads not guilty to more sexual assault charges in the U.K.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON — Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey pleaded not guilty in a London court on Friday to seven more sex offense charges, denying a number of alleged sexual assaults against one man between 2001 and 2004. Spacey, 63, appeared at Southwark Crown Court by videolink charged with one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, three counts of indecent assault and three counts of sexual assault. The actor — wearing a dark jacket, white shirt and pink tie — spoke only to confirm his name as Kevin Spacey Fowler and enter seven not guilty pleas during the brief hearing. Judge Mark Wall agreed to join the seven-count indictment to an earlier five-count indictment, which features four counts of sexual assault and one of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. Spacey pleaded not guilty to those five charges last July.

☆ Manchester City's Mendy found not guilty on six counts of rape
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy arrives at Chester Crown Court for his trial following allegations of rape and sexual assault, Chester, Britain, December 22, 2022 REUTERS/Phil Noble/File PhotoLONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy was found not guilty of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault on Friday, while jurors could not reach verdicts on one count of rape and one of attempted rape, British media reported on Friday. The trial had been taking place at Chester Crown Court since August after 13 women made allegations against Mendy and co-accused Louis Saha Matturie. The BBC reported that Mendy covered his face with both hands as the jury foreman repeated "not guilty" to the six counts. The verdicts were delivered on Wednesday but could not be reported until the jury finished considering the remaining two charges. Mendy last played for City against Tottenham Hotspur in August, 2021 and was suspended by the Premier League club later that month when he was arrested.

☆ Boris Becker: Tennis star released from UK prison and due to be deported -- UK media
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Zayn Nabbi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

1 men’s tennis player Boris Becker has been released from a UK prison after serving just eight months of his sentence and is due to be deported from the UK, PA Media reported on Thursday. “Any foreign national who is convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence is considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity,” the Home Office said in a statement, according to Reuters, while declining to comment directly on Becker’s case. Boris Becker, originally from Germany, has lived in London since 2012 but does not have British citizenship. Becker made tennis history when he won Wimbledon aged 17 in 1985 and went on to win five more grand slam titles over the next 11 years. He has remained active in the tennis world since retiring from the sport, notably as the coach of Novak Djokovic and through frequent media appearances as a commentator and pundit.

1 men’s tennis player Boris Becker has left for Germany after serving just eight months of his sentence in the UK, his lawyer said on Thursday, after UK media reported he had been released from custody and was due to be deported. Becker “has served his sentence and is not subject to any penal restrictions in Germany,” his lawyer, Christian-Oliver Moser, said in a statement. Boris Becker, originally from Germany, has lived in London since 2012 but does not have British citizenship. Becker made tennis history when he won Wimbledon aged 17 in 1985 and went on to win five more grand slam titles over the next 11 years. He has remained active in the tennis world since retiring from the sport, notably as the coach of Novak Djokovic and through frequent media appearances as a commentator and pundit.

☆ Factbox: Pay increases reached by UK workers following strike action
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Below is a summary of some of the deals reached following strike action:AIRPORTSIn July, British Airways (ICAG.L) staff at London's Heathrow Airport represented by two unions called off strike action after accepting a new pay offer. Earlier that month the airline's check-in staff at Heathrow airport also suspended a strike after an improved pay deal was agreed. Wage rises were also agreed at bus operators Arriva and Go-Ahead, with Arriva's drivers in Kent securing a 13.92% pay rise in October and Go-Ahead's London workers getting a 10.5% increase. WASTE COLLECTIONWaste collection workers in various areas around the country have agreed pay rises after undertaking strike action which disrupted waste collections. Among agreements reached by the GMB were a 17% rise for some workers in Windsor and Maidenhead, just outside London, and increases of between 8% and 22% for refuse workers in Manchester.

☆ Glencore employees moved bribes cash by private jet, London court told
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Employees and agents of a British subsidiary of mining and trading group Glencore (GLEN.L) used private jets to transfer cash to pay bribes to oil officials in West Africa, prosecutors told a London court on Wednesday. Glencore Energy UK Limited paid – or failed to prevent the payment of – millions of dollars in bribes to officials in five African countries, Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) told Southwark Crown Court on the first day of a sentencing hearing. She told the court the unidentified Glencore employee was assisted by the company’s agent in Nigeria, from where the cash was withdrawn and transported to Cameroon often by private jet. Another unidentified employee also requested the withdrawal of $800,000 in cash from Glencore International AG’s cash desk in Switzerland before flying by private jet with a colleague to South Sudan, Healy said. Clare Montgomery, representing Glencore, said the company’s chairman Kalidas Madhavpeddi, who took up the post in 2021, was in court for the sentencing.

☆ Hacker who stole unreleased songs from Ed Sheeran and Lil Uzi Vert sentenced to 18 months, U.K. prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — A computer hacker who stole unreleased songs from British pop star Ed Sheeran and American rap artist Lil Uzi Vert has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, U.K. prosecutors said Friday. Adrian Kwiatkowski, 23, of Ipswich in southern England, hacked the artists’ cloud-based accounts and sold their songs on the dark web in exchange for cryptocurrency. It then identified the IP address of the device used to hack one of the accounts as his home address. After further investigation, Kwiatkowski was arrested by the City of London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit in September 2019. “Cybercrime knows no borders, and this individual executed a complex scheme to steal unreleased music in order to line his own pockets,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L Bragg Jr said.

☆ Trial underway for U.K. nurse accused of killing 7 babies, attempting to kill 10 others
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — A hospital neonatal nurse in Britain accused of killing seven babies and trying to kill 10 others poisoned two infants deliberately with insulin, a British prosecutor said Monday. Sometimes babies who had been sick, but then been on the mend suddenly deteriorated for no apparent reason,” he told the jury. The two boys’ blood sugar levels dropped to dangerous levels, Johnson said, but both survived after help from medical staff. The first baby allegedly targeted by Letby was a prematurely born boy who was killed at just a day old in June 2015, Johnson said. Police launched an investigation into the deaths of a number of babies at the hospital in May 2017.

☆ UK trial lawyers to end strike after accepting government pay offer
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - British trial lawyers will end a weeks-long strike on Monday after voting to accept the government's pay offer, their union said. The Criminal Barristers Association (CBA), which has more than 2,000 members and represents barristers in England and Wales, said roughly 57% of trial lawyers balloted on the government's pay offer had accepted it. The strike is due to end at 1600 GMT on Monday. The government offered a 54 million pound investment along with a 15% fee rise for criminal barristers that would apply to the vast majority of cases currently in the Crown Court. The CBA described the offer as an "overdue start", saying it would hold another ballot for a strike if it is not implemented.

☆ O mamă a doi copii s-a prefăcut bolnavă de cancer în stadiu terminal pentru a strânge 22.000 de lire sterline din donaţii
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-03 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

O tânără de 27 de ani, mamă a doi copii, s-a prefăcut bolnavă de cancer în stadiu terminal pentru a obţine suma de 22.000 de lire sterline de la binevoitori, prin intermediul donaţiilor. Tatăl tinerei a creat o pagină de strângeri de fonduri cu o ţintă iniţială de 500 de lire, dar în câteva zile a strâns 12.000 de lire sterline. Un alt binevoitor a reuşit să strângă pentru ea 2.500 de lire sterline printr-o campanie umanitară în care a alergat 1000 de kilometri cu bicicleta. Astfel, suma totală a ajuns la 22.000 de lire sterline. Poliţia a intrat însă pe fir şi a început să investigheze întreaga situaţie după ce o rudă a vorbit cu personalul medical de la spital, unde femeia susţinea că este tratată, aflând că totul fusese doar o minciună.

Persons: Megan, Ripley, Cole, Archie, Poliţia Organizations: Facebook, Nottingham Locations: Derbyshire, Nottingham Crown Court

☆ O femeie din Marea Britanie a mințit că are cancer și a strâns 50 de mii de euro, pe care i-a risipit pe jocuri de noroc, bilete de meci și excursii
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-18 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Nicole Elkabbass, 42 de ani, este acuzată că a mințit că are cancer pentru a-și finanța dependența de jocuri de noroc. Prin intermediul platformei de strângere de fonduri GoFundMe, femeia a strâns 45.000 de lire sterline, circa 50.000 de euro, după ce a pretins că are cancer, a scris Metro. A cheltuit banii pe pariuri, bilete de meci, cumpărături și excursii la Roma sau la Barcelona. Apoi, în 2018, femeia a creat o pagină GoFundMe pentru a strânge bani pentru medicamentele împotriva cancerului. Deși a pretins că a fost în Spania la Spitalul Centro Medico Teknon din Barcelona, procurorii susțin că nu există dovezi că ar fi fost la unitatea medicală respectivă.

Persons: Nicole Elkabbass, Elkabbass, dr, Nick Morris, Nicole, William Hill Organizations: Metro, Tottenham Locations: Roma, Barcelona, Londra, Broadstairs, Kent, Spania, englez, Canterbury

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