This case was brought by way of a private prosecution by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT). The allegation was that Allen Watts, 56, had been involved in the manufacturing of hundreds of thousands of counterfeit videos. FACT said throughout the proceedings that the scale of the criminal enterprise was a size hitherto unseen in Europe and thus the case attracted prominent media coverage.
05.12.2002
This was a prosecution of two commercial pilots. They were convicted of plotting to smuggle £22m worth of cocaine into the UK..
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22.11.2002
In this complex appeal concerning conspiracy to supply heroin, the convicted defendants successfully appealed against the prosecution's use of witness evidence which they considered worthy of belief only in part...
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02.07.2002
The London City Bond VAT fraud, in which it was alleged that £2billion of duty on the sale of alcohol had been evaded by exploitation of the bonded warehouse system.
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11.06.2002
This was a widely reported case of child abuse and torture. Jeffrey Tanner and his wife Brenda Tanner were convicted of abusing and assaulting children they were fostering. They were...
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22.05.2002
A decision on whether an appellant was entitled to a second appeal against conviction to the Privy Council was adjourned in order that it could be heard by the full...
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R v D
The Times, 21 May 2002; [2002] 3 WLR 997; [2002] 2 Crim App Rep 36
21.05.2002
The Court of Appeal held that video testimony concerning the alleged indecent assault and attempted rape of the victim, whom the defendant claimed was incompetent as a witness because of her long-standing...
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25.04.2002
When determining an application to admit evidence under ss.23 and 26 Criminal Justice Act 1988, the decision as to whether it was practicable to secure attendance depended upon all the...
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10.04.2002
This case concerned the largest local authority fraud and corruption scandal in a generation. The corruption centred in Doncaster’s City council throughout dealings between property developer Alan Hughes, Peter Birks...
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22.03.2002
The Court of Appeal gave guidance on the circumstances in which a non-obligatory life sentence might be imposed and on the correct approach in calculating the minimum term of imprisonment...
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08.02.2002
Solicitor accused of Britain’s largest legal aid fraud.
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07.02.2002
Convictions for theft and obtaining property by deception were found to be unsafe. In summing up the judge had failed to make it clear that a subjective test of dishonesty...
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