SPCS

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTION OF COMMUNITY STANDARDS INC.

Anti-crime bill passes first reading and is sent on to select committee

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A NEW law to combat organised crime and corruption has passed its first hurdle in Parliament.

The Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill passed its first reading yesterday with unanimous support.

Justice Minister Amy Adams, who introduced the bill, said it would respond to threats posed by money laundering, fraud and drug-related crime.

“Unfortunately, New Zealand is not immune to the threat posed by both international and domestic criminal networks, which operate on many fronts,” Adams said.

“Criminals use money laundering to disguise their criminal activities and to profit from crime.”

Other targeted criminal activities include identity theft, people trafficking and range of acts considered to be bribery and corruption.

The bill has been referred to the law and order select committee for consideration. [Read more…]

Over $1 million from Marsden Fund allocated for rape law research

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More than $1 million from a prestigious academic fund has been awarded for research into reform of the way the justice system treats rape survivors.

Two Victoria University scholars have been awarded about $1.15 million from the Marsden Fund, from a total pool of almost $56m.

Their separate three-year studies will explore rape reform and social myths around sexual violence….

Criminologist Associate Professor Jan Jordan has received $610,000 for her research paper exploring barriers to rape law reform….

Associate Professor Elisabeth McDonald, of Victoria’s law school, has also been awarded $540,000 for her study entitled: Rape myths as barriers to fair trial practices.

McDonald was a lead contributor to a Law Commission work on rape law reform recommendations. The Commission’s 2012 report recommended replacing the current adversarial system with an inquisitorial process.

Full story: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/10700697/Over-1-million-for-rape-law-research

Cowardly internet trolls face up to two years in jail under new laws

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“Internet trolls are cowards who are poisoning our national life“…. They could soon face up to two years in jail under new laws …..

“No-one would permit such venom in person, so there should be no place for it on social media. That is why we are determined to quadruple the current six-month sentence.”

… it is [currently] an offence to send another person a letter or electronic communication that contains an indecent or grossly offensive message, a threat or information which is false and known or believed by the sender to be false.

For story see: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-29678989

Fraud Office defends difficult prosecution involving acquittal of 2 of 3 SCF chiefs

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The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is defending its decision to bring charges against three former South Canterbury Finance (SCF) heads after two of the trio were acquitted yesterday.

Former South Canterbury Finance chief executive Lachie McLeod, 50, and former director, accountant Robert White, 70, were found not guilty on all charges by Justice Paul Heath after a long and complex trial.

The pair are now considering legal action against the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) for bringing the charges.

Former director, lawyer Edward Oral Sullivan, 72, was found guilty on five of nine charges, including making false statements and misuse of a document for pecuniary advantage. [He was director of SCF for 20 years from 23/04/90 to 31/03/10].

The SFO’s director, Julie Read, referred to the difficulties in bringing a case of this nature before the court. “This was a difficult and complex prosecution,” she said. [Read more…]

Bankrupt insurance company boss gets four-and-a-half years jail for fraud

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GRANT MALCOLM HERBERT – former insurance company boss – and now a bankrupt – has been jailed for four years and six months after his conviction last month on 24 fraud charges.

Insurance broker Grant Herbert leaves the Auckland District Court. Photo / Dean Purcell

Grant Malcolm Herbert was sentenced in the Auckland District Court. [Photo credit / Dean Purcell. NZ Herald]

Herbert was owner and managing director from 1991 of insurance brokerage Herbert Insurance Group, which collapsed in March 2011.

An investigation by the Serious Fraud Office found that he had received premiums from clients but failed to forward about $2.5 million of it to insurers, having some customers uninsured, the court heard. [Read more…]