The Police intelligence analyst will use different sources of data to produce a timeline or schedule. Included may be the movement of a phone, who the phone was in contact with, sometimes the content of a message, ANPR information, as well as CCTV cameras stills and vehicle tracking data. The final document can be a […]
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 […]
Read More… from The Proof is in the IP Address – A Stalking Case Study
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 […]
Read More… from Uncertain Provenance – Digital Evidence in Context
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 […]
An unexplained wealth order (UWO) is a tool used by investigating authorities to crack down on money obtained through crime.
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Read More… from Unexplained wealth orders: an in-depth guide
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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Read More… from What to do if you have been served with a restraint, production or freezing order
A civil recovery order (CRO) allows an authority to seize a person’s assets without first getting a criminal conviction against them. It happens in situations where the authority believes that a person has got hold of the assets through unlawful means.
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Read More… from Civil recovery orders: What you need to know
The police can seize money from you if they suspect that you got hold of the money through crime, or you intend to use the money for crime. But how do you get it back after it has been seized?
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When the police seize cash from your car, it’s because they suspect that the cash is linked to criminal conduct. The police have the right, and the power to seize this cash under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (usually referred to as ‘POCA’).
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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 […]
Read More… from The UK’s confiscation regime: your rights explained
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. […]
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 […]
Read More… from What does Released Under Investigation mean?
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 […]
Read More… from I’ve been asked to attend a voluntary police interview. Do I need a solicitor?
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 […]
Read More… from International conspiracies to import and supply drugs, firearms and money laundering
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 […]
Read More… from Money Laundering Trial, Leeds Crown Court 2021 – Acquittal
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
Read More… from DNA evidence and the shortened report format (SFR)
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 […]
Read More… from Hundreds arrested as UK organised crime network is cracked
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. […]
Read More… from Police gain real-time access to organized crimes Cryto-Communications
‘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 […]
Read More… from Inside top-secret £3k-a-year EncroChat phone system
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. […]
‘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 […]
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 […]
