CPS News Brief

Woman jailed for manslaughter after man died when he was hit by a tram

 

A woman who pushed a stranger off a station platform causing him to be fatally injured by a tram has been jailed for five years. 

Charissa Brown-Wellington, 31, pushed Philip Carter towards tram tracks following a brief argument at Manchester Victoria train station on 11 June. The pair were not known to each other.

Mr Carter, 30, fell between the platform and the moving tram and died following the collision. 

Brown-Wellington was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court today (31 October) after admitting manslaughter at a hearing on 22 September at the same court.

She was given a three-year extended licence period in addition to the five-year prison sentence.

Nicky Moore of the CPS said: “This is a tragic case where a man lost his life following a brief argument with a complete stranger at a busy train station.

“Charissa Brown-Wellington used unnecessary force to push Mr Carter.  He had no opportunity to defend himself and was crushed between the platform and the tram.

“We originally authorised that she was charged with murder.  We accepted her plea to manslaughter at an earlier hearing as we recognised that she did not intentionally push the victim under a tram, but did so after she lost her temper during the argument. She must now face up to the consequences of her reckless actions as she begins this prison sentence. 

“I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr Carter.”

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

 

·         Charissa Brown-Wellington (dob: 19/05/1986) pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter

 

·         Nicky Moore is a Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North-West

 

Company fined after factory worker was crushed to death in machinery

A company and its director have been sentenced today (31 October) for causing the death of a factory worker who fell into a piece of machinery at a recycling yard. 

Safi Qais Khan died at Master Construction Products (Skips) Ltd (MCP) after he became entangled in a machine called a trommel, used to sort waste material. 

MCPS admitted the corporate manslaughter of Mr Khan, after an investigation found there was no safe system of work for the trommel and it was in a dangerous state. Essential guards to prevent entrapment were missing, there was no emergency stop button on the machine and it was surrounded by uneven and waste strewn ground. 

The company also admitted a health and safety breach of a duty owed to its employee in failing to ensure measures were in place  to minimise risks of entrapment, crushing or falls whilst working at the trommel. 

Jagbir Singh, director of MCPS, pleaded guilty to a health a safety offence. He admitted that he was aware of the way in which the company operated the trommel.  

The company was given a fine of £255,000 for corporate manslaughter. Singh was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment suspended for two years and 300 hours of community service at Birmingham Crown Court. He was also disqualified as a company director for eight years and ordered to pay £11,500 in prosecution costs.

Michael Gregory, from the CPS, said: “MCPS Ltd let the trommel and the area around it fall into a dilapidated and dangerous state. Little thought was given by the company to the safety of its employees when working at the machine. This failure caused the death of Mr Khan.

“Singh admitted the offence after the CPS successfully showed how senior leaders’ management of the machinery played a substantial part in Mr Khan’s death. Our thoughts are with Mr Khan’s family.”

Ends

Notes to editors:

• Michael Gregory is a Senior Specialist Prosecutor in the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division.
• Master Construction Products (Skips) Ltd pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter, contrary to the Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act 2007 and to a breach of ensuring the safety of its employees at work, contrary to section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. 
• Jagbir Singh pleaded guilty to consenting to, or conniving at, the company’s breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Seven sentenced over roles in £2million mobile phone fraud

Seven people who carried out a £2million mobile phone fraud have been sentenced.

 

Speaking after the case, Stephen Rowland, from the CPS Specialist Fraud Division, said:

 

“These defendants set out to systematically defraud significant sums of money from mobile phone companies, encouraging students to take out contracts as part of the scheme.

 

“As well as the six-figure sums lost by the companies, their actions caused significant financial hardship to dozens of young people, many of whom were left with severely damaged credit ratings.

 

“The CPS worked closely with the police from an early stage in order to build a strong case, with the result that six defendants pleaded guilty in the face of the evidence against them and two further defendants were convicted at trial.”

 

The CPS will now instigate Proceeds of Crime proceedings against the defendants.

Couple who live streamed the abuse of child jailed

A couple from Plymouth have been jailed for 17 years after live streaming the abuse of a young child over the internet to a woman in America.

Craig Forbes and former partner Sarah Gotham were discovered during an FBI investigation into child abuse which led them to a woman in San Francisco, California. The woman admitted she had been contacting other paedophiles online, including Forbes and Gotham in the UK.

The FBI then alerted Devon and Cornwall Police who started an investigation into the couple.

Plymouth Crown Court heard yesterday (26 October) how Forbes and Gotham carried out the abuse on several occasions between December 2012 and March 2013.

Forbes, 36, was sentenced to eight years in prison with an extended licence of eight years and Gotham, 34, received nine years in prison. Both will be on the sexual offenders register for life.  

Howard Phillips, from the CPS, said: “With the assistance of San Francisco Police Department and the FBI, the CPS was able to secure witness testimony from an American prisoner who later gave evidence in court; that with technical evidence found on devices seized in the USA was used to present a strong case.

“This case shows that wherever online sexual abuse is uncovered, we can work with international law enforcement agencies to pursue offenders and bring them before the courts.”

Ends

Notes to editors:

• Howard Phillips is a Senior Crown Prosecutor with CPS South-West.
• Craig Forbes pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault of a child. Three other counts of sexual assault of a child and one count of rape will lie on file.
• Sarah Gotham denied six counts of sexual assault of a child but was convicted by a jury.

Man jailed for knife and hammer attack which caused the death of a woman

A man who let himself into a couple’s home, slept in their bed and then attacked them with a hammer and knife, killing a woman has been sentenced to 13 years in prison today (9 October).

Keiran Wathan, 24, entered the home of Wayne and Sheila Morgan in Swansea on 11 March whilst Mrs Morgan was watching television downstairs and Mr Morgan was out.

Wathan was found upstairs later in the evening by Mrs Morgan who alerted her husband. Mr Morgan brought a small hammer upstairs as he attempted to pull Wathan from the bed. 

But Wathan, who was thought to be under the influence of drink and drugs, then attacked Mr and Mrs Morgan with the hammer and the knife, causing serious injuries, before fleeing the scene.

Mrs Morgan deteriorated after surgery on her injured arm due to infection and later died in hospital.

Andrew Smith, from the CPS, said: “Wathan callously attacked Mr and Mrs Morgan in their own home after letting himself in and falling asleep in their bed. 

“Both were seriously injured and Mrs Morgan’s wounds eventually caused her death. Before this, Mrs Morgan was able to give an account of the evening and this, along with the other evidence presented by the CPS, saw Wathan plead guilty to manslaughter.

“Our thoughts are with Mrs Morgan’s family.” 

Ends

Notes to editors:

• Andrew Smith is a prosecutor for CPS Wales.
• Keiran Wathan pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article at Swansea Crown Court.
• He pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter and this was accepted.
• He received 13 years for manslaughter with a further five years to be served on licence, six years concurrently for wounding with intent and 12 months concurrently for possession of a bladed article. A count of murder and unlawful wounding will remain on file.

Married police officers sentenced for selling car crash data

Two married constables working for Lancashire Police have been sentenced today (6 October 2017) for stealing police data about car crashes and selling it to claims firms for £363,000.

Nigel Mungur was sentenced to five years in prison and Nicola Mungur received a 12 month conditional discharge at Chester Crown Court. A third person, John Helton, was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work.

The firms who were sold the data would use it to cold call people who had been in accidents and offer to get them compensation.

The police began an investigation in 2014 after people complained they were getting calls from law firms when they had not given their details to anyone other than the police. One man was even contacted by a claims firm before a police officer had arrived to investigate his report of a collision.

Over seven years Nigel Mungur accessed the personal data of individuals involved in road traffic collisions on 21,802 occasions. He set up a firm called the Personal Injury Company and used it to sell the stolen police data to claims companies. When the company licence was revoked in early 2009, he applied to set up another, paying the registration fee with a cheque signed by his wife to avoid the application being rejected.

John Helton was a contractor for a claims firm who was paid on the basis of cases he referred to the firm. Nigel Mungur passed the personal data onto him and he would sell it to the firm. The pair would then share the money paid out.

Nigel Mungur would upload up to 960 screen shots of confidential information from the police computer at a time to a virtual storage site and share a link to the images with Helton. The information included the time, date and place of collisions and the personal details of people reporting incidents to the police.

The CPS presented evidence that Helton received numerous screen shots and also phone evidence of the two discussing how much money they could make. In one message Mungur tells Helton that the “police systems are down”.

Nigel Mungur also sent text messages to his wife referring to payments received and how much money they would make in the coming year. In one message he complains to her that he is the one “taking all of the risks”.

At an earlier hearing Nigel Mungur pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office and conspiracy to convert criminal property. Nicola Mungur pleaded guilty to obtaining personal data and Helton admitted conspiracy to convert criminal property and conspiracy to commit unauthorised access to a computer.


Richard Riley from the CPS said:

“Nigel Mungur’s greed led him to take the leading role in stealing confidential information held on a police database and sell it for profit.

“Nicola Mungur was clearly aware of her husband's crimes and encouraged, connived and acquiesced in them by turning a blind eye and the pair reaped the financial rewards.

“The public expect a high standard of behaviour from the police but the Mungurs’ conduct fell short of their duty and now they are paying the price.”


Note to Editors

1. Richard Riley is a Senior Crown Prosecutor at the Crown Court Unit of CPS Mersey-Cheshire

2. Nigel Mungur (dob 29/09/1977) pleaded guilty to counts 1, 2, 3 and 4
Nicola Mungur (dob 23/04/1980) pleaded guilty to count 5 on
John Helton (dob 16/10/1979) pleaded guilty to counts 3 and 4

Count 1 - MISCONDUCT IN A JUDICIAL OR PUBLIC OFFICE
Count 2 - CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MISCONDUCT IN A PUBLIC OFFICE, contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977.
Count 3 - CONSPIRACY TO CONVERT CRIMINAL PROPERTY, contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977.
Count 4 - CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT UNAUTHORISED ACCESS TO A COMPUTER, contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977.
Count 5 - OBTAINING PERSONAL DATA, contrary to sections 55(1), 55(3) and 60(2) of the Data Protection Act 1998

Fraudster who took life savings of his investors in a gold trading scam is jailed

A serial fraudster who persuaded people to give him their life savings in a gold trading scam has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Christian Fallon defrauded members of the public by taking their savings and claiming to invest them in various schemes including trading precious metals and property investment.

Isleworth Crown Court heard Fallon persuaded his clients to part with tens of thousands of pounds at a time, using a loan note, a form of IOU, to cover his tracks so that he had a defence to spend the money how he wished.

Whilst he gave reassurances to the people he defrauded that he was making money for them, Fallon was actually spending their savings on himself.

In total he took £1.9 million from his ‘investors’ but left them with a net loss of £885,625. He was sentenced yesterday (5 October).

Nina Montalbano, from the CPS, said: “Many of Fallon’s victims had trusted him with their life savings but he spent them on sending his children to private school, enjoying meals in top London restaurants and going on luxury holidays. 

“Fallon tried to cover his tracks by using false documents. Evidence from the CPS proved, however, that he had told them they were investing in gold and property with the promise of dividends that he never provided.”

Ends

Notes to editors

• Nina Montalbano is a lawyer in the Specialist Fraud Division.

• He was sentenced to seven years in prison and disqualified from acting as a director for five years.

Members of gang which trafficked women for sex convicted

Members of a gang which trafficked 19 women into prostitution at hotels across southern England and Wales have been convicted of their part in the operation. 

The women, from south-east Asia, advertised their services on a range of adult websites. Phone numbers given in the adverts, if dialled, would go through to a member of the gang who would then make contact with the woman in question. Almost 400 bookings were made at hotels between August 2013 and March 2015, mainly along the south coast, at locations as far afield as Gatwick, Exeter and Cardiff.

The room reservations were made using false details. Customers would pay for services on arrival at the hotel in cash which would then be paid into accounts controlled by members of the gang. In total, the operation generated hundreds of thousands of pounds, with credits of more than £88,000 paid into one bank account and more than £66,000 into another. 

Mobile phones seized from the defendants and sex workers showed hotel bookings, along with messages about the arrival of the women, their work, contact with clients and payment details. 

Three defendants, all from south-east Asia, were convicted of multiple offences yesterday (5 October) following a trial at the Old Bailey in London.

Kevin Thomson, from the CPS, said: 

“This was an organised operation designed to traffic women into prostitution, as shown by the variety of bank accounts used to run it and the sheer amount of funds it generated. These elements helped to provide compelling evidence of what these defendants were doing. 

“The gang exploited vulnerable women, putting them to work in situations which exposed them to serious potential risks. Once the women were caught up in the prostitution ring, it was invariably almost impossible for them to escape the life they had been forced into. 

“All the time, they were then earning what turned out to be huge sums of money for the defendants, who were responsible for running the operation without any regard for the women’s wellbeing.” 

Ends

Notes to Editors 

• The hotels used were located in Brighton, Gatwick, Bournemouth, Exeter, Maidstone, Kingston-Upon-Thames, Guildford, Cardiff, Windsor, Heathrow, Woking and Eastbourne. 
• Kevin Thomson is a lawyer with the CPS South East Complex Casework Unit.
• The members of the gang convicted were:
•     Hong Chin, 45, conspiracy to control prostitution for gain, conspiracy to traffic for sexual exploitation,                         possessing criminal property, using criminal property
•     Li Wei Gao, 44, – conspiracy to control prostitution for gain, conspiracy to traffic for sexual exploitation, possessing criminal property
•     Ting Li Lu, 47, – conspiracy to control prostitution for gain, conspiracy to traffic for sexual exploitation, possessing criminal property 
• They will be sentenced on 26 October.

Members of gang which trafficked women for sex convicted

Members of a gang which trafficked 19 women into prostitution at hotels across southern England and Wales have been convicted of their part in the operation. 

The women, from south-east Asia, advertised their services on a range of adult websites. Phone numbers given in the adverts, if dialled, would go through to a member of the gang who would then make contact with the woman in question. Almost 400 bookings were made at hotels between August 2013 and March 2015, mainly along the south coast, at locations as far afield as Gatwick, Exeter and Cardiff.

The room reservations were made using false details. Customers would pay for services on arrival at the hotel in cash which would then be paid into accounts controlled by members of the gang. In total, the operation generated hundreds of thousands of pounds, with credits of more than £88,000 paid into one bank account and more than £66,000 into another. 

Mobile phones seized from the defendants and sex workers showed hotel bookings, along with messages about the arrival of the women, their work, contact with clients and payment details. 

Three defendants, all from south-east Asia, were convicted of multiple offences yesterday (5 October) following a trial at the Old Bailey in London.

Kevin Thomson, from the CPS, said: 

“This was an organised operation designed to traffic women into prostitution, as shown by the variety of bank accounts used to run it and the sheer amount of funds it generated. These elements helped to provide compelling evidence of what these defendants were doing. 

“The gang exploited vulnerable women, putting them to work in situations which exposed them to serious potential risks. Once the women were caught up in the prostitution ring, it was invariably almost impossible for them to escape the life they had been forced into. 

“All the time, they were then earning what turned out to be huge sums of money for the defendants, who were responsible for running the operation without any regard for the women’s wellbeing.” 

Ends

Notes to Editors 

• The hotels used were located in Brighton, Gatwick, Bournemouth, Exeter, Maidstone, Kingston-Upon-Thames, Guildford, Cardiff, Windsor, Heathrow, Woking and Eastbourne. 
• Kevin Thomson is a lawyer with the CPS South East Complex Casework Unit.
• The members of the gang convicted were:
•     Hong Chin, 45, conspiracy to control prostitution for gain, conspiracy to traffic for sexual exploitation,                         possessing criminal property, using criminal property
•     Li Wei Gao, 44, – conspiracy to control prostitution for gain, conspiracy to traffic for sexual exploitation, possessing criminal property
•     Ting Li Lu, 47, – conspiracy to control prostitution for gain, conspiracy to traffic for sexual exploitation, possessing criminal property 
• They will be sentenced on 26 October.