The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has urged the National Communications Authority, the Ghana Police Service, and the Attorney General’s Office to work together to quickly identify individuals disseminating misinformation and disinformation via electronic media.
During the launch of the 2024 National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) in Accra, Owusu-Ekuful emphasized that prompt action is crucial to deter others from using electronic platforms to incite public fear and disrupt essential services with false information.
“Legally, spreading misinformation and disinformation is a criminal offence under our law. Section 208(1) of the Criminal Code makes it a misdemeanour to publish false statements that cause public alarm.
“A few successful prosecutions have been had but I think we need to increase the use of these deterrent mechanisms so that people will know that it is not okay to use electronic media to deliberately spread false information to create fear and panic amongst the population.
“I will urge the National Communications Authority, the Ghana Police Service, and the Attorney General’s Office to expedite action.”
Four men have been accused in the stealing of a valuable toilet made of gold from Blenheim Palace, even though it happened more than four years ago.
The story of how the art display was taken and never discovered again goes all the way back to September 14, 2019.
The police said that a group of people entered a house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, which is where Sir Winston Churchill was born, during the early hours of Saturday morning.
The 18-carat working toilet, named America, was taken quickly and forcefully from a room with wooden panels. This caused a lot of damage and flooding in the room. During the raid, the item was worth £4. 8 million The insurers offered a reward of up to £100,000.
The police have been investigating a bold theft that happened during the night. They have arrested many people, but so far, no one has been formally accused of the crime.
Thames Valley Police gave some important documents to the Crown Prosecution Service. The Crown Prosecution Service said it is okay to charge four people with a crime based on the evidence.
A representative from the CPS said that a person named James Sheen, who is 39 years old, has been accused of breaking into a place, planning to move money obtained illegally, and actually moving that money.
Michael Jones, who is 38 years old, has been accused of breaking into someone’s place and is now facing one charge of burglary.
Fred Doe, who is 35 years old, and Bora Guccuk, who is 39 years old, have both been accused of working together to move illegal money.
They will all go to court in Oxford on November 28.
In order to avoid being sentenced for the murders of seven newborns and attempted murders of six more at the UK hospital where she worked, a British nurse neglected to show up in court on Monday.
When Lucy Letby, 33, is sentenced later at Manchester Crown Court in northern England, she might receive a whole life order, which would mean spending the rest of her life in prison. In a case that terrified the nation and branded her the most prolific child serial murderer in recent memory, a jury found her guilty on Friday.
Outrage and efforts to modify the law to require that individuals who commit the most serious crimes face the families of the victims have been brought about by Letby’s reluctance to show up for either the verdicts or her punishment.
Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, referred to Letby’s absence as “cowardly” on Monday. According to PA Media, it is “cowardly” for those who commit such heinous acts to avoid confronting their victims and learning firsthand how their actions have affected the victims’ families and loved ones.
We are considering and have been working on altering the law to ensure that this occurs; we’ll provide that in due course.
According to testimony given in court on Friday, Letby physically assaulted the infants in her care and injected air into their blood and stomachs, overfed them with milk, poisoned them with insulin, and overfed them with air.
Letby was accused of the crimes, and after she was found guilty, there was a government investigation into how she managed to go unnoticed for so long.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in Britain said in a statement on Friday that she surreptitiously attacked 13 newborn babies on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester hospital between 2015 and 2016.
According to the prosecution, Letby intended to kill the infants while deceiving her coworkers into thinking there was a natural cause of death.
In one occasion, Letby attempted to kill a baby boy after killing his twin brother, according to the distressing evidence of the victim’s parents heard in court in Manchester during the trial.
While testifying in court, the mother of Children E and F stated that she “completely” believed Letby’s counsel.
When her infant Child E began to wail in the intensive care unit one night, she claimed she “knew there was something wrong” and that she immediately felt better.
It was discovered that when Letby attempted to assault Child E, he began bleeding before she killed him. The twin of that infant, Child F, later lived through an attempt by Letby to poison him with insulin. Additionally, it was disclosed that police had discovered several handwritten messages by Letby, one of which read: “I am evil I did this.”
Letby was twice detained by police in connection with their probe in 2018 and 2019, according to PA. In November 2020, she was detained once more.
During inspections of Letby’s residence, authorities discovered the notes she had written.
“I’m not worthy of life. She wrote in one memo, “I killed them on purpose because I’m not good enough to care for them,” and in another, “I am a terrible evil person,” adding in big letters, “I am evil I did this.”
On Friday, the UK government released an independent investigation into the killings, which covered how authorities and the country’s National Health Service handled consultants’ concerns.
According to testimony given in court in Manchester, hospital staff noticed an increase in the frequency of infants dying or suddenly collapsing in the neonatal unit.
However, PA stated that the hospital’s management originally disregarded clinicians’ worries over the elevated mortality rate of patients under Letby’s care.
Attorneys for the relatives of the victims have criticised the inquiry as “not good enough” because it lacks the authority to call witnesses.
Letby won a grievance lawsuit against her employers in 2016 after learning of their first accusations.
She was supposed to visit the neonatal unit again in March 2017, but that didn’t happen. The police were informed by the hospital trust, and they started an inquiry.
In Hapton, Lancashire, a mother has been accused of murder following the death of a baby.
On March 1 of last year, police were called to a residence in the village after hearing that a baby boy had experienced a medical emergency.
The infant, who was nine months old, was rushed to the hospital for treatment, where he passed away on March 5.
A 60-year-old Haslingden woman and a 78-year-old Burnley man were detained in March on suspicion of Section 18 Assault and then detained on suspicion of murder.
The 78-year-old man has now been released without charge but, after consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, police have now charged the woman with the baby’s murder.
Karen Foster, 61, of no fixed address, will appear before Blackburn Magistrates’ Court this morning.
She is also charged with a separate S47 assault on a one-year-old girl in Hapton on March 22, 2019.
Foster is not related to either of the two victims and the two children are not related to one another.
The Metropolitan Police have identified a new suspect in the infamously racist murder of Stephen Lawrence.
A BBC investigation named Matthew White, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 50, and charged the force with handling significant inquiries against him improperly.
According to the broadcaster, there is proof that White was the’sixth man’ in the attack that happened in Eltham, southeast London, 30 years ago.
The Met responded by repeating Sir Mark Rowley’s apology from earlier this year on the anniversary of Stephen’s passing and noting that White had been detained twice.
On both occasions, the force said, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had advised there was no realistic prospect of his conviction.
Stephen Lawrence was 18 years old when a group of white men stabbed him to death as he waited for a bus with his friend Duwayne Brooks in April 1993.
While the police have repeatedly said there were six attackers, only two people were ever found guilty.
David Norris and Gary Dobson were given life sentences for Stephen’s murder in 2012, and the three other prime suspects – Luke Knight and brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt – were never convicted.
The BBC has said evidence found in the investigation that identified White also further implicates Knight and the Acourt brothers.
In 2020, Commissioner Cressida Dick declared the case inactive, saying the Met had exhausted all lines of inquiry – but she said the Lawrence family had been assured that any new evidence would be investigated.
Following the release of the BBC report, the force’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward said: ‘The impact of the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence and attack on Duwayne Brooks, and subsequent inquiries, continues to be felt throughout policing.
‘Unfortunately, too many mistakes were made in the initial investigation and the impact of them continues to be seen.
‘On the 30th anniversary of Stephen’s murder, Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley apologised for our failings and I repeat that apology today.’
The broadcaster highlighted a number of moments when alleged errors by the Met meant leads on Matthew White were not pursued.
The investigation found that wrong information was entered on a police database after a relative of White tried to approach the force, meaning the inquiry went no further.
When the relative was traced 20 years later, they said White had admitted to being present at the attack.
The Met said White was arrested and interviewed in March 2000 and in December 2013, with files submitted to prosecutors in May 2005 and October 2014.
A CPS advice file concluded no further action should be taken both times.
Speaking to the BBC, Stephen’s father Dr Neville Lawrence said any further investigation should be carried out by a different ‘decent police force’, while his mother Doreen said officers should ‘lose their jobs’ over the failings.
Luke Knight, Neil Acourt and James Acourt did not respond to the accusations when approached by the broadcaster.
On both occasions, the force said, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had advised there was no realistic prospect of his conviction.
Stephen Lawrence was 18 years old when a group of white men stabbed him to death as he waited for a bus with his friend Duwayne Brooks in April 1993.
While the police have repeatedly said there were six attackers, only two people were ever found guilty.
David Norris and Gary Dobson were given life sentences for Stephen’s murder in 2012, and the three other prime suspects – Luke Knight and brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt – were never convicted.
The BBC has said evidence found in the investigation that identified White also further implicates Knight and the Acourt brothers.
In 2020, Commissioner Cressida Dick declared the case inactive, saying the Met had exhausted all lines of inquiry – but she said the Lawrence family had been assured that any new evidence would be investigated.
Following the release of the BBC report, the force’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward said: ‘The impact of the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence and attack on Duwayne Brooks, and subsequent inquiries, continues to be felt throughout policing.
‘Unfortunately, too many mistakes were made in the initial investigation and the impact of them continues to be seen.
‘On the 30th anniversary of Stephen’s murder, Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley apologised for our failings and I repeat that apology today.’
The broadcaster highlighted a number of moments when alleged errors by the Met meant leads on Matthew White were not pursued.
The investigation found that wrong information was entered on a police database after a relative of White tried to approach the force, meaning the inquiry went no further.
When the relative was traced 20 years later, they said White had admitted to being present at the attack.
The Met said White was arrested and interviewed in March 2000 and in December 2013, with files submitted to prosecutors in May 2005 and October 2014.
A CPS advice file concluded no further action should be taken both times.
Speaking to the BBC, Stephen’s father Dr Neville Lawrence said any further investigation should be carried out by a different ‘decent police force’, while his mother Doreen said officers should ‘lose their jobs’ over the failings.
Luke Knight, Neil Acourt and James Acourt did not respond to the accusations when approached by the broadcaster.
A police officer who oversaw a volunteer police cadet program has been found guilty by a jury of sexual offenses and misconduct in a public position.
Adnan Ali, of Old Trafford, Manchester, allegedly exploited the training program as a “playground for grooming,” according to testimony at his trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
Ali, 36, a father of one who worked for Greater Manchester Police (GMP), had first rejected the charges, but on Monday, the agency announced that he had been found guilty of five counts of sexual assault and fifteen counts of misconduct in a public office.
The charges relate to incidents, between 2015 and 2018, involving young men and women enrolled on GMP’s volunteer police cadet scheme, the force said.
Adnan Ali was charged with five sexual assault claims related to his time running the Volunteer Police Cadets in Trafford (Picture: PA)
The court heard Ali was arrested and suspended in October 2018 after the force received a complaint that he had been behaving inappropriately towards a 16-year-old boy.
After his arrest, electronic devices were seized and, during the police investigation that followed, officers uncovered thousands of messages and identified additional victims, whose evidence was used to secure the charges which were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service in July 2021.
Ali will be sentenced at a later date.
He has already been dismissed from his job and barred from policing when gross misconduct was found proved by GMP in April 2022.
So as to not prejudice criminal proceedings, the misconduct hearing was held in private and the outcome could not be published until after Ali’s trial.
Following the conviction, the force will be making representations to the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester Kate Green that Ali should be ordered to forfeit his work pension, GMP said.
Assistant Chief Constable Colin McFarlane, of GMP, said: ‘Whilst Ali is responsible for committing these crimes, no-one should be subjected to crime or misconduct during their contact with police officers and staff, like these young people were – for that, and in acknowledgement that Ali could have been better supervised and managed, we are sorry.
‘My thanks go to the victims and witnesses who bravely supported the prosecution which secured today’s verdict.
‘Though trials are a fundamental part of the criminal justice system, the impact they can have on those involved and with whom cases resonate is not underestimated. We will ensure they are supported for as long as they need.
‘Alongside the criminal and misconduct investigations, this case initiated a full review of GMP’s volunteer police cadet scheme.
‘With national oversight, improvements have been and are continuing to be implemented to ensure cadet leaders are the role models they are expected to be and that they do not pose a risk to anyone.’
Head of GMP’s Professional Standards Branch Chief Superintendent Mike Allen said: ‘Today’s verdict will do nothing to ease the public’s concerns about police misconduct.
‘However, Ali represents the very worst and the minority in policing – he is among a very small percentage who discredit the police service and undermine trust and confidence in it.
‘These individuals are being rooted and booted out by exemplary colleagues reporting their behaviour, investigating allegations, building cases against them, and playing a crucial role in proceedings to ensure they face the full force of the criminal justice system, and have the many privileges of working in policing taken from them.
‘Following national direction to all forces, the force vetting unit is currently re-vetting all GMP officers and staff to ensure those who are wearing the force uniform and that those who have applied to do so are fit to serve the public.
‘However, efforts don’t stop there. Whilst the assessment teams review complaints and allegations, the investigation teams and misconduct proceedings unit work together to secure the best criminal and misconduct outcomes, as a covert unit work undercover amongst the workforce to stop corrupt officers and staff in their tracks.’
Sexualised messages were found on PC Ali’s mobile phone, and a number of those who came forward reported being sexually assaulted by the officer, the trial heard.
Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) regional director Catherine Bates said: “Ali’s disgraceful behaviour has had a significant impact on his victims and has absolutely no place in policing.
‘The investigation also highlighted serious failings in the way cadet schemes were being managed by GMP and we welcome a range of steps taken by the force since these offences were discovered to improve supervision of the officers entrusted with this level of responsibility.’
A spokesman for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) said: ‘From his training with the police service, Ali would have been very aware of the devastating effects sexual abuse can have on young people.
‘We would encourage anyone who has experienced abuse to speak out and seek support, no matter when it happened or who the perpetrator was.
‘Adults can speak to the NSPCC helpline and anyone under 18 can talk to our Childline counsellors.’
Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spaceyis to be charged with a further seven sexual offences against one man, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.
They include three counts of indecent assault, three of sexual assault and one of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.
The offences are alleged to have taken place between 2001 and 2004.
The CPS said these new charges follow a review of evidence gathered by London’s Metropolitan Police.
In July, the 63-year-old appeared in court at the Old Bailey to deny five allegations relating to three men, who are now in their 30s and 40s. That trial is due to begin in June next year.
Last month, a US court dismissed a civil sexual assault lawsuit against Spacey. The case was brought by Anthony Rapp who said the actor touched him inappropriately at a party in 1986 when he was 14.
A hacker who stole two unreleased songs from Ed Sheeranand sold them on the dark web has been jailed for 18 months.
Adrian Kwiatkowski traded the music by Sheeran and 12 songs by rapper Lil Uzi Vert in exchange for cryptocurrency.
The 23-year-old, from Ipswich, managed to get hold of them after hacking the performers’ digital accounts, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Kwiatkowski admitted 19 charges, including copyright infringement and possessing criminal property.
He had made £131,000 from the music, City of London Police said.
Ipswich Crown Court heard that when the defendant’s Apple Mac laptop was searched, 565 audio files, including the songs by Sheeranand Vert, were uncovered.
Spirdark alias
An investigation was initially launched by US authorities in 2019.
It came after the management of several musicians reported to the New York District Attorney that someone known online as Spirdark had hacked a number of accounts and was selling the content.
The investigation linked the email address used to set up Spirdark’s cryptocurrency account to Kwiatkowski. His home address in the UK was also linked to an IP address used to hack one of the devices.
The case was then referred to the City of London Police and Kwiatkowski was arrested in September 2019.
According to police, seven devices, including a hard drive that contained 1,263 unreleased songs by 89 artists, were seized.
A document saved on the hard drive summarised the method he had used to obtain them along with a stash of Bitcoin which was seized.
Chief crown prosecutor Joanne Jakymec said Kwiatkowski had “complete disregard” for the musicians’ creativity, hard work and lost earnings.
“He selfishly stole their music to make money for himself by selling it on the dark web,” she said.
“We will be pursuing ill-gotten gains from these proceeds of crime.”
In August, Kwiatkowski pleaded guilty at Ipswich Magistrates Court to three charges of unauthorised access to computer material, 14 charges of selling copyrighted material, one charge of converting criminal property and two charges of possession of criminal property.
He also admitted to receiving bitcoin cryptocurrency for the songs.
Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt said Kwiatkowski was highly skilled but it was unfortunate he used his talents unlawfully.
“Not only did he cause several artists and their production companies significant financial harm, he deprived them of the ability to release their own work,” he added.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr said the case showed “cybercrime knows no borders”.
“This individual executed a complex scheme to steal unreleased music in order to line his own pockets,” he said.
