The court quashed the 1989 inquest of Jessie Earl who disappeared in 1980 aged 22.
Tahir Iqbal
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Manfo Kwaku Asiedu
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Ceon Broughton
Bestival death: Ceon Broughton manslaughter conviction overturned
At Kingston Crown Court on Wednesday 20 June 2018, the prosecution of four men for money laundering and evasion of duty offences collapsed due to the prosecution’s failure to comply with its disclosure obligations. All four defendants were acquitted.
Stephen Kamlish QC led Emma Fenn for the second defendant, instructed by Leigh Wright of Tuckers Solicitors.
The HMRC case involved allegations relating to the smuggling of millions of cigarettes and evasion of duty on substantial amounts of alcohol.
As a result of a number of disclosure requests by the defence prior to and during the trial, it became clear that, notwithstanding that the investigation and arrests dated back to 2011-2012, there were major failings in the disclosure process by HMRC. Suspicions were aroused that the failings were of an endemic and serious nature.
During a trial in March of this year the Crown successfully applied to discharge the jury in order to deal with disclosure issues raised by the defence in respect of potentially unlawful cross border surveillance.
Stacey Hyde
Stacey Hyde cleared of murdering Vincent Francis in retrial
Bhadresh Gohil
Mr Gohil was previously convicted in 2010 of money laundering for the prominent Nigerian politician James Ibori. Mr Gohil appealed his conviction to the Court of Appeal based on evidence of a corrupt relationship between a firm of private investigators hired by Ibori (called Risc Management Ltd) and the Metropolitan Police. In particular, the allegations made by Mr Gohil were that Risc Management staff had passed confidential information from the defence to the Metropolitan Police and that police had provided confidential information to the defence about the police investigation into Ibori in return for payment. The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal based on a prosecution claim that there was nothing to disclose about these assertions.
The Crown then decided to prosecute Mr Gohil for perverting the course of justice by making the allegations of police corruption. Mr Gohil’s defence was that there was, in fact, a corrupt relationship between the Metropolitan Police and Risc Management involving the improper passing of information, which included police taking bribes. His defence also involved claiming that the prosecution had been fully aware that the corruption existed and had withheld material from the Court of Appeal in bad faith.
On 21 January 2016, 18 months after the case began, and on the second day of trial proceedings, the Crown offered no evidence against Mr Gohil and not guilty verdicts were recorded. The Crown were invited by the trial judge to give reasons for the request that not guilty verdicts be recorded but was told by the prosecution that it was not possible to do so. The Director of Public Prosecutions was personally involved in the decision that the case should not proceed.
Following the verdicts, Stephen Kamlish QC stated in court that the Crown were not proceeding, either because they accepted that the corruption was going on, or that the prosecution had been an abuse of process, or both.
Met Police ‘corruption’ claims lead to calls for investigation – BBC News
Manfu Kwaku Asiedu
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