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Martin, Johnston & Socha Insights

Criminal Law news & updates from Martin, Johnstone & Socha's expert criminal defence solicitors.

Europe Struggles to Effectively Tackle Money Laundering

A new report from Europol has revealed that efforts across the EU to tackle money laundering offences are meeting with limited success.

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1118 Hits

Scotland seeing huge growth in cybercrime

A recent media investigation has revealed that a number of high-ranking police officers believe Scotland has become a key target for cyber criminals. Cybercrimes are those committed with a computer or using the internet. The most common types of cybercrime are ransomware, social engineering, phishing, malware and online fraud, however, Police Scotland says that cybercrime is expanding and has now reached areas including child exploitation, human trafficking and online abuse.

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1223 Hits

Prison Sentence for Drugs and Driving Offences

A 30-year-old man recently appeared at Edinburgh High Court where he pleaded guilty to the supply of controlled drugs and dangerous driving, reports Police Scotland.

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1193 Hits

DCPCU Involved in Successful Money Laundering Prosecutions

The Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU) has been involved in a number of recent successful money laundering prosecutions.

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1370 Hits

UK Drivers Consider Themselves to be more Law-Abiding

A new study has found that motorists in the UK consider themselves to be more law-abiding than drivers in many other countries when it comes to using a mobile phone while driving.

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1636 Hits

National Standards for Forensic Examination

The Scottish Government has recently announced that new nationwide standards are to be introduced to ensure consistent delivery of forensic medical examinations for victims of sexual violence.

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1342 Hits

Rise in Festive Drink Drivers

Police Scotland’s recent festive crack down on drink driving resulted in a slight increase in the proportion of drivers stopped by police who were found to be over the drink drive limit.

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1796 Hits

Tougher Punishments for Young People Filming Knife Crime

In this age of social media, new sentencing guidelines are being drafted to enforce tougher punishments on young people who film instances of knife crime and upload them to online platforms in England &Wales. Within gangs, this has become an increasingly popular method of humiliating victims and asserting dominance - something that the law is attempting to crack down on. This is only one of a number of ‘aggravating factors’ for judges and magistrates to consider when sentencing defendants convicted of possessing a blade or offensive weapon in public, or making threats.

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1677 Hits

Homicide Numbers Fall to Record Low

Recent figures from Scotland’s Chief Statistician have revealed that the number of homicides in Scotland fell to their lowest on record last year.

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1497 Hits

Sailors Sentenced over Seizure of Class A Drugs

Two sailors have been sentenced to over 40 years imprisonment between them for their role in the smuggling of more than three tonnes of cocaine aboard an ocean-going tug, the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service has reported. The operation apparently resulted in the largest ever seizure of Class A drugs in the UK.

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1455 Hits

Many Drivers Risk Using a Smartphone While Driving

More than half of drivers in the 25 – 34 age-group are risking getting charged with motoring offences for texting, using apps or going online on their mobiles when they are behind the wheel, according to a new study by road safety charity Brake.

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1444 Hits

Criminals with a Caution Likely to Recommit in 12 Months

A study has shown that criminals who have been given a caution by the police are exceptionally likely to continue committing crimes and reoffend.

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1377 Hits

Drivers Fail to Disclose Penalty Points

An interesting new piece of research by RAC Insurance has found that nearly a fifth of motorists (18%) would not inform their insurer if they picked up penalty points while driving, potentially putting themselves at risk of holding invalid insurance, as well as future prosecution.

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2429 Hits

Report Reveals Sharp Rise in Total Value of Reported Fraud

The total value of reported fraud in 2015 rose to £1.5 billion, which is apparently an increase of 110% from the previous year and the highest value since 2011.

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1741 Hits

Concern Over Abolition of Stop-and-Search in Scotland

The former First Minister, Alex Salmond, has expressed concern over proposed changes to stop-and-search in Scotland during a debate in the Scottish Parliament. 

MSPs have approved new legislation that aims to introduce a statutory code for the use of stop and search, however, Mr Salmond said he wanted to see more analysis of how knife crime could be affected. The decision to have a code regarding stop and search came after a report from John Scott QC found that ending the searches would not prevent officers carrying out their duties effectively.

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1806 Hits

Police Scotland Investigating 134 Police Misconduct Probes

A report has revealed that Police Scotland are investigating 134 officers for alleged crimes and misconduct including sexual offences, stalking, theft, multiple assaults and some data protection breaches.

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2344 Hits

Police Targeting Major Crime on Scotland's Motorways

Police Scotland have seized more than £1 million in drugs, cash and stolen goods in the last year on a major road in Dumfries and Galloway.

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1937 Hits

Edinburgh Home to Highest Crime Rates in Scotland

According to a recent study by the police watchdog, crime rates in Edinburgh are the highest in Scotland with the most crimes per 10,000 people.

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2037 Hits

New Scottish Sentencing Council Comes into Effect

A new Scottish Sentencing Council has come into force as of today with the independent body being responsible for preparing guidelines to ensure a consistent approach to sentencing throughout the country.

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1933 Hits

Report Reveals Drop in Railway Crime

The number of crimes committed on Britain’s railways has fallen for the 11th year running, according to a recent report by British Transport Police (BTP).

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1912 Hits

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