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 NEWS
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31st August 2010 - Heathrow cabin crew manager sentenced for tobacco smuggling
Christakis Lambrou, a British Airways cabin crew member, who used his position to illegally import tobacco into the UK through Heathrow Airport, received a 120-hour community punishment order on 20 August. The British national was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on 20 August 2010 for fraudulently evading duty on 74,440 smuggled cigarettes and 12 kgs of hand rolling tobacco. He pleaded guilty on 9 July 2010. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) started an investigation following the discovery of 2000 Benson & Hedges Silver cigarettes by UK Border Agency officers on 15 August 2009. Officers examined Lambrou's hand luggage as he waited to board a flight to Geneva. Officers also found 6 kgs of hand rolling tobacco in the boot of his car, which he bought from a Duty Free shop the same day. Lambrou was arrested, interviewed and subsequently charged. A further 11,760 cigarettes and 5 kgs of hand rolling tobacco were found at his house in Staines. He told officers that he had bought the tobacco over the last 2 to3 months for his brother and his brother’s friend. John Cooper, HMRC assistant director criminal investigation, said: 'Lambrou abused his position of trust as a cabin crew manager to evade UK duty. Lambrou's actions cost the UK vital tax revenue and this is why HMRC works closely with UK Border Agency officers to disrupt this kind of criminal operation.' Confiscation proceedings are ongoing.
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23rd August 2010 –Ex-miners claim injuries were under compensated
A group of 20 former miners who suffered industrial injuries are claiming they received inadequate compensation from a government scheme. Leeds County Court will hear claims against several law firms who originally advised the miners. The men have "vibration white finger" - a condition that causes pain or numbness - and are pursuing payments to cover tasks such as gardening and DIY. The government has said the scheme was administered fairly. The scheme set up a decade ago, is administered by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, who said ex-miners who were aggrieved could take their cases to the Legal Complaints Service or consult another solicitor. The government scheme was set up to compensate former miners for two types of injury - lung disease from breathing in coal dust and vibration white finger, a condition caused by working with vibrating machinery such as chain saws and drills. The UK's biggest ever personal injury compensation scheme, it has paid out £4.1bn since it was set up. There has been huge controversy surrounding the miner’s compensation scheme in recent years, which involved some solicitors deducting fees from claimants when they were already being paid under the scheme. The Legal Complaints Service reported that at the end of last year it had helped to recover more than £3.6m of "inappropriate deductions" from the law firms concerned, and the money had been returned to former miners and their dependants. A number of solicitors made millions from the scheme and were subsequently struck off.
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16th August 2010 – Christian Wandsworth Council worker loses sacking claim
Duke Amachree, a homelessness officer at Wandsworth Council was sacked in January 2009 after suggesting a woman with an incurable illness "put her faith in God" has lost his legal challenge. The woman referred to as Ms X, complained about a "30-minute barrage". An employment tribunal ruled he was fairly dismissed. Mr Amachree had launched a legal claim for unfair dismissal, religious discrimination and breach of contract. Mr Amachree, who had worked for the council for 18 years, said: "I am devastated by the outcome." He was dismissed for gross misconduct in July 2009 following an internal investigation, and may appeal against the ruling. A spokesman for Wandsworth Council said: "We're delighted that the tribunal has found in our favour, supported the common sense and wholly reasonable way we handled this case and rejected the totally spurious and misleading claims that were made against us." When Ms X told Mr Amachree that she was suffering from an incurable disease as they discussed her housing case in January last year, the tribunal heard. Mr Amachree outlined his religious beliefs and suggested she "should put her faith in God". The council said it was "inappropriate and unacceptable" that Mr Amachree also revealed details about Ms X to the media which could have led to her identification. The London South employment tribunal, which heard the case in June and July, ruled the dismissal was "fair" and there was no discrimination on the grounds of his religion.
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