CPS News Brief

Woman sentenced for racist abuse on London bus

Simone Joseph, 37, was sentenced today at Hendon Magistrates’ court to 16 weeks suspended for 18 months for racially aggravated intentional harassment. This relates to an incident on a 206 bus on 13^th October 2015.

The sentence was uplifted from eight weeks to reflect the racially and religiously aggravated nature of the crime. While the charge only reflects the racially aggravated aspect of the incident the case was presented in court to also include Joseph’s hostility towards the victims’ religion.

Gerallt Evans, CPS London Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor and Hate Crime Lead, said:

“Simone Joseph subjected the victims to a torrent of anti-Muslim and racist abuse which left them terrified.

“One of the victims was heavily pregnant and Joseph threatened to kick her in the stomach, leaving her fearful for her unborn baby. Nearby passengers were understandably shocked and distressed by what they had witnessed.

“I hope this conviction demonstrates to communities that hate crime will not be tolerated. In particular we are committed to working with our police partners to ensure that all those using public transport in London can do so free from the fear of such behaviour. We will continue to work to bring those that commit these disgraceful crimes to justice.”

No further action against one individual for misconduct in public office

Gregor McGill, a senior lawyer at the Crown Prosecution Service, said:

“After careful consideration it has been decided that no further action will be taken regarding one individual, a retired police officer. Following an investigation by the IPCC it has been decided that it is not in the public interest to prosecute for the offence of Misconduct in Public Office or a breach of the Data Protection Act 1998.

“This decision was taken in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

“Any decision by the CPS does not imply any finding concerning guilt or criminal conduct; the CPS makes decisions only according to the test set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors and it is applied in all decisions on whether or not to prosecute.”

For editors:

The CPS's function is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the criminal court to consider. The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, which can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of what it might be possible to prove to a court, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

This assessment is based on the evidence available arising out of the IPCC investigation and not on the evidence that is likely to be gathered by the defence, and likely to be used to test the prosecution evidence. The CPS charging decision is therefore necessarily an assessment on the basis of the evidence that is available to the CPS at the time the decision is made.

CPS prosecutors must also keep every case under review, so that they take account of any change in circumstances that occurs as the case develops, including what becomes known of the defence case. If appropriate, the CPS may change the charges or stop a case.

Three convicted for ‘violent and frenzied’ smash and grab raids in London and Manchester

Three men were convicted today (November 10) at the Central Criminal Court, London, for a string of commercial robberies in London and Manchester. Alex Parle, 22, Conor Gartland, 18, and Thomas O’Connor, 23, robbed businesses of at least £460,000 in jewellery and cash between February 2014 and January 2015 and left thousands of pounds of damage in their wake. They will be sentenced on December 15.

Damaris Lakin, CPS London reviewing lawyer, said:

”These men were part of an organised criminal network that targeted money transfer shops and jewellers. Their actions terrified staff at these businesses and passers-by alike, with a witness describing one of the raids as ‘violent and frenzied’.

“The gang used rubber blocks and hammers to smash shop windows and steal jewellery from window displays, or they would enter stores with the blocks and hammers and smash the partitioning glass to the till area. A samurai sword and other objects were used to threaten staff and ensure their demands for cash were met. They would then make off on scooters waiting outside.

“The frenzied raids meant a trail of evidence was left behind and this, as well as the analysis of cell site and DNA evidence, was central to the thorough police investigation. This meant the CPS was able to put a strong case before the court and these individuals had no choice but to plead guilty at this early stage of proceedings.

“Members of the public and shop staff should be able to go about their daily business without the threat of this type of unacceptable violence. We hope that this conviction sends out a strong message to organised criminal networks that we will work closely with our police partners to bring those responsible to justice.”

The following are the charges to which they pleaded guilty:

Alex Parle, Conor Gartland and Thomas O’Connor pleaded guilty to a change of conspiracy to rob between the 15th day of February 2014 and the 23rd day of January 2015 together with another unknown. This charge encompassed 7 robberies.

Note to editors:

Thomas O’Connor will be sentenced alongside other defendants on a further conspiracy to commit robbery charge on November 19th at Woolwich Crown Court.