An announcement by the Lord Advocate, that it would not be in the public interest for people using a pilot Safer Drug Consumption room to face prosecution for possession within the facility, has been welcomed by the Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister Elena Whitham.
Dorothy Bain KC’s indication that she would issue a public statement of prosecution policy removes an obstacle to establishing the first official Safer Drug Consumption Facility in the UK.
It follows her independent consideration of a detailed proposal for a pilot developed by Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) and Police Scotland, facilitated by the Scottish Government.
Today’s news means Glasgow HSCP can take plans to establish the facility to the Glasgow City Integration Joint Board for approval.
Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister Elena Whitham said: “I welcome the position the Lord Advocate has taken.
“Glasgow authorities may now progress their proposal to set up a facility which can operate within the existing legal framework. While the service would still be limited to some extent, due to the reserved Misuse of Drugs Act, we are confident it would save lives.
“This is not a silver bullet. But we know from evidence from more than 100 facilities worldwide that Safer Drug Consumption Facilities work. It is now time to see this approach piloted in Scotland.
“It’s vital this pilot has the full confidence of the general public as well as those who use the facility, and the leadership of Glasgow and Police Scotland will help ensure it is introduced as quickly as possible.
“Through our £250 million National Mission, we are doing everything within our powers to tackle drug deaths in Scotland. However, the number of deaths is still too high and we must use every means at our disposal as we face future challenges, including the increasing threat from synthetic opioids.”
Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie said: “Police Scotland is committed to working in partnership to reduce the harm associated with problematic substance use and addiction.
“Our approach to any initiative aimed at tackling these harms will be to establish how best policing can support it within the confines of the law.
“It is important to note that existing legislation will not be changing and, while we may take an overall supportive policing approach, police officers will still be bound by their legal duty to uphold the law and will not be able to simply ignore acts of criminality which they see occurring.”
Susanne Millar, Chief Officer for Glasgow’s Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “We welcome the position from the Lord Advocate and the positive response on plans for a Safer Drug Consumption Facility to operate in Glasgow.
“A large body of evidence already exists from around the world which demonstrates that Safer Drug Consumption Facilities can save lives, as well as reducing the spread of blood-borne viruses and cutting levels of publicly discarded injecting equipment.”
Pro-active action by police officers saw millions of pounds worth of illegal drugs recovered, between April and June 2023 as Police Scotland’s efforts to disrupt serious organised crime continues.
The Quarter 1 2023-24 Performance Report, presented to the Scottish Police Authority on Tuesday, 12 September 2023, details seizures of cannabis, cocaine, heroin and street Valium tablets as well as a number of arrests being made.
Detective Chief Superintendent Vicky Watson said: “Police Scotland has a vital role in preventing illicit drugs reaching our streets and disrupting the nefarious activities of those engaged in serious organised criminality.
“We are all too aware of the terrible toll of drugs deaths in Scotland. The ongoing activity described in the performance report underlines our commitment to reducing the harm caused to individuals, families and communities.
“The encouraging figures underline that those working in partnership to deliver the country’s Serious Organised Crime Strategy continue to have a considerable impact on these illegal activities and are contributing to helping to keep our communities safe.
“These seizures will undoubtedly have a massive negative effect on the activities of those involved.”
Activity between April and June 2023 includes:
• Activity by Organised Crime and local officers, saw seven men and three woman arrested during an operation targeting the supply of drugs in the Scottish Borders which resulted in £670,000 worth of substances being recovered
• Officers in Ayrshire recovered a cannabis cultivation with an estimated street value of £2,000,000
• Officers executed a warrant at a property in High Street, Dumfries and recovered cannabis plants with an estimated street value of £261,000
• Cannabis plants worth £740,000 were seized following an operation in Kirkcaldy
• Officers executed warrants at a number of addresses in Aberdeen and Liverpool as part of a County Lines investigation and recovered heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine with an estimated street value in excess of £115,000
• In Glenrothes, a 21-year-old man was arrested and charged after Class A drugs, with an estimated street value of £400,000 were recovered.
In the reporting period hundreds of thousands of street Valium tablets, including Etizolam and Bromazolam were seized. At least 200,000 were recovered during operations in the Glasgow area, 160,000 in Lanarkshire, more than 30,000 in the Renfrewshire and Inverclyde area and almost 50,000 in the Lothians and Scottish Borders.
A 12-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with three youths being assaulted in Niddrie Mains Road.
A police spokesperson said: “The incident happened around 8.30pm on Sunday, 3 September, when three male Ukranian youths, two aged 13 and one aged 15, were approached by another group.
“Enquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances.”
Eight men have been arrested and cocaine worth up to £225,000 was seized in a day of action targeting county lines drug activity in Edinburgh.
The action was taken yesterday (Tuesday, 5 September) and focused on eight addresses in Edinburgh and two in London, with support from the Metropolitan Police.
Officers from Edinburgh also worked with colleagues in Highland & Islands Division as part of the investigation, looking into wider links in the Inverness area.
Cocaine worth up to £225,000 was seized over the course of the day along with up to £30,000 in cash.
The eight men, aged between 41 and 21, were arrested and charged in connection with various drug and immigration offences. They are all due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today (Wednesday, 6 September).
Detective Superintendent Iain Ramsay said: “We are committed to identifying the supply chain which brings drugs into Edinburgh and disrupting the activity of people intent on bringing harm to our communities.
“The county lines model shows crime does not respect borders.
“Activity such as this cross-border operation shows the benefit of working closely with partner agencies in response to concerns raised by local communities, as well working with colleagues across Police Scotland.
“Intelligence is the lifeblood of investigations such as this. Communities should not have to tolerate the damage caused by drugs and I would urge anyone with information which can help us deal with those responsible to pass this on.”
“If anyone has any concerns regarding the abuse of controlled drugs, or anyone who may be involved in the supply of controlled drugs, they are urged to contact Police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
POLICE officers in North East Edinburgh policing teams have been working to tackle motorcycle thefts with the activity carried under Operation Soteria, the capital’s well established, city-wide approach.
Chief Inspector Kieran Dougal, North East Edinburgh Local Area Commander, said: “Operation Soteria is our overarching response to motorcycle thefts and my Initiative Team, Response and Community officers in North East Edinburgh have been working hard and continuing their efforts to identify offenders, prevent and deter incidents, and provide community reassurance.
“Road safety and tackling acquisitive crime remains a priority in Edinburgh as a whole and such behaviour will not be tolerated.
“Partnership working is key, and our Prevention, Interventions and Partnerships team are also working with partners to raise awareness and share crime prevention and security advice.
“During the summer so far in North East Edinburgh my officers have made eight arrests, libelled 30 charges, executing numerous warrants and recovered over £400,000 in stolen vehicles.
He added: “We will continue to work to ensure offenders are dealt with robustly. To allow us to target our activities, we encourage communities to report incidents via 101, and should anyone have information as to the identity of those placing communities at risk, this can be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Three businessmen each claimed the maximum £50k Bounce Back Loan and one dissolved his company to avoid repayment
Ivan Hristov Fratev, 57 and Bradley Malone, 57, both from London, and Ryan William Moir, 34, from East Sussex, have been banned from running businesses for a total of 26 years, after each separately claimed £50,000 for their companies in breach of the loan scheme’s rules.
Fratev was also given a 2-year suspended sentence with 4 months’ electronically tagged curfew, at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 23 June 2023, in addition to a 6-year ban, for dissolving his business after taking out the loan. The judge also included 15 days rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR) as part of his suspended sentence.
Fratev was the sole director of Chingford-based BI&F Ltd, which traded as a construction, security and extermination business from premises in Alpha Road. In May 2020 he applied for the maximum £50,000 Bounce Back Loan, designed to help businesses keep afloat through the pandemic.
But within two weeks of the money arriving in the company bank account, Fratev applied to dissolve BI&F Ltd, without informing the bank that had loaned him the money. Failure to notify creditors of plans to strike off a company is a criminal offence.
He was caught through powers granted to the Insolvency Service in December 2021, which allow it to investigate directors of dissolved companies who are suspected of closing their business to avoid repaying Covid-19 support loans.
Peter Fulham, Chief Investigator of the Criminal Investigation Team at the Insolvency Service said: “Covid-19 financial support schemes were funded from the public purse to support genuine businesses during the pandemic. Directors who abused the scheme have exploited taxpayers.
“This two-year suspended prison sentence, along with a curfew order and a 6-year disqualification, reflects the thoroughly dishonest conduct of Ivan Fratev and should serve as a warning to others who engaged in such behaviour.
“The Insolvency Service will act to remove directors who abused Bounce Back Loans from the business arena.”
In another case in London, Bradley Malone, the sole director of ONENETPRINT Ltd, a print business trading from Palmers Road in East London, applied for the maximum £50,000 Bounce Back Loan in June 2020, stating that his company’s previous year’s turnover was £200,000.
The Bounce Back Loan scheme allowed a business to borrow between £2,000 and up to 25% of the company turnover in calendar year 2019, with a maximum loan of £50,000.
The company went into liquidation in February 2022 owing the full amount of the loan, which triggered an investigation by the Insolvency Service.
Malone told investigators that, during the application process, he had merely clicked ‘next’ on his phone, and the money arrived within the hour. But investigators discovered that Malone had in fact overstated the company’s turnover for 2019 in the application, to claim the maximum £50,000 loan.
They found that the company’s actual turnover for that year had been around £90,200, meaning ONENETPRINT Ltd had received around £27,400 more than it was entitled to, under the rules of the scheme.
In a third case, Ryan Moir, sole director of East Sussex-based Croxton Group Ltd, which traded as a builder from Green Street industrial estate in Eastbourne, applied for the maximum £50,000 Bounce Back Loan on behalf of his company in May 2020. He stated on the application that Croxton Group Ltd’s turnover the previous year had been £250,000.
When the company went into liquidation in May 2022, it owed around £184,500, including more than £49,400 towards the Bounce Back Loan. An investigation by the Insolvency Service showed that the company’s 2019 turnover had in fact been less than £21,000, meaning that Croxton Group Ltd had received almost 10 times more than it had been entitled to under the rules of the scheme.
The company’s liquidators are taking action to recover the money.
Malone and Moir were both banned from being company directors for 10 years, after the Secretary of State for Business and Trade accepted disqualification undertakings from each director. Malone’s ban began on 17 July 2023, and Moir’s began on 19 July 2023. Fratev’s court-ordered 6-year disqualification started on 23 June 2023.
The bans prevent the former directors from becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court. In addition to his ban and two-year suspended sentence, Fratev is also subject to 4 months’ electronically monitored curfew between 7pm and 7am, and was ordered to pay court costs of £500.
A man has been found guilty of the murder of a man in Niddrie. At the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday, Ryan McCabe was found guilty following trial of the murder of Liam Maloney.
Mr Maloney, 30, died in hospital on Saturday, 7 May, 2022, two days after being stabbed by 49-year-old McCabe.
The attack happened during the evening of Thursday, 5 May, 2022 at the junction of Niddrie Marischal Grove and Niddrie Marischal Road in the east of the city.
Mr Maloney was taken to hospital but died as a result of his injuries.
McCabe was arrested and charged on Monday, 9 May, 2022 and has now been found guilty of murder and possession of a knife.
Detective Inspector Scott Roxburgh from the Major Investigation Team said: “Liam Maloney had a young family when his life was ended by the violent actions of Ryan McCabe. Our thoughts remain with his loved ones at this time.
“Violent incidents are completely unnecessary and unacceptable but are felt by the whole community. We will always act swiftly to deal with offenders to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.”
Inquiry announced into circumstances behind murders and attempted murders of babies at Countess of Chester Hospital to help families get the answers they need
Inquiry announced into circumstances behind the murders and attempted murders of babies at Countess of Chester Hospital to help ensure families get the answers they need
The inquiry will look at the circumstances surrounding the deaths and incidents, including how concerns raised by clinicians were dealt with
Victims’ families will be invited to both engage with and shape the inquiry, ensuring their views are heard throughout the process
The UK Government has ordered an independent inquiry into the circumstances behind the horrific murders and attempted murders of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital, following the guilty verdict in the trial of former neonatal nurse, Lucy Letby.
Launched to ensure vital lessons are learned and to provide answers to the parents and families impacted, the inquiry will investigate the wider circumstances around what happened at the Countess of Chester Hospital, including the handling of concerns and governance. It will also look at what actions were taken by regulators and the wider NHS.
It will ensure the families impacted in this tragic case have the opportunity to engage with the inquiry.
The government is committed to making the NHS one of the safest places in the world to give birth, and every single parent across the country deserves to feel confident that their babies are receiving safe and world-class treatment.
Work continues across England to ensure the highest possible standard of maternity and neonatal care.
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “I would like to send my deepest sympathy to all the parents and families impacted by this horrendous case.
“This inquiry will seek to ensure the parents and families impacted get the answers they need. I am determined their voices are heard, and they are involved in shaping the scope of the inquiry should they wish to do so.
“Following on from the work already underway by NHS England, it will help us identify where and how patient safety standards failed to be met and ensure mothers and their partners rightly have faith in our healthcare system.”
After careful consideration, a non-statutory independent inquiry was found to be the most appropriate option, building on the approach taken in other cases. It will focus on lessons that can be learned quickly.
The police have arrangements in place to appropriately support families who have been directly impacted by this awful case, including psychological support and family liaison officers.
The trust is offering as much support as necessary to any current or anticipated users of its neonatal and transitional care services. Senior clinical and nursing staff are also on standby to help and offer advice so families rightly feel supported.
A chair will be appointed, and we will publish the inquiry’s proposed terms of reference – setting out the scope of the work – in due course.
Dr Nigel Scawn, Medical Director, gave a statement to the media in response to the outcome of the trial of Lucy Letby:
‘I speak for the whole Trust when I say how deeply saddened and appalled we are at Lucy Letby’s crimes. We are extremely sorry that these crimes were committed at our hospital and our thoughts continue to be with all the families and loved ones of the babies who came to harm or died. We cannot begin to understand what they have been through.
‘This case has had a profound impact on our patients and our local community and also our staff – who come to work every day determined to provide safe and high-quality care for our patients.
‘Our staff are devastated by what happened and we are committed to ensuring lessons continue to be learnt. We are grateful for the cooperation of our staff, especially those who have maintained the utmost professionalism whilst giving evidence in the trial, sometimes on multiple occasions.
‘We will continue to support them and other staff to ensure they receive the care and support they need.
‘We would like to extend our thanks to Cheshire Police for their extensive investigation and the work they did to bring this case to trial. We’d also like to thank them for the comprehensive support they have provided to all of the families.
‘Since Lucy Letby worked at our hospital, we have made significant changes to our services. I want to provide reassurance that every patient who accesses our services can have confidence in the care they will receive.
‘And, most importantly, our thoughts are with all the families and loved ones at this very difficult time.’
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel says ‘serious questions’ have to be asked of the NHS after nurse Lucy Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies.
Speaking to GB News, Ms Patel said: “This is a deeply, deeply, horrible, appalling, abhorrent and traumatic case for those families that have lost their babies. It is a horrible case.
“The one thing I would add though, is that the government has in recent years changed our laws for individuals that are effectively deemed to have been involved in murdering children and harming children. And it’s important that we see those laws put into practice by the courts when it comes to sentencing. So we can’t prejudge anything right now.
“My sympathies are so much with those families. I mean, there are no words really, for what they have endured, the trauma and the heartbreak and I really think we need now to let this follow the full judicial process.
“I’m a member of parliament in mid-Essex. And you know, all MPs represent their constituents when it comes to the NHS, but sadly – and I say this with a very heavy heart – a lot of the complaints that come to us are literally complaints about either access or services, and their own personal experiences.
“It’s heartbreaking, it is absolutely heartbreaking because they want to know the truth. What happened, why did things go wrong? I have no doubt my colleague, the Secretary of State for Health will be following this with a great deal of interest.
“There’ll be all sorts of questions regarding the NHS Trust itself, the governance, what procedures did they follow? And effectively, what lessons will be learned because lessons will have to be learned out of this?
“And personally, I think there has to be greater calls for transparency within large organisations and institutions such as the NHS.”
POLICE are appealing following a robbery on a footpath in the Gyle area.
The incident happened between 5.50pm and 6pm on Monday (14 August), on the path between the Gyle shopping centre and Gogarloch Syke.
A man was walking on the path from the shopping centre towards Gogarloch Syke when he came across a man lying on the ground. On approaching, the man on the ground has produced a knife and demanded money, before making off into a wooded area towards Gogarloch Syke with a four-figure sum of cash.
The man is described as white, aged late 20s, of slim build and around 5ft 11ins to 6ft. He was wearing a burgundy/maroon hoodie with the hood up, light grey tracksuit bottoms and grey trainers.
Detective Constable Peter Lyons said: “Fortunately no one was injured but the man who was robbed was left extremely upset and shaken by what happened.
“The area was likely busy with dog walkers and pedestrians at the time and we are keen to speak to anyone who saw what happened.
“We are also keen to speak to the man described and would like anyone who saw him before or after the incident to get in touch.”
Anyone who can help is asked to call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 3269 of Monday, 14 August, 2023.
Police are appealing for witnesses following an attempted robbery and a robbery in the Restalrig area on Saturday (12 August 2023).
Around 5.45 am, a 33-year-old woman was threatened by a man armed with a weapon as she was just about to get on a bus on Restalrig Road South. The man attempted to grab her bag but she managed to get on to the bus which drove off.
Around 6.30 am, a man threatened shop staff at a convenience store on Restalrig Road South with what was believed to be a bladed weapon. He demanded cash but only managed to grab other items as he was chased from the store.
The suspect for both incidents is described as white, 30-40 years of age, has a long and pointed nose which may have been broken previously, dark brown hair. He was wearing a black hooded long-sleeve jumper with a gold metallic North Face logo, grey jogging bottoms with the Adidas logo on left-hand side pocket and black trainers.
Detective Sergeant Steven Gray said: “Although thankfully, no one was injured, this was very frightening and distressing for those involved.
“Officers are checking CCTV in the area and making local enquiries however, we are keen to hear from anyone who may have been in the area between 5.30 am and 6.45 am that morning and who saw the man.
“It may be that he has either approached or threatened others in the area, or may have been hanging about the street, which we can see from CCTV was quite busy at that time.
“So, if you have any information about the incidents or recognise the description of the man, then call police at Gayfield Police Station via 101. Please quote reference number 0930 of Saturday, 12 August 2023. Alternatively, details can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
UPDATE
A 33-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with two robberies on Restalrig Road South, Edinburgh which took place on Saturday, 12 August, 2023.
They are expected to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Friday, 18 August, 2023
A Police Scotland Spokesperson said: “We would like to thank the public for their assistance with our inquiries following our earlier appeal.”
