Case Study – Environment Agency Prosecutions
The operators of an illegal waste dumping site have been hit with financial penalties totaling over £100,000 for dumping waste without an environmental permit or an exemption for the waste to be deposited. The Environment Agency also found there was no system in place or capacity to protect the environment from pollution. In total over…
The Psychoactive Substances Act and its Legal Effect
From the rush to close the loophole which allowed stalls selling magic mushrooms to flourish in Camden Town in the early 2000s through the M-Cat (mephedrone) media circus of 2009 and the recent stories surrounding the dangers of long-term consumption of Spice (synthetic cannabis), it seems that the government have been embroiled a battle to…
Clamp Down on Cold Call Companies – New Legislation Enforced
On 16th of May a new law was enforced requiring direct marketing companies to display their telephone numbers when carrying out unsolicited phone calls. This follows changes made back in 2015, which made it easier for nuisance callers to be reported and fined by removing the need for consumers to prove that persistent rogue operators…
Corporate Fines to Increase Dramatically Under New Sentencing Guidelines
Health and Safety – Sentencing – Corporations Companies will face fines of up to £20,000,000 and jail terms of two years under strict new sentencing guidelines which were published on 3 November 2015 and come into force next year. Courts have had the power to impose unlimited fines for breaching health and safety regulations for some…
Your Most Important Rights in any Regulatory or Police Investigation
Few people realise that when officers from a regulatory body such as the Health and Safety Executive, the Environment Agency or Trading Standards come knocking, they could well arrive with a warrant for your arrest and the power to seize your records and equipment. Even if you are not arrested, you will be interviewed under…
Accountant Reprimanded for Affray Conviction
Upon becoming a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, a client disclosed a historic criminal conviction for Affray. The offence was committed in 2001 and took place in the Isle of Man, the client pleaded guilty and was fined by the magistrates. He now faced disciplinary proceedings before the ACCA Disciplinary Panel. The…
Victory at Accountant’s Disciplinary Tribunal
On 25 November Ison Harrison appeared on behalf of a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in order to contest three allegations of misconduct. It was alleged that the accountant had been dishonest in not disclosing his criminal past, that a police caution he had received for drug possession was proof of…
New Regulatory Service for Expanding Leeds Law Firm
Ison Harrison, The Leeds Law firm, has opened a new Regulatory Department within its expanding operation. Ian joins to spearhead this new service. Ian has experience of defending clients facing allegations of corruption, fraud, false accounting and large-scale money laundering in some of the most complex criminal and regulatory investigations conducted nationwide in recent years….