Day: November 17, 2017

A 35 year old Derbyshire woman who provided a false alibi for her boyfriend has now been jailed following intervention from the Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP.

Lisa Sudale was convicted of perverting the course of justice after telling police officers investigating a £39,000 armed robbery of a Birmingham jewellery shop that she had been with her boyfriend at the time of the offence. Her jail term was originally suspended until a Court of Appeal hearing overturned it under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme. She has now been sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Sudale gave police a false statement after her boyfriend was accused of being armed with a shotgun and robbing and assaulting a 70 year old jeweller. She claimed the two had spent the entire day at together at her home in Swadlincote. Evidence later contradicted her story when it emerged she had phoned her boyfriend at the same time they had apparently been together. Hotel records also indicated her boyfriend had been staying elsewhere.

Following the successful appeal, the Solicitor General said:

This was a clear case where someone lied to the police to help someone else get away with a serious violent crime. Perverting the course of justice undercuts public confidence in our courts and damages trust in the system. A prison term sends a clear message that we will act to protect the judicial process from those who seek to undermine it and I am pleased the offender has been given an immediate custodial sentence.

The Parole Board is supporting Why me? Victims for Restorative Justice in an initiative they are launching on 23 November 2017, as part of Restorative Justice week.

Why Me? are inviting victims to send in comments and feedback from their experiences of either going through restorative justice or accessing the services to begin with. We hope that victims will take this opportunity to contribute to the development of restorative justice practice.

In its aim to continuously improve its services to victims, the Board has been speaking with policy and practice professionals about how restorative justice can help victims. This is focussed on how victims come to terms with what has happened to them or their family, and how it may support offender rehabilitation.

Nick Hardwick, Parole Board Chair said:

“As the Parole Board marks its 50th anniversary it is right that we look at how parole has evolved and the changing nature of our work. Restorative Justice is still a relatively new approach, although we are beginning to see it feature in cases that come before the Parole Board. It is now appropriate and timely that we look into the part restorative justice may play in the parole process.”

Martin Jones, Parole Board CEO added:

“I am pleased that this initiative is being launched during Restorative Justice week and hope that victims will find time to provide feedback on their experiences. I have met many victims, some of whom have been through the RJ process, and I am always humbled by the dignity and strength they have shown. I hope that we can learn from the victims who have engaged in restorative justice and start to reflect on how RJ can help both victims and offenders move on with their lives.”

The Parole Board is fully committed to fulfilling its duties towards victims. These duties encompass legal requirements within the statutory Code of Practice for Victims of Crime which in turn observes the wider UK duties contained in Directive 2012/29/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council.

Further information can be found on the Why me? Victims for Restorative Justice website (from 23 November) by following this link.

Farmers will see a boost in their basic payments this year after Farming minister George Eustice increased entitlement values and greening rates.

Coupled with the favourable BPS exchange rate confirmed in September, basic payments will be worth 25% more on average this year, compared to 2015.

Farming Minister, George Eustice said:

Exchange rate changes since the decision to leave the EU have led to a recovery in many farming sectors and BPS payments this year will be 25% higher than in 2015.

The RPA has published the higher BPS rates online today. Payments under this year’s BPS will be hitting bank accounts from 1 December.

Under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), farmers need to hold an entitlement for every hectare of eligible land they are claiming on. The size of farmers’ payments will depend on how many entitlements they use, supported by eligible land and the value of those entitlements.

The greening part of payments will be calculated by taking the number of entitlements that they have used with eligible land to claim payment and multiplying it by the greening value.

Entitlement values

Region	2017	2016	2015
Non-SDA (Severely Disadvantaged Areas)	€180.46	€175.27	€171.83
Upland SDA, other than moorland	€178.90	€174.01	€170.60
Upland SDA moorland	€49.63	€45.97	€45.07

Greening rates

Region	2017	2016	2015
Non-SDA (Severely Disadvantaged Areas)	€77.69	€77.71	€76.19
Upland SDA, other than moorland	€76.92	€77.15	€75.64
Upland SDA moorland	€21.32	€20.39	€19.99

Notes to editors:

• The Euro exchange rate that will be used to calculate all payments is €1 = 0.89470.

Proposals for a multi-million pound upgrade to improve journeys for the 77,000 drivers who use the A31 at Ringwood in Hampshire each day have won backing in a public consultation, Highways England announced today (Friday 17 November).

91% of people who responded to the non-statutory consultation backed the need for the improvements, which will widen the A31 between the Ringwood and Verwood junctions, increase capacity at Ringwood junction and bring it in line with current safety standards by directing all local traffic via the junction instead of turning directly on to the dual carriageway. Facilities for cyclists and pedestrians will also be improved.

Today’s announcement paves the way for work on the upgrade to start in the 2020/21 financial year, subject to statutory processes.

Highways England Project Manager Jens Reinke said:

This section of the A31 is used to make more than 77,000 journeys every day, and we’ve developed these plans to make real improvements to journeys.

I would like to thank everyone who took part in the consultation. It’s great to see that there is such strong backing for improvements to this heavily congested section of the A31 at Ringwood. These plans will lead to the road being safer and supporting access for people getting to Ringwood town centre not only in the car but also on foot or by bike.

We are aware of people’s concerns about the closure of the West Street junction to the A31 and have listened to feedback. Around 76% of respondents agreed with the proposal to close the junction for safety reasons, with around 14% preferring for it to stay open. We will now continue to look at the design of the West Street closure into next phase of the project.

The plans include:

• increasing the westbound carriageway of the A31 from two lanes to three between the Ringwood and Verwood junctions
• replacement of the two bridges over the River Avon and Bickerley Millstream to accommodate the westbound third lane
• closing the junction with West Street and the A31 to motorised vehicles
• closing one of the Fish Inn pub’s entry/exit points on the A31
• improvements to the existing cycle and footpaths along the A31

A public consultation on the option was held from 23 June to 4 August 2017. Nearly 500 responses were received during this consultation. Information events were held at Ringwood Town Council for the public and stakeholders including local authorities, landowners and businesses, so people could look at the plans and speak to members of the project team.

91% of people who responded to the consultation questionnaire said they agree improvements are needed at Ringwood. 91% also said they are concerned about safety on the A31, with the same number also concerned about congestion or delays along this stretch. 75% of respondents understand the justification for options 2 and 3 being rejected.

A copy of the consultation report and announcement flyer can be found on the Highways England website. where anyone interested in the scheme can also sign up to receive updates.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

Prime Minister Theresa May and Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar this morning met for talks at the Gothenburg Social Summit.

The two leaders held constructive discussions on Brexit and looked forward to making further progress in the run-up to the December European Council.

On Northern Ireland, the PM was clear that the Belfast agreement must be at the heart of our approach and that Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances demand specific solutions.

The PM said it was important to protect progress made in Northern Ireland over recent years. Both leaders agreed to work together to find solutions which ensure there is no return to the borders of the past.

The PM and Taoiseach reiterated that they want to see the Northern Irish executive re-established as soon as possible. They committed to continuing to work together with the parties to achieve that.