Minggu, 14 April 2024

Rwanda: Charities plan legal challenges to removals as law set to pass - BBC

Officials board a plane that was due to take people to Rwanda in 2022Reuters

Charities supporting asylum seekers plan to launch legal challenges "as quickly as possible" against moving people to Rwanda, after a new law passes in the coming days.

Legislation to declare Rwanda safe is likely to pass its final parliamentary hurdles this week.

Downing Street hopes this will allow the first flights to take off before the end of spring.

Ministers hope to strike similar removal deals with other countries.

But Charity Care4Calais - which helped block flights to Rwanda last year - said it had recruited hundreds of volunteers to identify people who are set to be removed to the east-central African country.

It intends to offer them legal support to try and keep them in the UK.

A source said: "Human rights still apply - we are ready to go".

The government is eager to remove some asylum seekers to Rwanda before the general election, as part of its strategy to stop small boats crossing the English Channel.

The legislation, which will pass Parliament soon, declares Rwanda a safe country - after the Supreme Court blocked an earlier plan in November.

The Rwanda scheme was originally introduced by Boris Johnson in April 2022.

It has faced a number of legal challenges since, and so far no asylum seekers have been sent to the African country.

But there is increasing confidence from the government that they can now get the plan off the ground.

There has been intense debate in Parliament, with the Lords making several changes to the government's bill.

But that process - known as ping-pong - is widely expected to have concluded by Thursday this week.

The Home Office can then begin informing people who are to due to be removed to Rwanda. It is at that stage that charities intend to begin legal challenges, which could delay removals.

It is also possible the entire premise of the legislation will be challenged in the courts too.

As well as legal battles, it is certain the political debate will continue.

Ministers say sending some asylum seekers to Rwanda will help deter people from making crossings across the Channel on small boats.

Government sources say other countries will follow suit, if the UK scheme is successful.

They also believe other countries will be willing to take asylum seekers from the UK if the Rwanda partnership is seen to work.

Heated political debate

But Labour has said it will scrap the scheme if it wins power. The party believes it is too expensive, and unworkable.

Instead, it wants to work more closely with Europe, take firmer action on smuggler gangs and invest in clearing the UK's backlog in asylum applications.

But expect a heated political debate in the coming days.

A source close to Home Secretary James Cleverly said: "Labour - who have tried everything to disrupt, delay or destroy the bill - are increasingly worried it will work.

"We know a deterrent is needed, and we know deterrence works from the evidence of our deal with Albania. We also know Labour don't have one."

Labour says that is nonsense.

Sources acknowledge some flights to Rwanda are likely to take off, but say the challenge will be whether enough people are removed to have an impact.

They also point out that the government has already passed two significant pieces of legislation on small boats - only for the numbers to remain high.

The number of people crossing the Channel on small boats fell last year, from a record high in 2022. But it remained the second highest on record, at 29,347.

Home Office figures also suggest a record number of people crossed the Channel in the first three months of this year, when compared to the same period in previous years.

That makes it a key test for the government - and a key political debate.

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiJmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLTY4ODA5OTQ30gEqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWstNjg4MDk5NDcuYW1w?oc=5

2024-04-14 10:10:50Z
CBMiJmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLTY4ODA5OTQ30gEqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWstNjg4MDk5NDcuYW1w

Rayner will focus on facts not 'gossip' in living arrangements row, says Cooper - The Independent

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner will focus on facts rather than “gossip” in the ongoing row over her living arrangements, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said.

It comes after The Sunday Times reported that her former aide said there was “no doubt in my mind that this was Ms Rayner’s family home” when he visited her at what she says was her husband’s address in 2014.

Police are investigating whether Labour’s deputy leader broke electoral law after Tory allegations that she may have given false information about her main residence a decade ago.

Ms Rayner has promised to resign if she is found to have committed a crime over the accusations, but said she “followed the rules at all times”.

Ms Cooper told BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that Ms Rayner is “very keen” to set out the facts to police and HMRC.

She said: “It allows her to set out all the facts – not the sort of gossip, not the different allegations that we’ve had from Conservative MPs.

“We understand this is the run-up to local elections, we have seen this before as we saw with the Durham case as well.

“This is obviously about her family arrangements, her personal finances, and that’s really how it should be dealt with instead.”

Durham Police cleared Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Ms Rayner over allegations that they broke coronavirus rules by having a takeaway curry with colleagues while campaigning for local elections in 2021.

The force initially investigated and found there was no evidence of rule-breaking, but looked at the case again following the intervention of North West Durham Tory MP Richard Holden.

The current row is over Ms Rayner being registered at an ex-council house she bought in Stockport, but it is understood Conservative Party deputy chairman James Daly has suggested neighbours say she lived with her husband at a separate property.

I think Angela has handled this in the right way and welcomed the opportunity to set out the facts

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) initially said they would not be investigating the allegations, but following a complaint from the Bury North MP the force confirmed it had reassessed information and launched a probe.

Former staffer Matt Finnegan gave a statement to GMP to say he visited the property at Lowndes Lane, Stockport, that year, The Sunday Times reported.

Mr Finnegan left Ms Rayner’s employment with a £20,000 payout and non-disclosure agreement after accusing her of disability discrimination and unfair dismissal and has told police he “vividly” remembers her home was elsewhere, the paper said.

He reportedly visited her around the time she became a parliamentary candidate at an address in Lowndes Lane in the summer of 2014.

Earlier on Sunday Ms Cooper told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that Ms Rayner has “done the right thing” by taking independent tax and legal advice as she faces a row over her previous living arrangements.

Ms Cooper was asked why Sir Keir had not read Ms Rayner’s legal advice, despite members of his team having seen it.

She responded: “I certainly wouldn’t expect to see the personal advice about personal finances of any of my colleagues, but I think Angela has handled this in the right way and welcomed the opportunity to set out the facts.

“Keir has a very strong team around him, and rightly so – that’s why I think, not only have they looked at this and been clear about it, but also Angela has as well.

“Angela is a brilliant deputy leader of our party and she is going to continue campaigning, working, (and) continue just as all of us are for the local elections, and not be deterred – political questions are always going to be raised.”

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMid2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmluZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWsvZHVyaGFtLXBvbGljZS1sYWJvdXItZ3JlYXRlci1tYW5jaGVzdGVyLXBvbGljZS1iYmMtbGF1cmEta3VlbnNzYmVyZy1iMjUyODQ3Ni5odG1s0gEA?oc=5

2024-04-14 10:06:02Z
CBMid2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmluZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWsvZHVyaGFtLXBvbGljZS1sYWJvdXItZ3JlYXRlci1tYW5jaGVzdGVyLXBvbGljZS1iYmMtbGF1cmEta3VlbnNzYmVyZy1iMjUyODQ3Ni5odG1s0gEA

Schoolboy, eight, killed after being hit by a car in horror accident on quiet Wiltshire cul-de-sac - Daily Mail

An eight-year-old schoolboy has died after being struck by a car on a quiet Wiltshire cul-de-sac.

Emergency services were called out to the crash in Woodland View, Dilton Marsh at 4.30pm on Saturday.

The incident, which saw the quiet road in the rural village closed last night, involved a vehicle and the young boy who had been walking in the area. 

The tragic scene saw Wiltshire Air Ambulance scramble to the road alongside other 999 responders but despite their best efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene.  

The little boy's family have been informed and is being supported by a specialist officers.

Emergency services were called to a road traffic collision in Woodland View, Dilton Marsh at 4.30pm on Saturday. Pictured: Police offices at the scene
The incident, which saw the quiet road in the rural village closed last night, involved a vehicle and the young boy who had been walking in the area. Pictured: Police officers at the scene in Dilton Marsh
The little boy's family have been informed and is being supported by a specialist officer. Pictured: Officers on the quiet cul-de-sac

A man in his 30s is being interviewed, the police said, as 'is usual in these circumstances'.

Tributes have flooded social media this morning, with many paying their respects tot the boys family.

One wrote: 'What an sad news... fly high little man.. sending hug and love to his family and friends at this sad occasion.'

Another said: 'This is so very very sad. Sending my thoughts to his family at this most unimaginably awful time.' 

'Rest in paradise beautiful boy, thoughts are with the family,' a third added, while a fourth wrote: 'My condolences to the family, this is so tragic to read.'

The devastating collision happened in Dilton Marsh on the warmest day of the year so far.

The quiet village has a local pub, called The Prince of Wales, a pre-school and a primary school as well as a parent and toddler group. 

Woodland View is a small cul-de-sac with a few new build houses backing onto a large field. It is a close walk from both the primary and prep school. 

Witnesses to the collision or anyone with dash cam footage are being urged to contact the serious collision investigation team

'Our thoughts are with them at this extremely difficult time', a Wiltshire Police spokesperson said.

'A man in his 30s is being interviewed, as is usual in these circumstances,' they added. 

Witnesses to the collision or anyone with dash cam footage are being urged to contact the serious collision investigation team on 01225 694597 quoting log number 218 of yesterday's date (13/04).

Witnesses can also contact the team directly by emailing SCIT@wiltshire.police.uk.

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMifWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FydGljbGUtMTMzMDY2NDEvU2Nob29sYm95LWVpZ2h0LWtpbGxlZC1oaXQtY2FyLWhvcnJvci1hY2NpZGVudC1xdWlldC1XaWx0c2hpcmUtY3VsLXNhYy5odG1s0gGBAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FydGljbGUtMTMzMDY2NDEvYW1wL1NjaG9vbGJveS1laWdodC1raWxsZWQtaGl0LWNhci1ob3Jyb3ItYWNjaWRlbnQtcXVpZXQtV2lsdHNoaXJlLWN1bC1zYWMuaHRtbA?oc=5

2024-04-14 09:41:58Z
CBMifWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FydGljbGUtMTMzMDY2NDEvU2Nob29sYm95LWVpZ2h0LWtpbGxlZC1oaXQtY2FyLWhvcnJvci1hY2NpZGVudC1xdWlldC1XaWx0c2hpcmUtY3VsLXNhYy5odG1s0gGBAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FydGljbGUtMTMzMDY2NDEvYW1wL1NjaG9vbGJveS1laWdodC1raWxsZWQtaGl0LWNhci1ob3Jyb3ItYWNjaWRlbnQtcXVpZXQtV2lsdHNoaXJlLWN1bC1zYWMuaHRtbA

Infected blood scandal: Boy, 7, died from Aids after doctor ignored rules - BBC

This video can not be played

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

When 10-month-old Colin Smith contracted HIV after receiving contaminated blood, his parents' house was daubed with "Aids dead".

His father was also forced to leave his job.

Now 34 years on from his death from Aids at the age of seven, his family are facing another injustice.

A BBC investigation has found Prof Arthur Bloom, the doctor who gave Colin infected imported blood product Factor VIII, broke his own rules to do so.

Just three months earlier, Prof Bloom's own department had written internal NHS guidelines discouraging the use of imported blood treatments on children because of the risk of infection.

"This wasn't an accident," said Colin's father, also called Colin. "It could have been avoided."

His son, who was being treated for haemophilia - a rare condition that affects the blood's ability to clot - was one of more than 3,000 people to die in the UK after being given infected blood products.

Parents Janet and Colin, from Newport, have fought for more than 40 years for answers and hope the infected blood inquiry, which is due to report its findings next month, will provide a measure of closure.

Short presentational grey line

In January 1982, more than a year before Prof Bloom first treated Colin, he co-wrote a letter to all haemophilia centres calling on them to give patients new heat-treated products aimed at destroying viruses.

He said they should be administered to previously untreated patients (PUPs) not yet exposed to high-risk American products, much of which were bought from donors such as prison inmates and drug-users.

Colin in hospital
Family photo

The letter explained the previous trials on chimpanzees were no longer suitable and they needed humans to test on.

BBC Wales Investigates has discovered internal NHS guidelines from May 1983 for the department Prof Bloom was in charge of that discouraged the use of imported blood treatments on children because of the risks of infection.

But just three months later, Prof Bloom ignored his own rules when treating Colin.

Colin in hospital
Family photo

Colin was infected with HIV and hepatitis C in August 1983 after being given blood products imported from the US. He died in 1990.

Prof Bloom died in 1992.

Colin and Janet believed their son was being experimented on with new heat-treated Factor VIII which, it was hoped, would kill viruses like HIV and hepatitis.

"He just happened to be diagnosed with haemophilia at the same time these trials were starting up - the next thing you know he's got HIV," said Janet.

Colin senior said: "They were playing Russian roulette with people's lives, and they miscalculated and killed thousands."

Janet said the family were told about Colin's HIV diagnosis in a busy hospital corridor.

"Colin was lying in bed, not well at all, and Prof Bloom stops in the corridor and just said 'he's HIV'," she said.

"We were never taken to a room, we were told in the middle of the corridor, parents running after their kids, little kiddies running past us, and I can remember getting really upset but I don't know why because it was never explained that it was a death sentence."

Janet and Colin only found about their son's hepatitis C diagnosis several years later.

Colin and his mum in hospital
Family photo

In the 1980s fear, stigma and discrimination towards people with HIV and Aids was commonplace.

The UK government's 1987 Aids awareness advert - with actor John Hurt's haunting delivery of "it's a deadly disease with no known cure" to a backdrop of falling tombstones - added to the public's perception of HIV.

As their son's health deteriorated, Colin's parents were ostracised by the local community in Newport.

"We were known as the Aids family," said Janet.

"We'd have phone calls 12, one o'clock in the morning. 'How can you let him sleep with his brothers? He should be locked up, he should be put on an island'... he was three."

"It got out of hand," said Colin senior. "One day we got up and 'Aids dead' was written right across the side of the house [in] black paint."

This video can not be played

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Colin senior said he became "unemployable" because of the stigma surrounding the virus.

"I got a new job delivering milk, believe it or not I had a phone call the morning after I was due to start and they said 'sorry, somebody's told us there's HIV in the family, we can't start you'."

BBC Wales Investigates also uncovered documents that revealed doctors were willing to accept a riskier product in order to keep costs down.

Papers show Immuno - the now dissolved drug company that made the Factor VIII given to Colin - thought the UK market would accept a riskier product made from imported US blood over safer European blood because it was cheaper to import.

"You get to a stage when you read things like that, to us it was murder," Janet said. "They were saving pennies, basically you treat them on the cheap.

"They weren't worried about people's health as far as I'm concerned."

Why did the infected blood scandal happen?

The scandal has been called the biggest treatment disaster in NHS history and decades on victims are still campaigning for compensation.

In the 1970s, the UK was struggling to meet the demand for blood-clotting treatments, so imported supplies from the US.

But much of the blood was bought from high-risk donors such as prison inmates and drug-users.

Factor VIII was made by pooling plasma from blood from tens of thousands of donors. But if just one person was carrying a virus, the entire batch could be contaminated.

In 1975, several years before the first known cases of HIV, a documentary exposed the risks of imported blood products from the US being infected with viruses and the government pledged to become self-sufficient in the UK.

Prof Edward Tuddenham, who was treating haemophiliacs at this time, said it was understood the products were risky.

"[Health minister] David Owen had announced the government policy for self-sufficiency which was the World Health Organisation recommendation, but that quietly got dropped," he said.

"It was cheaper to import from America. It was clear that there was hepatitis being transmitted and that was apparent by the late seventies."

He added: "At the end of the day, the bottom line is what matters. And they [drugs companies] had a product that they were making a lot of money from.

"So, there was a natural tendency to wish to carry on pushing that even as the risk became more and more obvious."

Colin
Family photo

By 1983, a new virus known as HIV was spreading across the world.

Despite early warnings and growing evidence, government officials and ministers in the UK repeatedly told the public there was 'no conclusive proof' that it could be transmitted through imported blood products.

The blood services began routinely screening donations for HIV in 1985 and screening for hepatitis C in 1991.

The UK-wide infected blood inquiry was announced in 2017 after years of campaigning by victims. It was led by former judge Sir Brian Langstaff, and took evidence between 2019 and 2023.

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiLGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLXdhbGVzLTY4NjI0Nzk40gEwaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWstd2FsZXMtNjg2MjQ3OTguYW1w?oc=5

2024-04-14 04:57:54Z
CBMiLGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLXdhbGVzLTY4NjI0Nzk40gEwaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWstd2FsZXMtNjg2MjQ3OTguYW1w

‘We won’t let this derail us’: Angela Rayner to continue campaigning despite police inquiry - The Guardian

A defiant Angela Rayner will continue campaigning ahead of next month’s local elections, despite a police decision to open an investigation amid allegations of breaching electoral law and avoiding capital gains tax.

The deputy Labour leader vowed on Friday she would stand down if inquiries by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) led to a criminal conviction. It comes after a Tory MP asked the force to examine whether she gave incorrect information for the electoral register about where she lived in Stockport prior to becoming an MP.

It follows allegations, which she denies, that she owes capital gains tax (CGT) on the sale of her former council house in 2015, shortly before she became an MP. Because she listed the house as her primary residence, she did not have to pay the tax. However, her critics have argued she really lived with her former husband, just over a mile away. CGT is payable on second homes.

On Saturday night, it emerged that a former Rayner aide, Matt Finnegan, has written to GMP, contradicting her claims. “There was no doubt in my mind that this was Ms Rayner’s family home where she lived with her then husband, Mark,” his letter states, according to the Sunday Times.

“I remember it quite vividly because Ms Rayner was not at home at first and I had to wait for some time in my car before she eventually arrived. It was also memorable in that it was the first and only time I visited her home during the course of my voluntary work for her.”

Her supporters made clear this weekend that she would not be cancelling her plans because of the police announcement. “We’re not going to let this derail us,” said one ally. “She has a lot of commitments coming up in the next few weeks and we won’t allow it to derail that. She is happy to engage with any authority looking at this.”

Jim McMahon, the shadow local government minister, said the allegations were a “storm in a teacup” yesterday and said it was unfair to compare her situation to Boris Johnson’s Covid fines. Asked about pressure on Rayner to publish her tax advice, McMahon said: “We don’t get many Tory MPs who say if there is wrongdoing found, then they will take the appropriate action and to step aside, you don’t hear Conservatives saying that, and that’s why this is chalk and cheese.”

Rayner has been an important voice for Labour in the local elections, the final major electoral test before the general election later this year. Labour is trying to prove it can win back former “red wall” voters it lost at the last election.

There remains uncertainty over what exactly GMP is investigating. In a brief statement, it would only say it was looking at “whether any offences have been committed” in the light of material provided by James Daly, the Conservative deputy chairman, who asked them to look at the electoral roll and deeds relating to the sale of her council house.

Rayner has said that she has legal and tax advice stating that she does not owe any tax and that she is willing to share it with the relevant authorities. However, she has not publicly released what she regards as private information.

Electoral offences fall under the Representation of the People Act 1983, which states that providing false information to an electoral officer is an offence. It is not clear whether living at two addresses would be considered “false information” since it is not uncommon for people, from students to MPs, to have two residences.

The act also has a time limit of 12 months after the offence was committed. A magistrates’ court could extend the deadline for a year in some circumstances. Scott Wortley, a law lecturer at Edinburgh University, said that a police investigation into suspected electoral offences was “completely pointless”.

“Under the Representation of the People Act, any offence committed under that act has to be prosecuted within one year of the commission of the offence,” he said. “In this situation where the alleged events took place a decade ago, it seems a waste of time and resources to carry out an investigation for something that can’t be prosecuted.” It is also unclear that not paying capital gains tax on a second home would amount to an offence. Dan Neidle, a tax expert who raised questions about whether or not Rayner should have paid capital gains tax on her Stockport home, has said that “calls for prosecutions for tax evasion” were “plain daft”.

Rayner bought a semi-detached home in Vicarage Road in Stockport in 2007 with a 25% discount under the right-to-buy scheme, then in 2010 she married Mark Rayner. In 2015 she sold the Vicarage Road property and Neidle estimates that she may have been liable for no more than £3,500 in CGT, or may not have owed any tax in some circumstances.

Keir Starmer, who says he has full confidence in Rayner, has called the allegations against her “a smear”. They surfaced in a biography of the former carer by Lord Ashcroft and newspaper reports that were then taken up by Daly. GMP initially refused to look at the claims, but reconsidered after a further letter from Daly, which said that neighbours in Vicarage Road had contradicted Rayner’s account.

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiiAFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVndWFyZGlhbi5jb20vcG9saXRpY3MvMjAyNC9hcHIvMTMvd2Utd29udC1sZXQtdGhpcy1kZXJhaWwtdXMtYW5nZWxhLXJheW5lci10by1jb250aW51ZS1jYW1wYWlnbmluZy1kZXNwaXRlLXBvbGljZS1pbnF1aXJ50gGIAWh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS9wb2xpdGljcy8yMDI0L2Fwci8xMy93ZS13b250LWxldC10aGlzLWRlcmFpbC11cy1hbmdlbGEtcmF5bmVyLXRvLWNvbnRpbnVlLWNhbXBhaWduaW5nLWRlc3BpdGUtcG9saWNlLWlucXVpcnk?oc=5

2024-04-14 01:30:00Z
CBMiiAFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVndWFyZGlhbi5jb20vcG9saXRpY3MvMjAyNC9hcHIvMTMvd2Utd29udC1sZXQtdGhpcy1kZXJhaWwtdXMtYW5nZWxhLXJheW5lci10by1jb250aW51ZS1jYW1wYWlnbmluZy1kZXNwaXRlLXBvbGljZS1pbnF1aXJ50gGIAWh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS9wb2xpdGljcy8yMDI0L2Fwci8xMy93ZS13b250LWxldC10aGlzLWRlcmFpbC11cy1hbmdlbGEtcmF5bmVyLXRvLWNvbnRpbnVlLWNhbXBhaWduaW5nLWRlc3BpdGUtcG9saWNlLWlucXVpcnk

Kemi Badenoch attacks gender 'cowardice' of NHS, politics and police - The Times

Kemi Badenoch said the “cowardice of those in positions of influence” was “worse than the ravings of the militants”
Kemi Badenoch said the “cowardice of those in positions of influence” was “worse than the ravings of the militants”
AARON CHOWN/PA

The battle over gender ideology is only just beginning, Kemi Badenoch has warned as she calls for “more bravery and less cancel culture” in the wake of a landmark review of child gender services.

In her first public intervention since the publication of Dr Hilary Cass’s report, the business secretary calls for a review into public bodies and their policies on transgender issues.

She also launches an extraordinary broadside against politicians of every stripe, the police, the media, the NHS and universities. She says the “cowardice of those in positions of influence” was “worse than the ravings of the militants”.

Badenoch’s comments will be welcomed by right-wing Tory MPs but seen by critics as seeking to reignite the so-called culture wars that have dominated British

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiWGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZXRpbWVzLmNvLnVrL2FydGljbGUva2VtaS1iYWRlbm9jaC1mdXJ5LWF0LWNvd2FyZGljZS1vdmVyLWdlbmRlci01c241d3pwdzjSAQA?oc=5

2024-04-13 23:01:00Z
CBMiWGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZXRpbWVzLmNvLnVrL2FydGljbGUva2VtaS1iYWRlbm9jaC1mdXJ5LWF0LWNvd2FyZGljZS1vdmVyLWdlbmRlci01c241d3pwdzjSAQA

Sabtu, 13 April 2024

Alan Bates considers private prosecutions of Post Office bosses - BBC

Alan Bates outside Aldwych House for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry on TuesdayPA Media

Former sub-postmaster Alan Bates says he will consider raising funds for private prosecutions of Post Office bosses over the Horizon IT scandal.

He told the BBC he would act if the authorities did not take cases forward.

"It was fine when the Post Office brought private prosecutions, so if we've got to do it in return so be it", he said.

More than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted for shortfalls caused by faulty Horizon software.

Many of the prosecutions were brought by the Post Office itself.

Former Royal Mail and Post Office executives, who were in charge when sub-postmasters and mistresses were being falsely accused, told an inquiry into the scandal this week that they did not realise what had been happening at the time.

Mr Bates, who led the campaign for justice after he was sacked for discrepancies in his accounts, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he wanted clarity about the remit of the inquiry.

"We heard from many lawyers along the way that there does seem to be quite a number of cases for people to answer," he said.

"I know there's financial redress for the individuals in there but they also want to see people held to account in all of this.

"As I understand it, the inquiry as it now stands is not going to make that type of recommendation [to prosecute].

"Perhaps MPs should consider changing the remit to include that type of recommendation if it's not there in the first instance."

In comments first made to the Times, he said he would consider crowdfunding for private prosecutions against former Post Office bosses - similar to the mechanism used by the organisation against sub-postmasters it accused of stealing.

Speaking earlier this week at the inquiry, Mr Bates accused the organisation of lying about the accounting system and of spending years trying to "discredit and silence him".

The Post Office has apologised for the "hurt and suffering" caused by the scandal and said it was committed to ensuring the victims and their families received the "justice and redress that they so deserve".

On Friday, the inquiry heard from former Post Office managing director Alan Cook, who was in charge of the organisation between 2006 and 2010.

He said he did not realise that sub-postmasters were being prosecuted solely by the Post Office until 2009.

He said when he was told cases "went to court" he presumed that the police had been involved, and only found out later that roughly two thirds of cases against Horizon victims had been brought by the Post Office.

During Mr Cook's time at the top, the Post Office secured 292 Horizon convictions in England and Wales.

These years saw some of the highest numbers of convictions using Horizon data, according to evidence submitted to the inquiry by Simon Recaldin, director of the Post Office's remediation unit.

Mr Bates has been campaigning on behalf of sub-postmasters for decades and was recently catapulted into the national spotlight by an ITV drama about the scandal, Mr Bates vs The Post Office.

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiJmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLTY4ODA1NTU20gEqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWstNjg4MDU1NTYuYW1w?oc=5

2024-04-13 09:33:40Z
CBMiJmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLTY4ODA1NTU20gEqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWstNjg4MDU1NTYuYW1w