CRIME

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A cashpoint card fraudster was ordered to pay back just £1. Romanian Adu Bunu targeted cash machines across the north of England, allegedly alongside fellow Romanian Florin Pelade. The scam involved building fake plastic fronts for ATM machines, each fitted with a “skimming” machine and tiny pinhole camera. These would then be placed over the top of an existing machine to record users’ card details and crucial PIN numbers.

The gang would use the information to make cloned cards, which would be used at cashpoints across the country. When officers searched Bunu’s home in Wakefield, West Yorks, they found a laptop with details of 65 cloned cards. At his alleged co-conspirator Pelades’s flat, police recovered eight false ATM fronts and almost 2,000 account numbers and pin codes.

Police have evidence that the gang stole at least £43,000, although they fear the true sum could be as much as £1million. Despite this, Bunu was ordered to pay back the nominal sum of just £1 at a confiscation hearing. York Crown Court was told Bunu is believed to have hidden his assets in Romania but the authorities say it is “not realistic” to get the cash back. It means that on his release, after serving only two years in jail, Bunu will be deported and reunited with his ill-gotten gains. (Source: Daily Express, May/10)

A judge has warned that parents must share responsibility for crimes committed by their kids. Judge Richard Bray spoke out as he ordered the parents of two girls who took part in a violent street robbery to pay the victim compensation. The two were among a gang of four teenagers who attacked a 15-year-old boy. Sentencing the four at Northampton Crown Court, Judge Bray said of the case, "What is plain is that, sadly, parental supervision was not being exercised, at 11pm, drunk and involved in violence and robbery." The girls, both from Wellingborough, were each given a 12-month supervision order and their parents were ordered to pay £200 compensation. (Source: Daily Mail, Aug/07)

A burglary suspect went on a two-week holiday even though she was meant to be electronically tagged. She was also supposed to check in with police three times a week and stick to a 9pm to 7am curfew but the authorities forgot to tag her. No one noticed she was missing until she failed to turn up at court. Judge Michael Taylor issued a warrant for her arrest. Police said, "It would appear her conditions of bail were not passed to us or Securicor." (Source: Daily Mirror, Jan/07)

Homeless Christopher Brown only caused a few pounds damage when he set fire to two wheelie bins in Barnstaple, north Devon but Judge Graham Cottle gave him an indeterminate sentence under new laws after hearing Brown threatened to commit more crimes if he was released. Judge Cottle called it a "highly unusual case", but said he had to protect the public. Brown must serve at least 18 months and show he is no serious risk to people before he is eligible for parole. The new legislation applies to people over 18 who commit crimes which are punishable by life. This includes arson, no matter how small. (Source: BBC News)

Two youths who set fire to a flat trapping two brothers inside, are well known to everyone in the Mackworth area. Kenneth Broughton died the following day after suffering 40% burns, and his brother Neil suffered serious burns in the fire. The brothers were asleep at around 4am when at least a litre of petrol was poured through their letter box and torched. The two accused, both former pupils at Murray Park Community School, and who are notorious trouble-makers, allegedly left the scene of the blaze laughing and talking as fire crews tried to rescue the victims.

The fire spread rapidly through the ground floor flat and neighbours heard the pair shouting for help as they were trapped in their bedrooms. A witness said she recognised one of the boys and saw him at around the time of the fire with another teenager who was carrying a petrol can. The two teenagers claimed they were in bed at the time the fire was started although they had earlier admitted that they had got the wrong house. They claimed they had meant to target the property next door which was a well known drugs den. Witnesses said the pair had been attacking the house previously by throwing eggs, stones and bricks at it.

Nottingham Crown Court heard from Robert Coss, a sub-officer for Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service, who was called to Green Park, Mackworth, after the fire to investigate the scene with the service's sniffer dog, Fudge. The dog is trained to indicate the presence of any fire accelerant. Two days after the blaze, Fudge was taken to the home of one of several youths who were camping in the Broughton's garden at the time of the fire. Fudge indicated that there was accelerant in the U-bend of the bathroom sink, a black top and a waste paper bin in the kitchen.

The court also heard from two of the teenagers who were camping in the Broughtons' garden. One said although he thought he heard Kenneth and Neil crying in pain, he was too terrified to leave the tent. The judge halted the trial and instructed the jury to return a not guilty verdict as soon as the prosecution closed. The pair were also acquitted of manslaughter, arson with intent to endanger life and arson being reckless to life.

Det Ch Supt Dave Gee, from Derbyshire Police, admitted he was surprised by the decision and said, "In the 29 years of my service I have never come across this before. Obviously the judge was not happy that the evidence we put forward could be relied upon, especially that surrounding identification. So he took that unusual step, which is the remit of the judge, and we have to abide by that. We are not looking for anyone else at the moment in connection with this case."

This case may be officially closed but it leaves a lot of unanswered questions, not least the presence of accelerant that was found in the U-bend of a bathroom sink, on a black top and in a waste paper bin. Not your actual every day occurrence. There was no explanation given for this. There's something not quite right about this case. No doubt the pair will now be seeking compensation for being held in custody for the past ten months, and to combat possible reprisals, they will probably be given new identities and moved out of the area, all paid for by the taxpayer.

Convicted drug abuser Hayley Matthews, ploughed into builder Marc Downing as he walked along a dark road. Marc died of multiple injuries. Jobless Matthews, of Redruth, Cornwall, admitted driving with no tax, failing to stop or report an accident, two counts of defective tyres and no insurance. But Bodmin JPs merely imposed an £83 fine and a two-year driving ban.

Hayley Matthews apologised to Marc's outraged mum Denise but insisted she was not to blame. She said, "I can understand his mum wants to lash out, but I'm getting all the backlash. What's being said is all wrong. I'm absolutely gutted. I have to live with what happened for the rest of my life. But the accident was an accident, it was not my fault."

She claimed, "Her son was drunk and walking in the middle of the road. My fault was not stopping. I spent the last nine months convinced I was going to prison for failing to stop. Even though I was not responsible, I'm truly, truly sorry. I know I didn't stop and I'll never forgive myself. It was just panic and fear. I knew I had hit someone but I just didn't want to believe it. I thought I'd go to prison and lose my son."

She admitted failing to stop at Bodmin magistrates court but the jobless secretary added, "I haven't been taken to court for the accident being my fault. There were no charges of dangerous driving or carelessness or being under the influence. It all happened so quickly. I was driving up a hill when I suddenly saw someone in front of me. I tried to swerve but it was too late, I was only doing 30mph."

Minutes before dealing with Matthews, the same court had fined another driver £443 for careless driving after he crashed into a TREE. Chairman of the Bench David Stevens told Matthews, “An inquest has heard this was not your fault but there was irresponsible behaviour on your part.”

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