Crime

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsPolice are investigating a suspected arson attack at the office of a Conservative MP.Officers were called to a fire at the north London constituency office of Mike Freer at about 7pm on Christmas Eve, with the London Fire Brigade also on the scene. The Met said the fire happened in a shed at the MP’s office at Ballards Lane in Finchley.The Finchley and Golders Green MP has represented the constituency since 2010 and is parliamentary under-secretary at the Ministry of Justice.Mr Freer said the rear of the building is damaged. He said the response from police and the fire brigade was excellent and that they were on site in minutes.“The police are still investigating and checking out CCTV footage. Until the suspects are caught we won’t know the motivation. Luckily no-one was in the office at the time,” he added.In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said that there were no reports of any injuries.“The cause of the fire is under investigation as it is believed it may have been started deliberately. “Further inquiries will take place,” a Met spokesman said. More

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails A protester who threw glitter over Sir Keir Starmer during his Labour Party conference speech has been identified. Yaz Ashmawi wore a T-shirt with the words “People Demand […] More

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Criminals will be forced into the dock to hear their sentence, under new laws to be rolled out after the conviction of Britain’s most prolific child killer, Lucy […] More

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Former Labour MP Jared O’Mara has been jailed for four years after being found guilty of fraud to fund his “extensive” cocaine habit. O’Mara, who represented Sheffield Hallam […] More

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Rishi Sunak has been fined by Lancashire Police for failing to wear a seatbelt while filming a social media clip in the back of a moving car. The […] More

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails A suspected knifeman has been tasered and arrested by armed police after “behaving erractically” near Parliament. Footage shared online showed at least six police officers surrounding the man […] More

The government has “no intention” of putting forward a specific national strategy to tackle spiking, it has revealed. Ministers have turned down the recommendation by MPs who carried out an inquiry into the crime. The Home Affairs parliamentary committee had urged the government to look at the efficacy of different anti-spiking initiatives and come up with a national strategy that “promotes best practice”. The government rejected the idea as it published its response into the inquiry on Monday. It said a report on spiking, including reviews into anti-spiking initiatives and case studies of best practice, is due next spring and will ensure the government is “taking the best possible action” to tackle the crime. “There is currently no intention to publish a specific spiking strategy,” the government’s response said.It added: “But it is the government’s intention that the statutory report will highlight this best practice and provide avenues for organisations to communicate and share tips and strategies.” The Home Affairs committee launched an inquiry into drink and injection spiking last year following a wave of reports involving needles and nightclub boycotts calling for tougher action to stamp out the crime.It found a “victim-blaming culture” could be leading to missed opportunities to collect vital evidence and offenders were facing “few deterrents”, with low prosecution rates and victims coming across barriers to reporting. In March The Independent revealed fewer than 2 per cent of cases reported to police resulted in a charge in nearly five years. The select committee put forward its series of recommendations to help tackle spiking in April, including a national communications campaign setting out punishments and encouraging victims to report cases. The government’s response said it was already working on this communications campaign and was looking at sharing messages around the start of the university year, when there was a surge in reports of needle spiking in 2021. It said it was also looking at boosting communications over how suspected spiking victims or those around them should act, which could include outreach across the education and private sector. But the government rejected a recommendation for the compulsory safeguarding training of festival staff. Instead, it would update guidance to say adequate training should be considered in licensing decisions. Dawn Dines from campaign group Stamp Out Spiking said: “We are delighted to hear that government are taking training of staff seriously and we are proactively working towards helping licensing authorities get festivals, bars and clubs trained up.” She also welcomed the government taking action to review reporting data. “More crime reporting data is vital to help identify where these crimes are taking place and who is being targeted,” she said. The government said it was considering options for research on the motivations of perpetrators, which was a committee recommendation. “The government agrees with the committee’s assessment that the motivations of spiking offenders remain unclear, particularly around the newly identified incidences of needle spiking, and that the lack of understanding limits our ability to effectively tackle spiking through targeted interventions,” a spokesperson said. The Home Affairs committee said the government had welcomed most of its recommendations on spiking. More

A former SNP MP who embezzled almost £25,000 from two pro-independence groups has been jailed for two yearsNatalie McGarry, 40, who represented Glasgow East between 2015 and 2017, was convicted of two charges of embezzlement – totalling £24,635 – in May following a trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court.A jury found her guilty by majority of a charge of embezzling £19,974 while she was treasurer of Women for Independence (WFI) between April 26 2013 and November 30 2015.She was also found guilty by majority of a second charge of taking £4,661 between April 9 2014 and August 10 2015 when she was treasurer, secretary and convener of the Glasgow Regional Association of the SNP.

Through your role in these offences you have not only betrayed the trust placed in you by others, but your standards have fallen well short of those the public should have a right to expect from MPs.Sheriff Tom HughesSentencing McGarry, Sheriff Tom Hughes said she had betrayed people who put their trust in her and that a custodial sentence was inevitable.He told her: “It’s quite clear that society has a right to expect the highest standards from those who seek and eventually achieve high public office.”He added: “Through your role in these offences, you have not only betrayed the trust placed in you by others, but your standards have fallen well short of those the public should have a right to expect from MPs.”Over the course of the six-week trial, the court heard from dozens of witnesses, including Scotland’s former health secretary Jeane Freeman, who said she reported McGarry after noticing a significant shortfall in WFI accounts. More