May 2008 - Crime in the News

• Detective jailed for child porn

  A detective has been jailed for two and a half years for photographing and distributing indecent images of children. [30 May 2008]

• 93 per cent of door staff licensed

  Investigators from the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and police officers found 22 door staff working illegally in Sussex last week. [30 May 2008]

• IRA visit McCartney murder witness

  A friend of Robert McCartney, who was murdered in Belfast, was visited by IRA representatives days after the killing. [30 May 2008]

• Graphic knife crime wounds used in campaign

  The government have launched a hard-hitting advertising campaign with the aim of showing the true consequences of carrying a knife. [29 May 2008]

• Teenager shot in head dies

  A 17-year old who was shot in the head in Camden, North London over the weekend, has died in hospital. [29 May 2008]

• Four charged with teenager's murder

  Four people have been charged with the robbery and murder of 17-year old Amar Aslam in West Yorkshire. [29 May 2008]

• Jail early release plans

  The government is planning to release approximately 550 prisoners early in an effort to reduce overcrowding in prisons. [28th May 2008]

• Computer generated child sex abuse should be illegal

  Computer-generated images and drawings of child sex abuse should be made illegal, according to Justice Minister Maria Eagle. [28th May 2008]

• Gangs move gun crime into Preston

  Gangs in Manchester and Liverpool are being blamed for a rising level of gun crime in Preston. [28th May 2008]

• Man charged for Sidcup youth murder

  A 21-year old man has been charged with the murder of 18-year old Rob Knox, who was stabbed to death outside a bar on Saturday morning. [27th May 2008]

• Call for tougher action against violent youths

  Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik has called for harsher sentencing for violent young people, after a teenager was found murdered in a West Yorkshire park on Sunday. [27th May 2008]

• Child dies in mini-moto crash

  A three-year-old girl has been killed when a mini-motorcycle she was a passenger on collided with a pick-up truck. [27th May 2008]

• Half of crimes linked to alcohol

  A new NHS report has found that 59% of victims who were wounded in violent crimes believe the offender was under the influence of alcohol. [23 May 2008]

• Stonehenge vandalised

  Vandals have broken into Stonehenge and taken a chip off of the Heel Stone using a hammer and screwdriver. [23 May 2008]

• Teenager guilty of crossfire murder

  A 17-year old has been found guilty of killing a care assistant caught in the crossfire in a shoot-out in New Cross, South London. [23 May 2008]

• Witness anonymity plans

  Witnesses to crimes may receive immediate anonymity when they offer to testify against gangs in court. [22 May 2008]

• Child neglect ends in death

  The mother and stepfather of a seven-year old girl, who is believed to have died of starvation, have been charged with neglect. [22 May 2008]

• Ten violent attacks linked to one man

  Ten violent attacks on women in Hastings are being linked to one man.Two of the attacks took place in the last seven days. [22 May 2008]

• Youth crime drive has made no difference

  The government drive to cut youth crimes has made 'no measurable impact' over the last ten years. [21st May 2008]

• Woman jailed for fire deaths

  A 23-year old has been jailed for starting a house fire which claimed the lives of her former lover and a baby. [21st May 2008]

• Corpse exhumed in DNA search

  The headless corpse of a woman found 33-years ago has been exhumed by police in an attempt to discover her identity and that of her killer. [20 May 2008]

• Teenager killed by police car

  A 16-year old girl has been hit and killed by a marked police car in Newcastle. [20 May 2008]

• Tackling drugs week

  The Home Office led national Tackling Drugs Week starts today, to raise awareness about how local agencies have been tackling drug issues. [19th May 2008]

• Jersey bones are human

  Fragments of bone found in cellars at the former children's home in Jersey are human and are being DNA tested and carbon dated. [19th May 2008]

• Woman dies after flat fall

  A 19-year old has died after falling out of a third floor window of a flat in South-East London. Two teenagers have been arrested and bailed. [19th May 2008]

• Husband arrested for murder

  The husband of a missing make-up artist from Sussex has been re-arrested after a body was found in woodland. [16th May 2008]

• Convicted killer appeal ruling

  Convicted killer Luke Mitchell, who was found guilty of murdering his 14-year old girlfriend in 2003, has had his appeal to to clear his name rejected. [16th May 2008]

• Crime survey to include children

  Children aged under 16 will be included in the British Crime Survey for the first time, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has announced. [15th May 2008]

• Knife crime survey results

  The British Crime Survey (BCS) suggests that knife crime has not worsened over the last ten years, contrary to Home Office statistics. [15th May 2008]

• Girl crime rises 25 per cent

  The number of crimes committed by girls has increased by 25% in three years. [15th May 2008]

• Stop and search powers increased

  Police will be using more stop and search powers in London in a bid to tackle knife crime, after the two fatal stabbings within 48 hours this week. [14th May 2008]

• Arrests in two fatal London stabbings

  Two teenagers have been arrested in relation to the murder of Steven Bigby in Oxford Street and a 19-year has been arrested for the Jimmy Mizen murder. [14th May 2008]

• Crimestoppers scam

  There have been reports of a caller posing to be working on behalf of the charity Crimestoppers, canvassing financial support for Crimestoppers diaries. This is not genuine, so please ignore any such callers. [14th May 2008]

• CCTV studied after Mcdonald's stabbing

  Police are looking at CCTV footage after a 22-year old man was stabbed to death outside a Mcdonald's restaurant in London's Oxford Street. [13th May 2008]

• Face recognition technology to catch child drinkers

  Supermarket chain Budgens is piloting a scheme to use face recognition cameras to stop children buying alcohol and cigarettes. [13th May 2008]

• Shoplifter requests Asbo

  A convicted shoplifter has requested an anti-social behaviour order to help prevent her from committing further crimes. [13th April 2008]

• Teenage murder witness comes forward

  A witness to the murder of 16-year old Jimmy Mizen has come forward. [12th May 2008]

• Councils must address ethnic tensions

  The government will say today that councils should be working harder to prevent conflicts caused by migration and diversity in 'hot spot' areas. [12th May 2008]

• Chopped up money dumped

  Thousands of pounds in cash has been chopped up and dumped in bins in Lincoln city centre. [12th May 2008]

• Child killer awaits sentencing

  A convicted rapist who sexually assaulted and then murdered his neighbour's 14-year old daughter will be sentenced today. [9th May 2008]

• Gangmaster's license revoked

  A gangmaster who supplied workers for a flower picking business in Cornwall has had his licence revoked following claims of low pay and poor living conditions. [9th May 2008]

• Woman's body found

  A woman's body has been found in a London house after a man was arrested for carrying a knife with blood on it. [9th May 2008]

• Airport staff criminal records go unchecked

  Foreign workers at UK airports have not undergone mandatory criminal record checks, BBC's Newsnight has revealed. [8th May 2008]

• Shoot-out barrister's post-mortem due

  The post-mortem results of a barrister who died in a five-hour armed siege in London are due to be released. [8th May 2008]

• Young criminals who ignore warnings to be targeted

  Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is encouraging police to target young people who persistently ignore warnings about anti-social behaviour. [8th May 2008]

• Cannabis should remain class C

  Government advisers will recommend that cannabis remains to be a class C drug, despite government concerns about its effects. [7th May 2008]

• Police shoot-out death

  An investigation has commenced after a gunman was killed during a shoot-out with police in London. [7th May 2008]

• Man cautioned for web fight children

  A 21-year old man has received a caution by police after he posted footage on the internet of two boys being forced to fight each other. [7th May 2008]

• Walk in a punter. Walk out a rapist.

  A new poster campaign to raise awareness of the exploitation and trafficking of some women among men who pay for sex was launched today by the Home Office. [6th May 2008]

• Images of paedophile released

  Interpol has released images of a man suspected of sexually abusing young boys, after two years of investigations have failed to identify and locate him. [6th May 2008]

• CCTV failing to cut crime

  Huge investments in CCTV in the UK are failing to cut crime, with only 3% of London's street robberies being solved using the footage. [6th May 2008]

• More drunk women arrested

  The number of women arrested for being drunk and disorderly has increased by over 50% in some parts of the UK. [2nd May 2008]

• Man arrested in student murder case

  A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of Norwegian student Martine Vik Magnussen in London. [2nd May 2008]

• Babysitter released after toddler death

  A babysitter who was found guilty of murdering a two-year old in her care has been released from prison after new evidence emerged. [2nd May 2008]

• 150 new bail hostels

  Approximately 150 bail hostels are being set-up covertly in residential areas to house criminals who have been released early from overcrowded jails. [1st May 2008]

• Grandfather murderers jailed

  Two men who beat a grandfather to death after he refused to hand over his mobile phone have been jailed for a combined 54 years. [1st May 2008]

• India rapist gets life

  An Indian man from Rajasthan has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a British journalist. [1st May 2008]