April 2009 - Crime in the news

• Mystery man sought in Claudia case

  A man seen smoking with his left hand near the route Claudia Lawrence took to get to work has been asked to come forward. [30 April 2009]

• School knife checks

  A council in London has denied that the new policy of installing knife arches outside secondary schools is an alarmist measure. [30 April 2009]

• Ben Kinsella's killer was protecting reputation

  The Old Bailey heard that the brother of Eastenders actress Brooke Kinsella was murdered after his killer bragged he would 'stab people up'. [29 April 2009]

• Teen park murder suspects held

  Five people are still being questioned over a gang reprisal killing of a teenager in a south London park. [29 April 2009]

• Plea to ban killer drug

  The mother of a 21-year-old student who died after taking the drug GBL is calling for the substance to be banned. [29 April 2009]

• Teen dies in stabbing

  A murder inquiry has commenced after a teenage boy was killed and another injured in a double stabbing in a south London park. [28 April 2009]

• Cocaine smugglers face life

  Three men who attempted to smuggle more than £500million of Colombian cocaine into the UK will be sentenced next month. [28 April 2009]

• Student appeal for Claudia

  Claudia Lawrence's father has appealed for students in York's two universities to help in the murder investigation. [27 April 2009]

• Boiler-room fraud rise

  The Guardian reports that the recession has led to a increase in share fraud with professional con artists targeting pensioners and the unemployed. [24 April 2009]

• Claudia Lawrence reward

  Crimestoppers is offering £10,000 for information about missing Chef Claudia Lawrence. [24 April 2009]

• 'Jigsaw' body identified

  Last night, police identified the man whose body parts were found in Leicestershire and Hertfordshire. A man and a woman are being questioned. [24 April 2009]

• Crime falls but burglaries rise

  Latest statistics show the crime rate has fallen, but burglaries in England and Wales have increased. [23 April 2009]

• Kids - Staying safe on the streets

  CBBC's Newsround visited one of our workshops for young people last week and spoke to the kids and Crimestoppers' Chris Preddie. [23 April 2009]

• Boy jailed for stabbing a student at age 12

  A young boy was just 12 years old when he and a gang stabbed a student to death. [22 April 2009]

• Students suspected of a terrorist plot are released

  Nine Pakistani citizens suspected of a terrorist plot were released without charge last night. [22 April 2009]

• Black cabbie rapist jailed

  John Worboys, the black cab serial rapist, has been jailed and told he must pay his victims for their suffering. [22 April 2009]

• Couple takes advantage of defective cash machine

  A couple from Wickford, Essex, stole £60,000 from a faulty cash machine. [21 April 2009]

• Teen in love is lured to his death

  Shakilus Townsend was killed at the hands of his love interest's rival. [21 April 2009]

• Elderly patients were over prescribed painkillers

  Patients as Gosport War Memorial Hospital were given too much of a strong painkiller that quickened their deaths. [21 April 2009]

• Progress in decade old murder cases

  Three brutal murders from 1998 may be linked. [20 April 2009]

• G20 allegations continue

  Weeks after it ends, the police handling of the G20 riots is still being questioned. [20 April 2009]

• Gooch gang witnesses praised

  Police acknowledge the importance of witnesses in the Gooch gang trial. [20 April 2009]

• Pirate Bay founders jailed

  Four men behind the file-sharing website Pirate Bay have been jailed in Sweden. [17 April 2009]

• Latest crime figures in London

  New statistics show many crimes fell in London last year, but business crime, rape and hate crimes went up. [17 April 2009]

• Move to improve rape investigations and prosecution

  A low conviction rate for rapes forces police targets to improve performance. [15 April 2009]

• Jigsaw man was stabbed

  Detectives have revealed that the victim was stabbed in the back before dismemberment. [15 April 2009]

• Fifth part found - police plan facial reconstruction

  Police will recreate the unidentified man's face this week, after his torso and arm were found over the weekend in Standon, in what the press are calling the 'human jigsaw'. [14 April 2009]

• Student visa scam in Britain

  Suspected terrorists are able to obtain visa to study at a phoney college. [14 April 2009]

• Terror chief quits

  Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick quit this morning for almost compromising 'a major counter-terrorism' operation. [9 April 2009]

• G20 officers step forward

  Four officers who hit or were present when Ian Tomlinson was hit at the G20 protests have come forward to be questioned. [9 April 2009]

• 35m letter scam bust

  A criminal network operating a scam which may have netted more than £35million, has been disrupted. [9 April 2009]

• Young brothers in court for attempted murder

  The brothers who attacked two young boys go to court for attempted murder and robbery. [8 April 2009]

• Another part found

  Police are investigating whether more remains found in Hertfordshire are linked to the existing case. [8 April 2009]

• Video shows man being pushed by police

  A video of Ian Tomlinson, who died at the G20 protests last week, being pushed by police has been released and given to the police watchdog. [8 April 2009]

• Gang crackdown in Manchester

  Recent arrests have lead to a breakthrough in bringing down gangs in the city. [7 April 2009]

• Legalising drugs will halve crime

  Transform, the drug policy foundation, says that the cost of drugs crime could be reduced by between £5 and £10 billion a year were it legalised. [7 April 2009]

• Two boys brutally attacked over trainers and mobiles

  An 11-year-old boy and his 9-year-old friend were attacked and tortured in Yorkshire this weekend. [6 April 2009]

• Deported thief enters the UK again

  An Algerian man, who has been deported twice, has re-entered the country for the second time in two years. [6 April 2009]

• Google camera cars can now catch crime on the road

  Cars with spy cameras on the top can now catch drivers talking on their mobile phones and engaging in other illegal road activity. [6 April 2009]

• Execution-style murder

  A man shot on Monday in Bradford, was shot in the head 'execution-style', the BBC reports. [3 April 2009]

• Body parts linked

  The body parts found in Leicestershire and Hertfordshire are from the same man. [3 April 2009]

• Body parts may be connected

  Body parts found in Hertfordshire have been linked. Police are now investigating whether the head is also connected. [2 April 2009]

• Keira Knightley stars in anti-domestic violence TV ad

  The film shows Keira being emotionally and physically assaulted by her boyfriend after returning home from work. [2 April 2009]

• 500 Most Wanted criminals arrested

  Crimestoppers' online tool, Most Wanted, has helped police to arrest their 500th criminal.

• Third body part found

  Another severed body part has been discovered in a field, this time in Leicestershire. [1 April 2009]

• Mother locks up daughters-in-law and treats them as slaves

  A mother kept her sons' wives locked away for 13 years. [1 April 2009]

• 50,000 released from prison early

  A scheme aimed at reducing overcrowding in prisons lets 50,000 criminals out before the end of their sentences. [1 April 2009]

• Brothers charged for park murder

  Two brothers have been charged for stabbing a 16-year-old to death in a south London park. [1 May 2009]