Leicester woman jailed for blackmailing girl over indecent images

Pic--Shilpa Uga (left) and Jatin Gohil both admitted making and distributing images of the girl/LEICESTERSHIRE POLICE
Crime reporter(wp/bbc):::

A teenager tried to kill herself after being blackmailed by a "callous" woman who threatened to share indecent images of her, a court heard.

The girl was contacted through social media by Shilpa Uga, posing as a 21-year-old man who asked her to send intimate photos and videos.

Uga, from Leicester, then demanded large amounts of money from the girl.

She was jailed for three years after admitting blackmail and five counts of having indecent images of a child.

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Leicester Crown Court on Friday heard Uga had been in contact with the girl between January and April 2014, when the girl was aged 16.

Uga, 26, of Pine Tree Avenue, later threatened to post the images she had received online if the girl did not hand over the cash she had asked for.

Uga's offences only came to light when the teenager tried to take her own life and was found by a family member.

'Traumatic period'

During the police investigation it was revealed Uga had also shared the photos and videos with Jatin Gohil, 28, of St Barnabas Road, Leicester.

He pleaded guilty earlier this month to seven counts of possession, making and distributing indecent images of a child.

He was also jailed for three years, and both defendants were placed on the sex offenders register.

Det Con Skarv Hussain said: "This was an extremely traumatic period for the victim who felt she had no alternative than to take her life.

"Uga's actions were callous and she had no regard for the effect it would have on the young victim."

Paedophile Sophie Elms, ‪18, of Royal Wootton Bassett jailed

Pic--When Elms was arrested indecent images and video including those classed in category A - the most serious - were found on her mobile phones/wp
Crime reporter(wp/bbc):::

A teenage paedophile has been jailed for sex attacks on two young children.

Sophie Elms, ‪18, had previously pleaded guilty to 16 child sex offences including distributing indecent images.

Elms, of Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire was arrested after sending images and videos of her assaulting the children to a known sex offender.

Being aged just 17 when she committed the offences Elms was one of the youngest women in the UK to commit such crimes, Swindon Crown Court heard.

Jailing the ex-childcare student for seven years at 10 months, Judge Jason Taylor QC told her she had deliberately inflicted "psychological damage" on her victims.

'Unimaginable, horrific event'

Her victims were aged only about two and three when she attacked them, the court heard.

Elms was arrested on 10 March 2018 after Wiltshire Police received information from West Mercia Police as part of an investigation of a local sex offender, who is currently serving a 15-year jail term.

As she stood in the dock a statement was read out by the father of one of the victims.

He described the impact of her offences on the family as "unimaginable" and said the "horrific event" has "damaged all their lives".

"At the time of committing these atrocious crimes, she was studying child care with a long term aim of working with very young children in the future," Det Insp Simon Childe, of Wiltshire Police, said.

'Immature individual'

Four mobile phones owned by the defendant were seized and found to contain indecent images and video including those classed in category A - the most serious, the court heard.

Elms had also taken and distributed indecent photos of another child.

In mitigation, her defence team described her as a "vulnerable, immature individual" who had been "instigated" into committing the offences by the man she had been communicating with online.

But Judge Taylor said her offences had been carried out in a "deliberate and targeted manner".

He told Elms: "Only time will tell what psychological damage you have inflicted on your victims."

Flybe confirms shareholder call for removal of chairman, sale investigation

Business reporter(wp/reuters):::

Flybe Group Plc confirmed on Monday its largest shareholder had urged the airline to remove Chairman Simon Laffin and investigate its cut-price sale to a consortium.

Hosking Partners LLP, which owns 18.72 percent of Flybe according to Refinitv Eikon data, has asked the company to appoint industry veteran Eric Kohn as director, Flybe said.

Earlier this month, Flybe agreed to be bought by a group comprising Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic, Stobart Group and Cyrus Capital for $2.8 million (2.13 million pounds), a 94 percent discount to the stock’s closing price a day before the sale announcement.

The company, which operates routes from about 25 British airports, including domestic connections to London’s Heathrow, has struggled with higher fuel costs, currency fluctuations and uncertainties presented by Brexit.

Flybe said on Monday Hosking had asked for a general meeting to consider its resolutions. Sky News first reported the news on Friday.

The company reaffirmed its confidence in Laffin, and said it believes that “any independent scrutiny of its conduct will support the board’s decision-making.”

Laffin, who previously worked in senior positions at Safeway Plc, Aegis Group plc, Mitchells & Butlers plc and Northern Rock plc, has chaired Flybe for more than 5 years.

London Metal Exchange lifts suspension on holding Rusal metal in LME warehouses

Business reporter(wp/reuters):::

The London Metal Exchange (LME) said on Monday it had lifted a temporary suspension, with immediate effect, on storing metal produced by aluminium producer Rusal (0486.HK) in LME-approved warehouses, after the United States formally lifted sanctions against the Russian firm.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this means that all Rusal metal can be placed (in LME-approved facilities) on warrant,” the exchange said in a notice to members, warehouse companies and their London agents.

Tesco says changes to UK business to impact up to 9,000 jobs

Business reporter(wp/reuters):::
Tesco, Britain’s biggest retailer, said on Monday it was making changes to its UK business that could impact up to 9,000 jobs.

It estimated that half of that number could be re-deployed across the business.

Tesco, Britain’s biggest private sector employer with a staff of over 300,000, said the main change in its stores would be to its fresh meat, fish and delicatessen counters.

It expects to close counters in about 90 stores, with the remaining 700 trading with either “a full or flexible counter.”

Tesco said it also needed less staff for stock control, merchandising and at its head office.

UK grocers, fast food warn of major disruption from no-deal Brexit

Business reporter(wp/reuters):::
Britain’s food security could be threatened if it leaves the EU without a deal and suffers an abrupt hit to trade with the bloc, a lobby group representing firms including Sainsbury’s, Asda, McDonald’s and KFC said on Monday.

Business leaders have expressed alarm at the prospect of chaos at ports if Britain does not agree on the terms of its withdrawal from the European Union, scheduled for March 29.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) made its latest warning in a letter sent to MPs. It was also signed by the bosses of supermarket groups the Co-operative, Marks & Spencer, Lidl and Waitrose.

“While we have been working closely with our suppliers on contingency plans it is not possible to mitigate all the risks to our supply chains and we fear significant disruption in the short term as a result if there is no Brexit deal,” the letter said.

“We are therefore asking you to work with your colleagues in Parliament urgently to find a solution that avoids the shock of a no-deal Brexit on 29 March and removes these risks for UK consumers.”

The letter was published ahead of key Brexit votes in Parliament set for Tuesday.

It noted that nearly one third of the food eaten in the UK comes from the EU. The situation would be even more acute in March when British produce is out of season, with 90 percent of lettuces, 80 percent of tomatoes and 70 percent of soft fruit sourced from the EU at that time of year.

“As this produce is fresh and perishable, it needs to be moved quickly from farms to our stores,” it said. “This complex, ‘just in time’ supply chain will be significantly disrupted in the event of no deal.”

The BRC noted that even if the British government does not undertake checks on products at the border, there will still be major disruption at Calais as the French government has said it will enforce sanitary and customs checks on exports from the EU.

The BRC letter highlighted the UK government’s own data suggesting freight trade between Calais and Dover may reduce by 87 percent against current levels as a result.

“For consumers, this will reduce the availability and shelf life of many products in our stores,” it said.

The BRC also expressed concern about the pressure on food prices from higher transport costs, currency devaluation and tariffs.

Only around 10 percent of Britain’s food imports are now subject to tariffs. If the UK were to revert to WTO Most Favoured Nation status in a no-deal scenario, it would greatly increase import costs, which could in turn put upward pressure on food prices, the BRC said.

It said the UK could set import tariffs at zero but that would have “a devastating impact” on Britain’s farmers, a key part of the supermarkets’ supply chain.

The signatories said they were stockpiling where possible, but noted that all of Britain’s frozen and chilled storage is already being used, with very little general warehousing space available.

They said it is impossible to stockpile fresh produce, such as salad leaves and fresh fruit, with supermarkets typically storing no more than two weeks’ inventory.