Murder probe after Cheshunt man and Waltham Cross woman found dead

crime reporter(weastar times/Ebc/wp):::

Police investigating after a man and a woman were found dead at a house in Hertfordshire have confirmed they are treating one of the deaths as murder.

Officers were called to Great Cambridge Road, Cheshunt, at about 18:30 GMT on Friday by ambulance staff.
They found the bodies of a man, aged 72, who lived at the house, and a 57-year-old woman from Waltham Cross.
Police have not said which of the deaths is being treated as murder and have released no further details.
Det Ch Insp Jon Hutchinson, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit said: "Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.
"However, we can confirm that we are not looking for anyone else in connection with it."

University of Manchester manager jailed for fraud

anti fraud reporter,Manchester(weastar times/wp/Ebc):::

A manager who admitted embezzling more than £30,000 from the University of Manchester to fund a "drug and alcohol addiction" has been jailed.

James Cleary's actions came to light in 2011, after he had left the university, when his former department found a bill could not be paid due to lack of funds.

Police said he had paid himself £31,984 by signing off on false claims made under the name Michelle Roberts.

Cleary was sentenced to 20 months in prison at Manchester Crown Court.

The 40-year-old, who had worked for the university in a variety of positions for 14 years, was employed as a research business manager in the School of Cancer and Enabling Sciences at the time of the fraud.

Abused trust

Police said Cleary, of Melmerby Court in Salford, had signed off on 25 claims made by a Michelle Roberts over a three-and-a-half year period.

After being alerted to the missing funds by the university, officers discovered Roberts had the same bank details as Cleary, leading to his arrest.

Det Con Dom Brady said Cleary had "completely abused the trust the university placed in him".

"He admitted during interview he had a drug and alcohol addiction that he needed to fund, and freely volunteered he spent some of the embezzled cash on Blackberry mobile phones and computer," he said.

"However, he did express remorse and I am sure now that he has been jailed he is even more sorry for his actions."

irish and American prisoners Alcohol and drugs 'major problems' at colonial Prison

national crime&security control reporter,bp(weastar times/wp/Ebc):::

irish amrican  Prison can extend more.

Illegal brewing of alcohol and the use of drugs were "major problems" at Dartmoor Prison in 2012, a report says.

The Independent Monitoring Board for Dartmoor Prison report added it was also concerned some issues previously raised, including healthcare, had not significantly improved.

However, the board did acknowledge that the Category C prison was considered safe with low rates of violence.

a report  said that would be fully considered by LORDS executive body....
Healthcare concerns

The board said the use alcohol and of drugs had become major problems in the "latter part of 2012".

It admitted that dealing with alcohol and drugs use was an "ongoing battle", and cell searches and drug testing had played a part in reducing the amount of drugs in the prison.

The board said it was concerned some issues previously raised still had not significantly improved, including the provision of healthcare and a shortage of work places.

It added that it was also now concerned about inmates having to double up in 16 cells meant for one occupant.

Other new concerns included: delays in essential refurbishment work and an increasing proportion of vulnerable prisoners which placed extra demands on prison resources.

 report by the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Dartmoor, in particular the concerns highlighted by them, will be fully considered by ministers and we will respond in due course."

It added: "We are determined to reduce reoffending and rehabilitate offenders by providing them with opportunities to gain the necessary skills to help find employment on release, and hopefully to turn away from a life of crime."

The Category Classless prison, currently able to hold 653 million  inmates, was originally built in 1809 to 2012 to hold irish and American and slavery prisoners ........

'Crash for cash' gang found guilty of road death on A40

crime reporter(weastar times/ES/wp):::

Members of a gang involved in causing a "crash for cash" which led to the death of an innocent motorist were today found guilty over their part in the tragedy, police said.

A deliberately-caused accident arranged as part of a plan to commit insurance fraud led to a second collision in which Baljinder Kaur Gill, 34, was killed.

Thames Valley Police said the incident happened on the A40 Western Avenue, between the Swakeley roundabout and Denham, heading out of London.

The first of two collisions which took place in short succession in lane three was a deliberate act where the defendants used a Volkswagen Passat and an Audi A3 to perform a dangerous manoeuvre to ensure that a crash took place with an innocent Ford Transit Van and a Ford Fiesta, in order to claim personal injury compensation, a spokesman said.

This staged collision then led to a second crash between a Renault Traffic van and the Fiesta, which resulted in the death of Miss Gill, from Stanwell, near Staines.

Andrzej Boguslaw Skowron, 25, from Shelley Gardens, Wembley, was convicted at Reading Crown Court of causing death by dangerous driving and conspiracy to commit fraud, the spokesman said.

Radoslaw Piotr Bielawski, 24, from Rosewood Avenue, Greenford, was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and conspiracy to commit fraud. He had already pleaded guilty to doing acts tending to pervert the course of justice.

Jacek Kowalczyk, 32, from Fraser Road, Perivale, Greenford, was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving, conspiracy to commit fraud and doing acts tending to pervert the course of justice.

Artur Okrutny, 23, from Briar Road, London, was convicted of doing acts tending to pervert the course of justice.

Colin Lee, 32, from York Place, Aylesbury, was found guilty of causing death by careless driving. Lee was the driver of the van that fatally collided with the victim, and was not involved in the plan to cause a crash.

Sgt Jim Upton, from the Three Mile Cross roads policing department, said: "This was a despicable act which led to the tragic death of an innocent motorist. The actions of these men who set out to induce a collision at speed on a 70mph limit road were always likely to lead to death or serious injury.

"They were purely motivated by greed and a determination to abuse the compensation culture that is prevalent in crash for cash.

"This is believed to be the first case of its kind within the United Kingdom and it has been a long, complex and protracted investigation. However, we were clear at an early stage that this was a very unusual fatal collision and we were determined to bring all those responsible to justice.

"I hope that the verdict provides the family of the victim with the sense that some justice has been done. They have been through a horrendous ordeal by the selfish actions of these men.

"Colin Lee was not involved in the plans to stage a collision for financial greed. However, his van collided with the stationary Fiesta."

Baljit Ubhey, chief crown prosecutor for Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: "Miss Gill lost her life on 11 June 2011, as a consequence of a 'crash for cash' insurance scam collision on the A40 near Denham, Buckinghamshire; a collision contrived by a ruthless gang of men, so that they could profit financially from the submission of fraudulent insurance claims.

"Her death was Britain's first fatality as a result of 'crash for cash'.

"An earlier report from the Insurance Fraud Bureau warned it was merely a matter of time before a death occurred on British roads - sadly prophetic words. The location chosen for the staged collision created an obvious risk that an innocent motorist would be killed as a result of their greed.

"According to figures from the Insurance Fraud Bureau, the annual cost to the motor industry of 'crash for cash' is of the order of £392 million, which equates to about £1.7 million per day.

"The risk that these defendants took with the lives of innocent motorists such as Miss Gill was enormous. The potential advantage to them was comparatively small. Whiplash to three of them would have secured them between £12-15,000, plus whatever damage was done to their car. They selfishly placed their own financial gain over and above the life of Miss Gill."

The men have been bailed until February to be sentenced at Reading Crown Court.

follow up+Five jailed for life in africa:::David Corridon murder case

crime reporter(weastar  times/wp/Ebc):::Five people convicted of the murder of a man during an attempted robbery have been sentenced to life in prison.

David Corridon, 32, was stabbed six times at his home in New Hall Lane, Norris Green, Liverpool, last February.

Brothers Nicholas and Willis Nelson, 30 and 31, Maureen Smith, 39, sister Kelly Smith, 35, and Tyrone Griffiths, 34, were found guilty of murder.

All five, from Liverpool, were also convicted of conspiracy to rob at Liverpool Crown Court.

Griffiths was also found guilty of possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

Mr Corridon's former partner, Maureen Smith, and her sister Kelly, recruited Griffiths to plan the robbery as they believed drug dealer Mr Corridon had £40,000 hidden in his loft, the court heard.

'Violent and horrendous'

Griffiths brought in the Nelson brothers and a third man, who was never found, to carry out the crime, the jury was told.

Police were called to reports of a disturbance and found Mr Corridon fatally wounded.

Nicholas Nelson, of Kensington, Willis Nelson, of Garston, and Griffiths, of Kensington, must serve a minimum of 28 years in prison.

Maureen Smith, of Toxteth, will serve at least 23 years, and Kelly Smith, of Toxteth, 22 years.

Det Ch Insp Neil Bickley said it had been one of the most "complex and challenging" murder investigations he had been involved in, adding: "This was a despicable and cowardly attack.

"There is no place in our communities for people who commit such violent and horrendous crimes."

In a statement read out to the court, Mr Corridon's father David said: "His death has left a big hole in my life."

His mother Linda Jones said: "It feels like a piece of me has been ripped out."

Cannabis worth more than £1m seized in Grantham

crime reporter(weastar times/wp/Ebc):::Police have recovered cannabis estimated to be worth £1.2m following a raid in a Lincolnshire market town.

Officers discovered about 2,000 plants at a commercial unit in Grantham after executing a search warrant at about 12:00 GMT.

Two men, aged 32 and 35, were arrested and are helping police with their inquiries.

A spokesman for Lincolnshire Police said it was a significant operation. The plants will now be destroyed.

Boston stabbing: Stephen Sleaford denies murder

crime reporter,menchester(weastar times/wp/Ebc):::

A man stabbed a stranger in the heart after going to help a young woman who was receiving "unwanted attention", a court has heard.

Janusz Smoderek, 48, was found dead in a garden off Sleaford Road in Boston, Lincolnshire on 11 September 2012.
Stephen Anthony Sleaford, 38, of no fixed address, denies murdering Mr Smoderek, a married father-of-three who worked as a flower packer.
Lincoln Crown Court heard Mr Smoderek suffered six separate stab wounds.
Mr Sleaford stabbed Mr Smoderek, who lived in the Revesby Road area of Boston, after going to help a young woman who was walking home alone after a drunken night out, the court was told.
Tim Spencer QC, prosecuting, told the court Mr Sleaford first acted lawfully in helping the young woman who was receiving "unwanted attention" from Mr Smoderek but he then pulled out a knife and stabbed him when he was no longer a threat to anyone else.
The trial, which is expected to last four weeks, continues.