Alcohol gang jailed in £1.8 million duty fraud

A gang involved in a £1.8 million excise alcohol fraud across North West England have been jailed for over 19 years for supplying illicit non duty paid alcohol to local retailers.   During the course of their investigation, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) officers discovered that spirits, beer and wine were taken from ‘bonded’ warehouses throughout the UK and then illegally diverted from their intended destination (usually Europe), ending up for sale in the North West of England, Scotland and the Midlands without duty having been paid.  The mastermind behind the fraud, Paramjit Bagri from Holywell, North Wales, and five other men, were charged with conspiring to evade UK duty between January 2007 and January 2008.  Mike O’Grady, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation for HMRC, said:- "These men diverted large numbers of consignments of alcohol from their intended legitimate destinations thereby avoiding paying UK duty and taxes. It was a very calculated attempt to defraud the Crown and to personally profit from the illegal trade.   HMRC is committed to protecting public finances from attacks by organised crime. We would ask anyone with information relating to this type of crime to contact the Customs Hotline on 0800 59 5000 and help us stamp it out. Remember if you are offered cheap alcohol or cigarettes you could be financing criminals like this."  On sentencing the gang leader, His Honour Judge Steiger said:- "This was an ingenious and complex fraud and I am satisfied that Bagri was top of the tree".

Bagri and 3 men, Nadim Iqbal (from Oldham), Mohammed Vaqas (from Rochdale) and Baldeep Singh Tahkar (from Billingham), pleaded guilty before the start of a trial. Richard Gerrard Ellis (from Manchester) and Mohammed Tariq (from Scotland) were found guilty by a jury at Manchester Crown Court in June 2011.   Confiscation proceedings are now underway involving the analysis of how key figures in the gang attempted to evade taxes and hide the cash gained from their illegal trade. The evaded UK duty alone was given as over £1,799,448 in court, however, the confiscation will look to determine other tax evasion and criminal benefits associated with their activities.

It's Walk to School Month! UK children step out for slower speed limits

THOUSANDS of children from across the UK are making the most of the unseasonal weather and joining forces with over 40 countries worldwide this October to kick off International Walk to School Month.

From the United Kingdom to Uganda, children are learning the benefits of a healthy lifestyle in the 11th year of this global event, which celebrates the benefits of walking to school.

Walk to School Month is run in the UK by national charity Living Streets, which works to create safe, attractive and enjoyable streets where people want to walk. Living Streets runs the national Walk to School campaign, which gets over 1.6 million children walking to school each year. For this year's Walk to School Month, Living Streets is kick starting a campaign for 20 mph speed limits where we live, work and shop, to make the journey to school safer and more enjoyable for those on foot.

Feedback from parents and children often puts road safety and in particular traffic speeds one of the top barriers which prevents them from walking. By taking action to reduce speed limits, Living Streets believes we can encourage parents to ditch the car keys and get their children to the school gates on foot. Walking to school regularly is not only a fantastic way to help reach the recommended daily 60 minutes of activity, but also a great chance to teach your children vital road safety skills and ensure they are alert and ready to learn at the start of a new day.

Tony Armstrong, Chief Executive of Living Streets said:- "We often hear from parents who are put off walking with their children due to the speed of traffic on our streets and it's easy to see why. A child hit at 20 mph has a 97% chance of survival, yet half of children hit at 35 mph would lose their lives. That's why we are campaigning for slower speed limits this Walk to School Month.   Walking to school is a great way to see the community, socialise with friends and get some fresh air into your day. It's also a nice chance to spend quality time with your children and to teach them the importance of a healthy lifestyle, as well as essential road safety skills."

Parents are urged to take action and campaign for 20 mph speed limits in their local area. Resources and ideas to kick start your campaign can be found at:- walktoschool.org.uk.