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The Proof is in the IP Address – A Stalking Case Study

We have previously reported on how prosecution errors in requesting IP address evidence can cause issues (https://keithborer.co.uk/news/police-errors-finger-wrong-suspects-cybercrime). Getting the information, however, is only half of the issue – understanding what is it’s evidential value is just as important. KBC was instructed in a case of stalking. Multiple fake Instagram accounts were created to harass the […]

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Uncertain Provenance – Digital Evidence in Context

Following a recent case involving indecent images, our instructing solicitors commented of us: “We always receive a prompt and efficient service, but what is particularly helpful is the opening of other avenues of enquiry which hadn’t been previously considered”. A mobile telephone and tablet computer were seized from a defendant and charges of making and […]

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EncroChat Update – The Court Of Appeal

Background: Operation Venetic EncroChat was one of the world’s largest encrypted communication services and estimated to have 60000 users across Europe, including 10000 users in the UK. A modified mobile device was provided called an EncroPhone, primarily used to send text or photo messages. These devices each had a unique ‘handler’ name and conversations were […]

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What to do if you have been served with a restraint, production or freezing order

If you have received a freezing, restraint, or production order, you need to understand what it means and what steps you should take. Ignoring it, or breaching it could lead to a fine or even imprisonment. We can guide you through the legal process, and help you challenge it if possible.

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The UK’s confiscation regime: your rights explained

If you’ve been convicted of a crime (especially something fraud, or drug related), you may also be given a confiscation order. The confiscation order is the legal way of making you repay the ‘benefit’ you received for carrying out the crime you were convicted for. It’s like a large fine that you pay to the […]

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Drink Driving Penalty: What to Expect

Driving under the influence of alcohol is a serious offence that can have life changing consequences. Despite the severity of the crime, drink driving is among the most common offences committed by UK citizens. If you have been arrested for driving whilst over the legal limit, then you will have questions about what comes next. […]

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What does Released Under Investigation mean?

If you or someone you know has been released under investigation, you might be wondering what that means and what the implications are. In this article, we’ll take you through what happens after a police interview, what options the police have and what each of those options mean. What happens after a police interview? When […]

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I’ve been asked to attend a voluntary police interview. Do I need a solicitor?

The short answer is yes. Many people confuse a voluntary police interview with being interviewed as a witness — but they’re not the same thing. A voluntary interview can be just as serious as an interview following an arrest, so you need to make sure you have the best legal advice. What is a voluntary […]

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International conspiracies to import and supply drugs, firearms and money laundering

25 Mar Luton Crown Court 2021 Harewood Law acted for a principal defendant in a case concerning international drugs conspiracies to import and supply class A and B drugs, associated money laundering, and possession of prohibited firearms and ammunition. The case was prosecuted and investigated by officers of the Organised Crime Partnership – a collaboration […]

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Money Laundering Trial, Leeds Crown Court 2021 – Acquittal

This case began in 2016, a lengthy and complex investigation of an accountant who had been employed by a national firm. The accountant had set up a complex web which involved multiple companies, various banks and resulted in just short of a million pounds being redirected to various different bank accounts, controlled by him but […]

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EncroChat Update – The Court Of Appeal

Background: Operation Venetic EncroChat was one of the world’s largest encrypted communication services and estimated to have 60000 users across Europe, including 10000 users in the UK. A modified mobile device was provided called an EncroPhone, primarily used to send text or photo messages. These devices each had a unique ‘handler’ name and conversations were […]

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Terrorism offences 2021 – Defence teams positive engagement with the opposition, in a terrorism trial, results in a just outcome.

The prosecution offered no evidence at trial, in a case where Harewood Law’s client was charged with two counts of encouraging terrorism contrary to section 1 Terrorism Act 2006. It transpired that their client was a young man whose mental health deteriorated during the covid pandemic and went undetected. The prosecution alleged that the client […]

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DNA evidence and the shortened report format (SFR)

Shortened forensic reports whether that be SFR1s (Streamlined Forensic Report Stage 1), Abbreviated Forensic Statements or Results Reports are being encountered with increasing regularity in cases involving DNA and more widely amongst different areas of forensic science. These short report formats give the results of the DNA analyses undertaken, often in a piecemeal approach. Sometimes, […]

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Hundreds arrested as UK organised crime network is cracked

British and European Law enforcement agencies gained critical access to crypto-communications among organized crime groups, and significant insight into the manoeuvres and actions of various suspects involved, including many ‘Gangland Untouchables’ who “thought they would never be caught,”. It has dealt a major blow to organized crime groups in the UK and led to seizures […]

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Police gain real-time access to organized crimes Cryto-Communications

EncroChat unlocked: Gangland Untouchables exposed as police read secret texts of assassins and drug smugglers. This is a landmark moment in the battle between detectives and the criminals and cartels whose antics cause misery across Merseyside. Smashing through the previously impenetrable EncroChat messaging service is one of the biggest breakthroughs in the war on crime this century. […]

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Inside top-secret £3k-a-year EncroChat phone system

‘Marketed as the “world’s most secure handset,” ,’ banks, online shops, even WhatsApp use end-to-end encryption. What most people will see if they try and hack into the system is jumbled up data which is unintelligible. The phones have two modes; normal operating mode and encryption mode. Operation Venetic was described by the NCA as […]

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What is EncroChat?

Operations were carried out across Europe as a result of police accessing millions of messages sent using the encrypted messaging network, EncroChat. 746 suspected top tier criminals who are believed to be involved in murder, gun smuggling and drug trafficking crimes were arrested, 54 million in cash was seized and 1.45 tons of cocaine seized. […]

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Paul Massey’s killing

‘The gangland figures murdered the hits ordered on EncroChat: How killings of Salford’s ‘Mr Big’ Paul Massey and mob ‘fixer’ John Kinsella were called in using encrypted phone network’. Secret phone system EncroChat was used in some of the UK’s most notorious murders and crimes, it was revealed today. The shadowy underground network used by […]

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EncroChat crackdown

A wave of arrests were made following a targeted hacking of EncroChat devices. A collaboration between UK, Irish and European Police agencies resulted in a “significant,” number of arrests being made, the seizure of 15 phones using EncroChat software and £360,000 in cash, in what has been described as the “largest and most significant enforcement […]

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