Day: October 13, 2017

The measures include a new offence of possession of a corrosive substance in public without a good or lawful reason.

It would place the onus on the individual caught in possession to explain why they are carrying it, rather than on the police to prove that it was intended to cause injury.

Those convicted of this offence for a second time would face a mandatory minimum sentence in line with existing knife possession laws.

The proposals are part of the ‘Consultation on new legislation on offensive and dangerous weapons’, which sets out legislative measures to reduce violent crime; respond to recent rises in police-recorded knife and firearm offences; and the emergence of attacks using acids and corrosive substances.

Home Secretary, Amber Rudd said:

All forms of violent crime are totally unacceptable, which is why we are taking action to restrict access to offensive weapons and crack down on those who carry acids with the intent to do harm.

Acid attacks can devastate lives and leave victims with both emotional and physical scars.

By banning the sale of the most harmful corrosive substances to under 18s and introducing minimum custodial sentences to those who repeatedly carry corrosive substances to cause harm, we are sending a message that the cowards who use these as weapons will not escape the full force of the law.

Other measures on which the government will consult are new offences on the sale of acids and the most harmful corrosive substances to people aged under 18, possession of a corrosive substance in public and restricting online sales of knives so they cannot be delivered to a private residential address and must instead be collected at a place where age ID can be checked.

Other measures included in the consultation include:

• amendments to threatening with a knife or offensive weapon offence to lower the evidential requirement for prosecutors
• allowing police to seize offensive weapons which are already banned in public places from private properties
• prohibiting knives (currently banned on school premises) from other educational institutions such as colleges
• updating the current legislation on the definition of flick knives (to reflect new designs)
• moving two firearms (.50 calibre and certain rapid firing rifles) from the general licensing arrangements to the stricter provisions of section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968

Members of the public are encouraged to submit their opinions on the consultation which will be open until 9 December.

The Home Office will also review the Poisons Act and include sulphuric acid, meaning it would only be available to purchase with a licence above a certain concentration.

Sarah Newton, the Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability, also today announced the launch of the £500,000 Community Fund for local projects aimed at tackling knife crime and more than £280,000 of successful bids for community work aimed at ending gang violence and exploitation.

Sarah Newton said:

We know these crimes cannot be ended with legislation alone. We need wide-ranging action, including supporting communities to take action. Which is why I’m pleased to announce that we are awarding just over £280,000 funding to projects across the country to help people avoid and escape a life of gangs and violence.

We are also inviting bids for a new £500,000 Community Fund to help grassroots organisations tackle the scourge of knife crime.

The Foreign Secretary will visit Moscow towards the end of the year following an invitation from Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, as the UK continues its robust engagement with Russia.

Boris Johnson and Sergei Lavrov last met at the UN General Assembly in September, and now is an important time for both countries to be talking about international security. As permanent members of the UN Security Council, shared concerns include reducing the risk from North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes.

The visit will be an important opportunity to cover the Iran nuclear deal and other issues of shared interest, including regional stability in the Middle East, and containing threats to international peace. It will also enable us to discuss security co-operation ahead of next summer’s World Cup, on which the UK and Russia are constructively working together.

The UK has deep differences with Russia, in particular over Syria and Ukraine, including the Russian Government’s illegal annexation of Crimea. That’s why we cannot return to ‘business as usual’ but it is vital to continue dialogue on matters of UK national interest.

The visit comes as part of the UK’s sustained, robust engagement with the Russian government. The Prime Minister also made it clear to President Putin at the G20 that it is in both sides’ interests to continue these channels of communication.

The Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

Russia is a fellow permanent member of the UN Security Council and there are global security issues we need to discuss from Iran to North Korea. Of course we will continue to challenge Russia’s approach where we disagree, whether that is Russia’s actions in Syria or its aggression towards Ukraine. My visit will provide an opportunity to talk about these issues and more, face-to-face.

Our relationship with Russia is not straightforward. That is all the more reason to be talking to Russia – to manage our differences and co-operate where possible for the security of both our nations and the international community.

I am looking forward to visiting Moscow, to engaging with the Russian government and a wider range of Russian people including civil society and the all important next generation.

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A former dentist who was struck off for dishonesty and poor clinical care and who was also bankrupt, together with a bankrupt GP from Harrow, have been disqualified from acting as directors after making false representations to a financial institution in their application for funding totalling £1.3 million.

The pair alleged they intended to use the funding for the purchase of shares in Weymouth Medical Ltd, a dental training company, with Jagdev Wasu acting as company director despite his bankruptcy order barring him from doing so legally. Following the collapse of Weymouth Medical Ltd, the bank was left with a shortfall of over £650,000.

Jagdev Wasu acted as a director of Weymouth whilst prohibited from doing so, having been declared bankrupt on 18 October 2013.

Commenting on the disqualification, Robert Clarke, Investigations Group Leader at the Insolvency Service said:

Company directors should be under no illusion that it is a serious offence for a person to act as company director whilst undischarged from bankruptcy.

In this case, the breach was exacerbated by providing false information to secure funding for the company, the failure to disclose the true position, causing substantial monetary loss.

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy accepted undertakings from Jagdev Wasu and Paramit Wasu that they would each not act as directors for 11 years on 16 August 2017. The disqualifications came into effect on 6 September 2017.

Notes to editors

Weymouth (CRN 09092402) was placed into Administration on 17 September 2015 with a deficiency as regards creditors of £497,036.

The company, which was incorporated on 19 June 2014, traded as a holding company for a medical centre and dental training company. Weymouth’s registered office was 97 Windsor Road, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, SL9 7NW.

Jagdev Wasu’s date of birth is November 1975. Paramit Wasu’s date of birth is March 1948.

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.
Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.

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Two men, convicted of serious sexual offences against children, have had their jail terms increased by the Court of Appeal.

Derrick Dobson, 80 and John Smith, 71 were sentenced in August at Nottingham Crown Court. Dobson was convicted on 5 counts of indecent assault and was originally given a 6 month jail sentence. Smith, pleaded guilty to committing sexual assaults including rape, and was given a 5 ½ year prison sentence.

The 2 offenders were also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and will be prevented from working with vulnerable groups, including children.

The Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP welcomed the extension of these sentences from 6 months to 4 years 6 months for Dobson and 12 years instead of the original sentence of 5 ½ years for Smith.

Speaking after the hearing the Solicitor General said:

“I am pleased the Court of Appeal has recognised that the original sentences handed down were unduly lenient. The 2 offenders attacked their victims over a number of years and this abuse led to long-lasting devastating impacts. The increased jail terms now really reflect the severity of the offences.”