July 2009 - Crime in the news

• £25k reward for Most Wanted fugitive

  Kevin Thomas Parle is wanted in connection with the murder of young mum Lucy Hargreaves, who was shot, doused in petrol and set alight four years ago. [31 July 2009]

• Teenager detained for murdering toddler

  A judge ordered a 16-year-old boy who beat a toddler to death to be detained for 15 years. [31 July 2009]

• Arrest made for Wales shopping centre death

  Police arrested a man for manslaughter after a 23-year-old man died following a shopping centre incident. [31 July 2009]

• Two charged for Leeds car boot murders

  Police charged two people for murder after the bodies of a man and a woman were found in a car boot in Leeds. [31 July 2009]

• Drug arrests lead to more violence

  A new report has stated that focusing on drug seizures and arrests can bring worse problems such as violent turf wars and spikes in violence. [30 July 2009]

• Baby abuse death

  A four-month-old baby has died after suffering suspected abuse from his teenage mother and her partner. [30 July 2009]

• Mental health murders increase

  The number of people killed by those suffering from mental illness has increased, according to official figures. [29 July 2009]

• Multi-million pound DVD scammers jailed

  A father and his two sons who made £7m from a pirate DVD scam have been jailed. [29 July 2009]

• Hunt for missing sex offender

  Police are looking for a convicted sex offender who has gone missing while on probation. [28 July 2009]

• Arrests over car boot bodies

  A number of people have been arrested following the discovery of the victims in a car in Leeds. [28 July 2009]

• Youth crime action plan for girls

  The government's youth crime action plan has been updated to explore new measures to tackle crime committed by girls. [23 July 2009]

• Roadside body inquiry

  A man has died after an incident involving a number of crime scenes in Birmingham and Worcestershire. [23 July 2009]

• Sex trade clampdown for Olympics

  A specialist unit will be moving to five London boroughs to tackle an expected increase in sex trafficking in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic games. [20 July 2009]

• More knife deaths during anti-knife crime programme

  More people have died from knife wounds during the government's Tackling Knives Action Programme (TKAP), although overall knife-related violence fell by 10%. [22 July 2009]

• Facebook party youths arrested

  Five young people have been arrested following a street fight near a house party that was advertised on social networking website Facebook. [20 July 2009]

• Jail sentences for heroin importers

  Eight men have been jailed for their roles in a heroin ring that involved drugs from Turkey being imported into the UK. [17 July 2009]

• Man arrested on suspicion of murder after fire kills three

  A 37-year-old man has been arrested following a house fire in Manchester. [17 July 2009]

• Crime figures reveal murders fall 17%

  Annual crime figures reveal that crime in the United Kingdom has fallen since last year. [16 July]

• Six arrested over murder of Leeds man

  Police have arrested four men and two women in connection to the murder of Adam Chadwick in Leeds. [16 July 2009]

• Woman blackmailed friend over 7 July 07 comments

  A woman, 54, blackmailed her Muslim friend Nabilah Hussain over comments made during an argument about the London terrorist attacks. [16 July 2009]

• 'Stockwell strangler' wins appeal

  A man who strangled seven pensioners more than 20 years ago has won an appeal against his murder convictions. [15 July 2009]

• Rioters attack police

  Police came under attack in Northern Ireland on Tuesday night after serious trouble flared in north Belfast. [15 July 2009]

• Young offenders overhaul

  Young adults need more support when leaving custody to avoid persistently high reoffending rates, according to a new report. [13 July 2009]

• 'Brutal' racist attack appeal

  Two men are being sought over an attack which left a Polish man seriously ill in hospital. [13 July 2009]

• Bicycle gang jailed for life

  Six members of a gang who murdered a 14-year-old schoolboy have been jailed for life. [10 July 2009]

• Teacher arrested over schoolboy attack

  A teacher is in police custody on suspicion of assaulting a 14-year-old boy in a school in Nottinghamshire. [9 July 2009]

• Schoolgirl convicted of murder

  A 16-year-old girl who lured a teenage boy along a quiet road where he was killed has been found guilty of murder. [9 July 2009]

• War criminals in UK face justice

  Suspected mass murderers and war crimes suspects living in Britain will now face prosecution after a loophole has been closed. [9 July 2009]

• Reward for doctor attack

  Crimestoppers is offering a £5,000 reward in the hunt for the attackers of a 92-year-old retired doctor. [8 July 2009]

• Woman jailed for grooming girl

  A woman has been jailed for grooming a 15-year-old schoolgirl for sex in what is believed to be the first case of its kind. [8 July 2009]

• Recession linked to increased possibility of far-right violence

  An assessment has revealed that economic downturn increases the likelihood of far-right violence occurring. According to Commander Shaun Sawyer, of Scotland Yard, the assessment was requested by Met commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson. [7 July 2009]

• Prisoners who breach terms of release continue to roam streets

  Information released yesterday reveals that nearly 1,000 criminals have not been returned to prison, despite breaching their terms of release. The prisoners are wanted for crimes including murder, rape, pedophilia and burglary.[7 July 2009]

• Shopkeeper shot dead

  Ten people have been arrested after a shop worker was shot by at least six bullets. [6 July 2009]

• Disability hate crimes go unreported

  Hate crimes against people who have disabilities in Wales are not recognised for what they are, according to charities and campaigners. [6 July 2009]

• Child porn convicted may have been ID theft victims

  One of the UK's largest online paedophile investigations is being challenged following allegations that hundreds of men may have been wrongly convicted. [3 July 2009]

• Man arrested over 82-year-old attack

  A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after an elderly woman was stabbed nine times in the street. [3 July 2009]

• Machete sold to 15-year-old

  Trading standards are calling for a ban on online knife sales after a 15-year-old boy bought a machete for £1.50 over the internet. [1 July 2009]

• One child killed every week

  One child dies in Britain every week because warning signs that they are living with a potential killer are being ignored, according to a new study. [10 July 2009]

• Criminal gangs cost UK billions

  There are 30,000 criminals who are members of organised criminal gangs in the UK and they cost the country up to £40bn a year. [14 July 2009]