Former Co-op boss faces drug charges

16 April 2014 Last updated at 12:20 Paul Flowers told waiting journalists they were "vultures" as he arrived at the police station

Paul Flowers, the former Co-op Bank chairman, has been charged with drug possession, prosecutors have said.

Mr Flowers was arrested in November following newspaper allegations he was involved in a drug deal. He had stepped down from the Co-op six months earlier over concerns about his expenses.

He has been charged with two counts of possession of a class A drug and one count of possession of a class C drug.

A second man has also been charged with offering to supply drugs.

The charges against Mr Flowers relate to possession of cocaine, methamphetamine and ketamine.

'Hounded'

Accompanied by two minders, Mr Flowers fought through waiting photographers and TV crews as he arrived at Stainbeck Police station in Leeds earlier.

His solicitor Andrew Hollas told those gathered outside his client would make a full statement following his appearance at Leeds Magistrates' Court next month.

"He has been hounded for six months by certain elements of the press and they have included many allegations within their papers that have been completely without foundation," Mr Hollas added.

Claire Stevens from the Crown Prosecution Service said Yorkshire and Humberside's Complex Case Unit had "carefully considered a file of evidence gathered by West Yorkshire Police" in relation to the alleged offences.

"Following a review of the evidence, I have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to charge Paul Flowers with possession of Class A and Class C drugs relating to an incident on 9 November 2013," she added.

The second man, Gavin Woroniuk, is accused of offering to supply cocaine, methamphetamine, cannabis and ketamine, the CPS said.

Mr Woroniuk also faces a charge of possession of criminal property.

The former bank chairman appeared before MPs on 6 November last year

The drugs allegations put Mr Flowers at the centre of a political row as the Conservatives highlighted his connections to the Labour Party.

Chancellor George Osborne launched an inquiry into how he was deemed suitable to chair the bank.

The Methodist preacher had previously served as a Labour councillor in Bradford and on an informal board advising Ed Miliband on banking.

But his appearance before the Treasury Select Committee in November last year was widely criticised.

It has also since emerged that Mr Flowers left Lifeline, a drugs charity based in Manchester, after allegations about his expense claims.

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US card thief faces lengthy jail term

10 April 2014 Last updated at 17:24 The US government is seeking to make the gang members repay the cash they stole A key member of a gang that traded stolen and fake credit cards could face years in jail after pleading guilty to racketeering charges.

Cameron Harrison of Georgia, US, was part of a large card fraud ring centred around the Carder.su website.

About $50m (£30m) in losses have been attributed to the group that used the Carder.su site.

The group was broken up by US law enforcement in 2012 and so far, 55 of its members have been charged.

The ring leaders of the group, which was run via Russia, are still believed to be at large.

The case is believed to be among the first to use racketeering laws against cybercriminals. Before now the laws were used against members of more traditional organised crime groups.

Harrison, aka Kilobit, joined the group in 2008 and was instrumental in helping it steal credit cards, IDs and engage in financial fraud.

Documents filed by the US Department of Justice against Harrison show that he has been indicted under two counts of racketeering and one of making and selling fake ID documents.

US guidelines suggest he will face decades in prison when he is sentenced later this year because those rules inflate prison terms if a crime affects more than 250 victims or involves losses higher than $50m.

The US government is also seeking to make Harrison and other former Carder.su members pay $50m in restitution to the four credit card firms they stole from - Visa, Discover, American Express and MasterCard.

Australian Boy, 14, Faces 6 Years in Indonesia Prison For Drug Possession

Australian officials are urging that authorities in Bali, Indonesia release a 14-year-old Australian schoolboy who has been arrested for drugs possession and could face up to six in years in prison.

The boy, whose identity cannot be revealed, reportedly was arrested Tuesday after he purchased 6.9 grams (less than a quarter of an ounce) of marijuana on the island resort while on holiday with his parents. The dealers were allegedly plainclothes police officers setting up a sting operation on Kuta Beach on the southern coast of the famed island.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the boy, who hails from Morrisset Park, a town north of Sydney, said he bought the drugs because he felt sorry for the ‘dealer’ who claimed he had not eaten all day.

However, due to Indonesia’s strict narcotics laws, marijuana is regarded as dangerous as heroin and cocaine, possession of which can lead to stiff penalties. If the boy were above the age of 18, he might be facing up to twelve years in jail.

Under Indonesian laws, the boy can be held in detention without charges for up to thirty days.

According to Australian media, the boy is the youngest Australian to be arrested under Indonesia's drug laws. Moreover, drug smugglers have often been executed by firing squad.

The British newspaper Daily Telegraph that the boy, who is under custody at Denpasar police headquarters, is undergoing blood and urine tests and reportedly depressed, upset and refusing food.

Meanwhile, Australia’s foreign minister vowed he would stop at nothing to secure the boy’s release.

Kevin Rudd told local radio that he will "do everything possible to get this little bloke home." But he warned it could take some time, noting "there are real challenges that we face here, and I think we've all got to be patient."

According to Associated Press, Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard characterized the boy’s arrest and detention as "an incredibly distressing circumstance."

In response, a spokesman for Indonesia's Foreign Ministry said the case is still under investigation, but warned that "everybody should know by now that illegal drugs in Indonesia will bring very severe penalties."

The boy’s Indonesia attorney, Mohammed Rifan, told Australian media that police violated Indonesian procedural rules because they interviewed him in the absence of his parents.

Julian McMahon, a Melbourne lawyer told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio, that the boy is unlikely to suffer a lengthy prison term.

"He would get nothing like that. He would get some months, you would expect, if he had to go to jail at all," he said.

According to the New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties, four Australians have been executed in Malaysia and Singapore in the last 25 years, while three others are facing the death penalty (including one in Indonesia) – not necessarily for drug charges.

Perhaps the most high-profile Australian who got tangled up in Indonesia’s draconian drug laws was Schappelle Corby, who is serving 20 years in prison for smuggling 4 kilograns of cannabis in Bali.

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Australian boy, 14, faces Bali jail over drug arrest

TOM ALLARD AND AMILIA ROSA

A witness to the arrest in Bali of a NSW teenager says the schoolboy was picked up in a co-ordinated sting by plain clothes police intelligence officers who had been waiting for hours, apparently tipped off that he had allegedly purchased drugs.

The witness, a shopkeeper at the Mirah mini market, said the boy, 14, was apprehended at about 2pm on Tuesday along with a friend after leaving a foot massage salon across the road on Jalan Padma, a busy street in the heart of the Kuta tourist district.

"It caused quite a commotion. A lot people stopped and watched as they were taken away," said the man, who asked not to be identified, pointing to the pavement in front of the shop.

"I remember the boys looking confused and asked 'why', why were they being taken away."

The shopkeeper said the two youths were arrested by four plain clothes police intelligence officers who had been loitering outside his shop since 11am. There were another two plain clothes officers were down nearer the beach, where the alleged transaction is understood to have taken place.

"They did not search or asked the boys anything, they were just taken away," he said.

The account of the arrest, the first by an eyewitness, strongly indicates that someone who had seen the transaction, or the dealer, had tipped off police.

The witness described the two as "just average looking tourist boys". One of them was shirtless, he added, and each was led away by two officers.

It appears the other boy was let go by police, presumably because he was not allegedly in physical possession of the cannabis.

It is unknown whether the drug dealer was also apprehended by the Indonesian police, who are declining to provide details on the case because the schoolboy is a minor.

The account of the shopkeeper can't be independently verified as a result. But the location and timing of the arrests accords with information already provided by the schoolboy's first lawyer, Sursono.

The witness said the arrest was chaotic. The intelligence officers had initially arrested the wrong people, he said. "I remember they stopped some older tourists before, and they let them go after saying 'wrong guy'."

"Someone tried to video what happened using his mobile phone, one of the intels took the mobile and deleted the video before giving the mobile back".

It is unclear how much cannabis the boy was allegedly caught with, with reports ranging from 6.9 grams to 3.6 grams.

He is being held in a room away from adult prisoners at a Denpasar police station.

He spent a frightening first evening alone at the police station until his parents, with whom he had been holidaying, arrived the next morning.

Lawyer Muhammad Rifan said last night that the boy had been ''crying all day'' and refusing to eat. His parents were depressed and feeling helpless as the enormity of their predicament set in.

''Just like any other parents, they don't know what to do when their child faces this type of situation,'' he said.

Juveniles are typically treated leniently in Indonesia's courts but often get custodial sentences for drug offences. And as there is no juvenile court system, he would be likely to go to an adult prison if convicted.

Indonesian courts can commute sentences for drug crimes to a few months, or even waive jail time completely, but there must be evidence that the accused is a drug addict.

Mr Rifan said if the parents could provide evidence that they had sought treatment for their son in Australia for any addiction, he would probably get off. Otherwise, he could face jail time of six months to four years.

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has told Foreign Affairs officials to make the boy a priority.

Mr Rudd said the boy's parents were deeply distressed by their son's incarceration.

''I think if you put yourself in the position of being a mum or a dad with a 14-year-old who's got themselves caught up in this situation, you're heart would go out to the parents,'' Mr Rudd said.

''I have just spoken with our ambassador in Jakarta [Greg Moriarty] and I have indicated to him that his number one priority in the immediate period ahead is how we support this young boy and his family and do everything we can to obtain his early return to Australia.''

The boy is the youngest Australian to be arrested in Indonesia.

''Regrettably, we know the authorities in Denpasar too well through matters we have had to deal with over the years,'' Mr Rudd said.

''I'm not going to be in the business of providing public lectures from abroad on the nature of anyone else's legal regime.

''We respect those laws and we will work very closely with our friends and colleagues in Jakarta and Denpasar.''

The boy could be held at the police lock-up for up to a month while his alleged crime is investigated. If police decide they will proceed with the case, he will be formally charged and face court in Denpasar.

Mr Rifan refused to confirm whether the boy had admitted to buying the drugs.

Drug dealers frequent the throbbing tourist strip around Kuta, often whispering in the ears of passers-by.

It is not uncommon for dealers to then inform police if the buyer is a foreigner, sometimes snaring a lucrative payment for the information.

Bali's only under-age prison is a cell in Kerobokan, an already desperately overcrowded jail that is home to a diverse population of hardened criminals and small-time crooks.

Prisoners mix freely at Kerobokan, where the guards are vastly outnumbered by convicts.

There was a riot at the jail earlier this year, and several inmates are on death row, including Australian Bali nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

Murderers and rapists, including infamous child rapist Mochamad Davis Suharto - also known as Codet or Scar - are doing time there as well.

Cannabis is considered a narcotic in Indonesia on a par with heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.

Mr Rifan would not confirm the teenager's name and urged media organisations not to publish it, saying it was illegal to do so in Indonesia.

Police also confirmed there would be no ''walk of shame'' in front of cameras for any under-age offenders.

View the original article here

'CIA doctor' faces treason charge

6 October 2011 Last updated at 18:12 Bin Laden was top of the US 'most wanted' list A Pakistani commission investigating the US raid that killed Osama Bin Laden says a doctor accused of helping the CIA should be tried for high treason.

Dr Shakil Afridi is accused of running a CIA-sponsored fake vaccine programme in Abbottabad, where Bin Laden was killed, to try to get DNA samples.

He was arrested shortly after the 2 May US raid that killed the al-Qaeda chief.

The commission has been interviewing intelligence officials and on Wednesday spoke to Bin Laden family members.

Pakistan, which was deeply embarrassed by the raid, has described the covert US special forces operation as a violation of its sovereignty.

A government commission, headed by a former Supreme Court judge, has been charged with discovering how the US military was able to carry out the raid deep within Pakistan without being detected.

It is also investigating how Bin Laden was able to hide in Abbottabad, a garrison town, for several years.

DNA sought

After questioning Dr Afridi, the commission said that in view of the record and evidence it was "of the view that prima facie, a case of conspiracy against the State of Pakistan and high treason" should be launched against him.

Washington has been arguing that Dr Afridi should be freed and allowed to live in the US.

In the weeks after the Bin Laden raid, reports emerged that Dr Afridi, a senior Pakistani doctor, had been recruited by the CIA to organise the phoney vaccine drive.

After having tracked down a Bin Laden courier to a high-walled compound in Abbottabad, the CIA wanted to confirm Bin Laden's presence by obtaining a DNA sample from the residents.

It is not clear if any DNA from Bin Laden or any family members was ever obtained.

After the raid, Pakistani authorities took three of Bin Laden's widows and two of his daughters into custody.

The commission said on Thursday that statements had been taken from them and they were no longer required for its investigation.

Changing faces

3 May 2011 Last updated at 10:31 By Nick O'Dwyer Series producer, Children's Craniofacial Surgery Finley has a rare genetic condition called Apert Syndrome

On one side of the gleaming operating theatre, one-year-old Finley lies anaesthetised and unconscious.

The whole of Finley's skull has been removed and his brain lies exposed, its pulse beating the seconds away.

Across the room, plastics and reconstructive surgeon David Johnson is cutting, sawing and breaking apart the pieces of Finley's skull before refashioning them to provide a completely new skull shape.

In 30 minutes' time, David will be finished and will place the new skull over Finley's brain and sew up the long zig-zag scar running from ear to ear over his scalp.

Upstairs at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, Finley's parents wait and hope for news that the operation is over and that their baby boy is safe.

It has been a long 12 months for Diane and Lee Amey.

When Finley was born in Salisbury, Lee immediately noticed he was different. "His head was a funny shape with a horn a bit like a rhino, his hands were all joined together and his eyes were very bulgy."

The family were referred to the Oxford Craniofacial Unit where they learned that Finley had a rare genetic condition called Apert Syndrome.

Apert babies suffer lots of problems with their growth.

All of us have sutures in our skulls which allows the growing brain to push out the plates of the skull but in Apert babies, these sutures are all fused together. This is what was distorting the shape of Finley's skull and causing his eyes to bulge.

As the brain grows, pressure can build up inside the restricting skull. This can be dangerous, so the Oxford unit carries out a complex operation to remake the skull and give the brain space to grow.

It is an extraordinary operation to watch.

"It's like 3D carpentry really," says David Johnson. "Many of the techniques we use are the same except the raw materials we're working is bone."

After four or five hours of surgery, Finley's operation is complete and he is wheeled away to the recovery room to be reunited with his parents.

They see a baby who looks different after his surgery and who can, for the first time, close his eyes.

But, sadly, this is not the last operation he will face.

Holistic approach

Apert babies are born with their fingers and toes fused together so there will have to be operations to give him a functioning grip.

And, although the problems with his skull have now been addressed, his face will not grow in normal proportion, so he will have to have another operation in a few years' time to detach the bones of his face and slide them forward over a period of months on a metal frame.

The Oxford Unit has well over 1,000 children on their books. Every week they see 21 patients and perform three major head operations.

Only 20% of the patients have the type of genetic syndromes which will need repeated operations.

The vast majority of the children have one suture fused - usually caused by mechanical pressure in the womb. Their problems can be addressed by a one-off operation to remodel their skulls.

Oxford is one of only four centres in the country licensed to carry out the complex surgery needed by children like Finley.

The unit is led by two plastic surgeons and includes neurosurgeons, psychologists, speech therapists, orthoptists (eye specialists), and play therapists to make sure children do not fall too far behind during their lengthy hospital stays.

It also has specialist nurses and geneticists to research conditions and advise parents.

And it was actually the team's senior geneticist, Professor Andrew Wilkie, who identified for the first time the exact location of the tiny genetic "spelling mistake" which causes Apert Syndrome.

The team's psychologists counsel parents on how to deal with the stress of surgery but they also advise them on how to cope with having a child who often looks very different.

"The hardest thing has been people staring at him," says Lee. "I found that very difficult at first. But now, I encourage people to come up and ask a question so we can explain what's happened.

"Finley's no different from anyone else really... he just looks different."

The series Children's Craniofacial Surgery is produced for the BBC by Landmark Films.

It is broadcast on BBC Two on Wednesday at 2100 BST from 4 May. Or catch-up afterwards via BBC iPlayer at the above link.

PFT: NFL faces contempt if doors aren't open

Getty Images

On Monday, Judge Susan Nelson made her feelings regarding the NFL’s work stoppage known, entering an order that concluded with these key words:  “The lockout is enjoined.”

The league believed that it needed more guidance as to whether Judge Nelson meant what she had said.

On Tuesday, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota issued a formal “Judgment in a Civil Case” granting the motion for preliminary injunction filed by the players, and reiterating the key words:  “The lockout is enjoined.”

And the league continued to believe that it needed more guidance as to whether Judge Nelson meant what she had said.

On Wednesday, Judge Nelson refused to stay the lifting of the lockout while the NFL appeals the ruling.  Based on the applicable legal standard, the decision isn’t a surprise.

So what next?  As we see it, the league can comply with Judge Nelson’s rulings and treat the lockout as over — or the league can maintain the status quo pending appeal of the decision not to stay the injunction, pending appeal.

The risk of a finding of contempt of court has spiked significantly after today’s events, in our view.  Though the league could project (feigned or otherwise) confusion on Monday and Tuesday, there is no doubt today regarding Judge Nelson’s intentions.

The lockout is over.  The injunction ending the lockout is not stayed.

In light of letters from the lawyers for the NFL and the players submitted to Judge Nelson on Wednesday, we believe the league no longer can credibly claim that further clarification is needed.

First, a letter from NFL local counsel Aaron D. Van Oort to Judge Nelson targeted the proposed order submitted by the players on Monday night elaborating on the ruling lifting the lockout.  “We believe that the prescriptive language of the Court’s Order — ‘The lockout is enjoined’ — coupled with the Opinion that precedes that language, provides sufficient guidance of the Court’s directions,” Van Oort writes.

The players saw the opening, and they drove a bus through it.  In a letter from players’ local counsel Barbara Berens to Judge Nelson, the players withdrew the proposed order, “[g]iven the NFL Defendants’ concession that they understand their obligations.”

In other words, Van Oort said all that needs to be said.  “The lockout is enjoined,” and all that that implies.

It means that the NFL, which has yet to issue a statement in response to the denial of the motion for a stay, must decide whether to fully and completely open for business, or to risk the penalties that arise from defying an order issued by a federal court.

The safest course would be to implement rules now (presumably, the terms of the last year of the expired labor deal, with some tweaks), and to allow teams to sign free agents, to cut players, to trade players, to launch their offseason programs, to communicate with players, and to otherwise transact business.

The lockout is enjoined.  In other words, the lockout is over.  The NFL engages in any behavior that conflicts with that reality at its own peril.

And the league should be concerned about more than contempt of court in the short term.  Judge Nelson will continue to preside over the case, and she’ll continue to issue key rulings.  If the NFL exhausts her patience at this threshold stage of the litigation, Judge Nelson could naturally be inclined to take a dim view of the league’s arguments and tactics moving forward.