April 2008 - Crime in the News

• £5.3million e-crime unit to get go-ahead

  A new centralised e-crime unit is close to getting the funding required to make it a reality. [30th April 2008]

• UK counter-terror arrests

  Three men have been arrested in the UK by counter-terror police over the Sri Lankan-based group, the Tamil Tigers. [30th April 2008]

• Arrest over children's home abuse

  A 68-year old man has been arrested over the alleged abuse at the children's home, Haut de la Garenne, in Jersey. [29th April 2008]

• Sword house siege ends

  A siege at a house in Nottinghamshire has ended after 33 hours, after a man believed to be armed with a sword held a family hostage. [29th April 2008]

• Robbery brothers jailed for murder

  Three brothers who tied a man to his bed during a robbery and left him to die have been sentenced to life imprisonment. [29th April 2008]

• Terrorism laws used for petty offences

  People suspected of petty offences such as dropping litter and letting pets foul in parks, have been spied on by councils under anti-terrorism laws. [28th April 2008]

• 42-day terrorist detention leak

  A leaked paper suggests that judges may be given the power to release terror suspects with an electronic tag, to meet Gordon Brown's aim to give police 42-days to charge terror suspects. [28th April 2008]

• Man charged for hospital murder

  A 36-year old man has been charged with the murder of a man in an East London hospital last week. [28th April 2008]

• Recorded crime down 12 per cent

  Recorded crime in England and Wales fell by 12% in the last three months of the year, compared to the same period in 2006. [25th April 2008]

• Violence against children doubles

  Violence against children and babies has more than doubled in the last year in England and Wales. [24th April 2008]

• Men questioned over two bodies

  Police are continuing to question two men on suspicion of murdering a disabled 22-year old man, whose mother was also found dead. [24th April 2008]

• Bristol woods searched in terror investigation

  Police are searching the woods near the home of the suspect who is being held under the Terrorism Act. [24th April 2008]

• Online fraud underestimated

  Credit and debit card fraud over the internet is far greater than previous estimates suggest. [23rd April 2008]

• Fifteen terror plots foiled since 7/7

  Fifteen terrorist plots have been foiled since the London bombings on 7th July three years ago. [23rd April 2008]

• Violence against women costs £40billion

  A new report has estimated that violence against women costs £40billion a year in England and Wales. [23rd April 2008]

• Reward for mistaken identity murder

  Police are offering a £20,000 reward to catch the killers of a 20-year old man who was murdered in Manchester in January. [22nd April 2008]

• Drug factory arrests

  Four people, including an 82-year old woman, have been arrested over an underground drugs factory, where hundreds of cannabis plants were found. [22nd April 2008]

• Teenage babysitter killed baby

  Joshua Cook, who was 17 at the time, sexually abused the toddler in his care before killing him in Scarborough. [22nd April 2008]

• More sex offenders caught

  The number of sex offenders arrested in the UK has risen by three times in the last year. [21st April 2008]

• Online brothels raided

  Fifteen people have been arrested in an operation targeting brothels in central London that are operating over the internet. [21st April 2008]

• Man arrested after football murder

  A 20-year old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of a football fan after a match. [21st April 2008]

• Most Wanted criminal caught

  An escaped rapist who was featured on Crimestoppers' Most Wanted website has been found and arrested by armed officers. [18th April 2008]

• Man arrested under Terrorism Act

  A 19-year old man in Bristol has been arrested under the Terrorism Act and a controlled explosion has taken place. [18th April 2008]

• Seventh man charged over Rhys murder

  A 20-year old man has been charged with assisting an offender in the Rhys Jones murder. [18th April 2008]

• Rhys' murderer in court

  A 17-year old appeared in court today charged with the murder of11-year old Rhys Jones, who was shot dead last year while walking home from football practise. [17th April 2008]

• One in ten young people affected by guns and knives

  A children's charity has found that one in ten youths have been personally affected by gun and knife crime and 20% feel they are sometimes or often in danger. [17th April 2008]

• Home Secretary to announce more terror police

  Jacqui Smith will announce that an additional 300 police will be put to fighting terrorism - news which has been welcomed by the Association of Chief Police Officers. (16 April 2008)

• NZ$200,000 reward available to catch medal thieves

  Lord Ashcroft, whose NZ$200,000 reward led to the return of many priceless New Zealand bravery medals earlier this year, has offered a further NZ$200,000 for the apprehension and conviction of those who stole them. [15th April 2008]

• Prison officers need more support for terrorist prisoners

  The prisons watchdog has said that prison officers may not fully understand how to tackle terrorism recruitment tactics in jails. London's Belmarsh prison now holds the majority of prisoners awaiting trial for terrorism offences. (15 April 2008)

• Four arrests over Rhys Jones murder

  Two men and two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Rhys Jones, who was killed in Liverpool in August 2007. [15th April 2008]

• Renewed appeal over Bradford murder

  Detectives investigating the murder of a 19-year old mother in 2001 have refreshed their appeal for information on the seventh anniversary of her death. [14th April 2008]

• £4million drugs found in office complex

  Cannabis with a street value of £4million has been found growing in a business centre in Scunthorpe. [14th April 2008]

• Controversial DNA technique is robust

  A controversial method for obtaining DNA profiles from crime scenes has been found to be 'scientifically robust', following an independent review. [11th April 2008]

• Pro-suicide websites preying on vulnerable people

  A study has found that people searching on the internet for information about suicide are more likely to find sites encouraging them to commit the act. [11th April 2008]

• Safety concerns on Shannon Matthews' estate

  Threats have allegedly been made to residents living on the Dewsbury Moor estate, saying that they are 'going to get it' after the police have gone. [11th April 2008]

• Prison drugs trade worth £100million

  An ex-prison service worker has claimed that approximately £100million worth of drugs are being traded in prisons every year. [10th April 2008]

• YouTube appeal for fatal shooting

  The family of a 16-year old who was fatally shot in Manchester have launched an appeal on YouTube to help catch the killer. [10th April 2008]

• Warning on Shannon Matthews' estate

  Leaflets have been distributed in Dewsbury Moor to warn residents not to take the law into their own hands, following Shannon Matthews alleged abduction. [10th April 2008]

• Karen Matthews charged

  Karen Matthews has been charged with perverting the course of justice and child neglect.[9th April 2008]

• Under-age drinking crackdown success

  44,000 pints of alcoholic drinks were seized from 7,000 young people during February. [9th April 2008]

• Five London teenagers guilty of murder

  A gang of five teenagers have been found guilty of murdering 16-year old Kodjo Yenga in Hammersmith last March. [9th April 2008]

• Shannon's mother remains in custody

  Karen Matthews stayed in police custody overnight as police continue to question her about her daughter's disappearance. [8th April 2008]

• Social worker murderer to be questioned

  The man who stabbed social worker, Philip Ellison, to death will be questioned later, if doctors agree he is well enough. [8th April 2008]

• Teenager gets life for murder

  A 15-year old girl who stabbed an 18-year old mother to death following an alcohol and cocaine binge has been sentenced to life in prison. [8th April 2008]

• Shannon Matthews' mother arrested

  Unconfirmed reports say that Shannon Matthews' mother has been held on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. [7th April 2008]

• Man arrested for Jamaica murder

  A man has been arrested for the murder of a British woman on an extended holiday in Jamaica. [7th April 2008]

• Men arrested for head on beach

  Two Lithuanian men have been arrested in connection with the death of 35-year old Jolanta Bledaite, whose head and hands that were found on a Scottish beach. [4th April 2008]

• Sex offenders banned by social networking websites

  The email addresses of sex offenders will be passed onto social networking websites, including Facebook and Bebo. [4th April 2008]

• Bullet-proof hoodie

  A bullet-proof hooded top, called 'Defender' and costing £300, has been developed by a company in East London. [4th April 2008]

• Appeal to find family of beach victim

  After the severed head and hands of a woman was identified as being those of a 36-year old migrant worker, efforts are continuing to contact her family. [4th April 2008]

• FACT - Man arrested and DVDs seized after call to Crimestoppers

  One man has been arrested and thousands of counterfeit DVDs seized after an anonymous caller to Crimestoppers provided information about the crime. [3rd April 2008]

• 'High-tech crime: The new dangers' by Roy Ramm

  We've all embraced internet shopping, plastic money and online banking quickly and readily. However, we're fast recognising that with these digital conveniences also lies the ‘cyber-criminal'. [3rd April 2008]

• Advisors say that cannabis should remain class C

  The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, the official body who advises the government, may decide that cannabis should remain to be a class C drug. [3rd April 2008]

• Shannon's stepfather charged for child porn

  Shannon Matthews' stepfather, 22-year old Craig Meehan, has been charged with ten counts of possessing indecent images of children. [3rd April 2008]

• Face of woman's head on beach to be revealed

  An artist's impression of the woman, whose head was found on a beach in Scotland, is due to be released. [3rd April 2008]

• Human head discovered on beach

  Children have discovered a woman's head in a plastic bag while they were playing on a beach in Angus. [2nd April 2008]

• Arrest for couple death

  A man has been arrested after a man and woman were found dead in their home in Liverpool. [2nd April 2008]

• Schoolboy's attackers receive sentences

  Three teenagers who beat up a 16-year old French schoolboy in Bristol have been handed year-long custodial sentences. [2nd April 2008]

• Courts are seriously overstretched

  The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips, has said that an influx of new legislation is creating serious problems in the judicial system. [1st April 2008]

• Hoax caller jailed

  A man who made a number of hoax phone calls to the emergency services has been jailed for four years. [1st April 2008]

• London murder inquiry

  A murder inquiry has been launched after a man was found lying in a North London road after being stabbed last night. [1st April 2008]