Successes of the Month - December 2012
Contents
- Kathy Wilson's persistence keeps defendant in custody
- Rob Davis and Russell Nobbs secure 'record' fine for Olympic tickets cheats
- Kirsten Sharp's care for a traumatised witness brings praise
Kathy Wilson, Associate Prosecutor, CPS East of England
Kathy's persistence keeps defendant in custody
Kathy Wilson, an Associate Prosecutor, was prosecuting a breach of bail case at Chelmsford Magistrates' court in November 2012 where the defendant would not acknowledge who he was. He was originally charged with supplying drugs worth £6,000 and assisting an offender with the disposal of evidence in a murder case. The offence was from the London area with links to Operation Trident, the MPS's unit for tackling gun crime in London.
Kathy arranged for a hand-held electronic fingerprint reader to be brought to the court from the local police station to check his fingerprints and prove correct identity, but the defendant refused to have his fingerprints taken.
Undeterred, Kathy tracked down the police officer who interviewed the defendant after arrest. That officer agreed to attend court at once and was brought from London in a police car. He gave evidence to identify the defendant in the dock as the person he interviewed.
Kathy then had to conduct a contested breach of bail hearing and was successful. The defendant, despite his efforts, was remanded in custody.
Paula Abrahams, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor, CPS East of England, said: "This was excellent work on Kathy's part to get to the bottom of a disputed identity on a breach of bail relating to a serious charge. We were told the court was very impressed with her efforts to find out the truth of the situation.
"She went to extraordinary lengths to ensure the court were in the best possible position to make a proper and informed decision when dealing with this issue."
Rob Davis, Special Casework Lawyer, and Russell Nobbs, Caseworker, CPS London
Rob and Russell secure 'record' fine
The hard work of Rob Davis, CPS London Special Casework lawyer, and caseworker Russell Nobbs, has led to what is thought to be a record fine being given out in the magistrates' courts. Sportsworld was ordered to pay a fine of £50,000 and costs of £7,500 at Westminster Magistrates' Court on December 11th for 14 counts of overpricing Olympics tickets and knowing that the tickets were being sold on.
This is likely to be the highest fine ever imposed in London in the magistrates' courts, and possibly nationally. The Olympic Act 2006 says that, for 'Olympics related' offences, magistrates can impose fines of up to £20,000 per offence, instead of the usual £5,000 maximum.
Sportsworld sold tickets on to another company knowing they were going to be resold and they sold the tickets in excess of the maximum price allowed by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games.
Rob said: "This was a difficult prosecution but, together with Russell and prosecution counsel, we relished the challenge. We were faced with a mountain of paperwork, but presented a robust case in court. This should serve as a strong warning to any company engaged in ticket fraud."
Kris Venkatasami, Head of the Special Casework Unit, said: "Rob provided early investigative advice to the police, advised on the summonses and, ably supported by Russell, was responsible for putting 2,500 pages of exhibits and up to 30 statements before the court. Their hard work paid off by securing what we think is a record fine."
Kirsten Sharp, Senior Crown Prosecutor, CPS South East
Kirsten's care for a traumatised victim brings praise
Senior Crown Prosecutor Kirsten Sharp from Chichester has been praised by the witness support team for the way in which she handled a vulnerable victim with mental health issues.
When the case got to court, Kirsten recognised that the victim was clearly traumatised. Kirsten sat with her and became aware that she was asking Kirsten for help. Concerned about her mental state and the strain the case was putting on her, Kirsten called the ambulance service and paramedics sat with Kirsten and the woman during the lunch break. Following this, she said she felt well enough to give evidence and the Magistrates allowed Kirsten to question her while she was seated, which gave her additional confidence.
When the victim gave evidence, she was very effective and was able to clearly recall details of the incident which had taken place two years earlier. The defendant was convicted of theft and given a three month prison sentence, suspended for two years and was ordered to obey a curfew two days a week.
Senior District Crown Prosecutor Nigel Knight said: "This shows how a skilled prosecutor can deal with - and succeed in - a case which could so easily have been adjourned for a variety of reasons. The witness support team present on the day were highly complimentary about the way Kirsten handled both the complainant and the trial and how dedicated she was throughout the day."
