Category Archives: Victimless Crimes

ARLINGTON, Va. The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) are entering a first-of-its-kind national partnership to combat retail crime.

The launch of the collaboration follows a summit held on June 30, which brought together leading retailers and prosecutors' offices from around the country to establish open lines of communication between prosecutors and retailers, identify common challenges, share information on repeat offenders, and work together to identify criminal networks targeting local retailers.

"Retail theft is not a victimless crime. As prosecutors, we must protect the safety of retail employees and customers by holding the individuals who commit thefts, violence and other retail-related offenses accountable for their crimes," said Erie County (N.Y.) District Attorney John J. Flynn, president of NDAA. "I look forward to continued discussions with the Retail Industry Leaders Association on how to uncover the criminals who profit from stolen merchandise, prevent thefts and enhance public safety for all who shop and work at our nation's retailers."

Bringing together prosecutors and retailers is essential to combatting organized retail crime and keeping communities safe, the associations jointly stated. Law enforcement agencies at multiple levels, including the federal government, have established thenexus between organized retail crime and violence, as well as broader criminal activitythat includes human trafficking, cybercrimes, drug trafficking, domestic violence and sexual assault.

By sharing information and working together to identify the organized criminal networks operating in communities, the aim of the partnership is to focus resources on cases that are vital to public safety.

"Retailers are extremely grateful to begin this partnership and develop stronger ties with local prosecutors who are on the front lines of keeping our communities safe.Organized retail crime is not petty theft. Our goal is to assist law enforcement with big cases, where organized criminal rings are stealing and reselling thousands sometimes millions of dollars in stolen product. These networks have become more violent and brazen in recent years, and this partnership is a tremendous opportunity to target career criminals and put them out of business," said RILA Senior Executive Vice President for Retail Operations Lisa LaBruno.

Through the partnership, NDAA and RILA will develop training, best practice guides, thought pieces, policy papers, webinars and other educational resources for retailers, prosecutors, law enforcement and communities.

To kick off the partnership, the two organizations will host a webinar on Oct. 8 on the new retail theft task force recently launched by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office in Phoenix.

More information on training courses is available here.

As the eyes and ears of the community, convenience store retailers were asked to help provide a comprehensive review of human trafficking in the transportation sector.

Last year, NACS joined with more than 100 groups to participate in the 2021 National Outreach Survey for Transportation, led by United Against Slavery. The project analyzed frontline data from experts in all modes of transportation to craft policies and solutions to disrupt human trafficking and ultimately make it difficult, unattractive and unprofitable.

The convenience channel represents one-third of all retail stores in the United States with more than 150,000-plus c-stores. In addition to providing products and services, c-store retailers help address important national initiatives at a local level. NACS survey data shows that 40 percent of all consumers say that human trafficking is an issue they would support their local store in combating.

For more information the role the convenience channel plays in combating human trafficking, read theConvenience Store News special report.

Formed in 1950, National District Attorneys Association is the oldest and largest national organization representing state and local prosecutors in the country. It encompasses more than 5,000 members representing more than two-thirds of the state and local prosecutors offices.

Arlington-based Retail Industry Leaders Association is the U.S. trade association representing leading retailers.

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Retail Industry Joins With Law Enforcement to Keep Communities Safe - CSNews Online

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Phil Peart, Senior Investigations Manager (APAC), World Travel Protection, says you just need to know where to look and what to look for when it comes to unmasking fraudulent travel

Trends differ according to the part of the world in question, and looking at the impact of Covid-19, it is apparent that fraud hasnt lessened as a result of the pandemic; quite the opposite. Indeed, Simon Cook, Head of Specialist Investigation Services, Charles Taylor Technical Services, explained to ITIJ how Covid has presented new opportunities for fraudsters. One of the trends weve seen is policyholders fabricating accommodation costs when they extend stays abroad after contracting Covid and they are in fact staying for free with friends or relatives, he said. Weve also seen individuals with Covid colluding with accommodation owners or hotels to inflate the cost of extended stays. It seems that these types of fraud, facilitated by the pandemic, will continue to rise, and Cook confirmed that as global travel increases, Charles Taylor Technical Services is anticipating and prepared for a rise in both opportunistic and organised fraud. For instance, policyholders wanting to go on holiday but not being able to afford it may try to recoup some of their costs by submitting fraudulent claims for medical expenses or lost possessions, he told ITIJ.

Dan Kaine, Partner, Risk & Crisis Advisory, Inherent Risks, has also seen instances of financial hardships caused by the pandemic motivating fraudulent claims. Families want to travel and return to normality, but dont necessarily have the disposable income to do so. The fraudsters dont see it as committing a crime, more as stretching the truth. This mentality is costing the insurance industry millions per year. Inherent Risks identifies, investigates and interrupts travel insurance fraud trends in different parts of the world, particularly in lower-income regions and Kaine has observed other recent trends in light (or dark!) of the pandemic. As Covid brought the travel industry to its knees for the best part of two years, it caused a ripple effect through all of the ancillary industries that rely heavily on tourism, including hospital and clinics, private ambulance companies and helicopter rescue providers. As a result, we are already seeing a worrying trend of predatory practices to recoup lost revenues, enabling fraudulent travel insurance claims to be submitted, and enabling fraudsters to profit from insurers.

Kaine and his team have also seen, first hand, collusion between fraudsters and providers. This includes fake doctors notes, fabricated hospital admissions with elaborate medical bills, and even real police reports about incidents that never happened, he told ITIJ. These types of cases are occurring in typically less-developed countries, arguably where local micro economies created by tourism were affected the most during the worldwide lockdowns. We have seen increasing trends of various types of travel insurance fraud occurring already this year in Mexico, Guatemala, Caribbean, Turkey, Greece and Nepal.

Smith, too, is acutely aware of a range of types of fraud, including intentional inflating and a worsening of the situation due to the pandemic. Conservative estimates suggest between 10 to 20 per cent of all insurance claims submitted contain some aspect of fraud. This ranges from completely false claims to intentionally misstating or inflating claims, he told ITIJ. All indications are that the Covid-19 pandemic, and the ensuing economic impact, have fueled a rise in insurance fraud both in the US and globally.

Further underlining the severity of the issue, Smith stated that the pandemic has demonstrated that insurance fraud is no longer a national, but a global, issue. He shared some startling statistics with ITIJ: Organisations such as the United Nations have reported a 600-per-cent increase in malicious phishing attempts to secure personal data. Interpol reported cybercriminals are boosting attacks at the most alarming rate ever seen, and leaders in Spain reported fake insurance scams soared by 21 per cent in 2020 compared to 2019. All of this points to a dramatic rise in insurance fraud crimes around the globe. Smith said that many of these scams relate to stolen identities which in turn result in fraudulently secured insurance policies and submitting of bogus claims.

Concerning the processes and protocols in place for investigating travel and health claims, Phil Peart, Senior Investigations Manager (APAC), World Travel Protection, said that with easing of Covid restrictions, insurers are taking a new and strategic approach to managing claims. He provided an insight on World Travel Protections work to this end: We have established a new Special Investigation Unit (SIU), staffed by experienced ex-military personnel and claim investigation specialists. It provides an all-encompassing travel risk management solution, combining security, intelligence and investigations, all within the SIU, delivering a complete value proposition for all clients across all disciplines.

Kaine told ITIJ that a one-size-fits-all approach to investigation processes wont suffice. What works in one region, will certainly fail in another. There are many factors to consider, including the geographic location, and culture of the people where the incident (real or fake) happened. This can make a claim much more difficult to validate, especially when corrupt officials, including doctors, police, hotel and airline staff are involved in the fraud, and are profiting in some way, he said. At Inherent Risks, claims teams undergo rigorous training, as Kaine describes: Our claims teams are trained to identify key indicators in conjunction with our technology claims platform, which flags a case to be investigated further. If required, assistance from ground agents and region-specific network providers is also requested to investigate cases further, through an on-the-ground approach.

Pandemic-induced lockdowns may have brought a halt to travel, but theyve been no barrier to fraud. Sarah Watson investigates the effect of Covid-19 on travel insurance fraud trends

In line with evolving types and methods of fraud, the tools at insurers disposal are levelling up. For example, Charles Taylor has developed a new social media and open source investigation tool, as Cook explained: It uses algorithms to search over 220 open source and social media sites for impactful claims intelligence, which can then be acted on by our investigators. Its a great example of uniting IT and human expertise to protect insurers bottom lines. Importantly, by using algorithms to search for intelligence, it also removes unconscious bias from the claims validation process. The company has also invested in an automated fraud detection and machine learning business. This will help segregate fraud risk and enhance Charles Taylors claims validation toolbox, Cook told ITIJ.

World Travel Protection uses its database management application, Atlas, which delivers a total claims solution from risk analysis, claim trends and outcome reporting. Atlas utilises some of the most advanced technology for internet security available today, said Peart. All data is hosted in a secure server environment that uses a firewall and other advanced technology to prevent interference or access from outside intruders.

Inherent Risks has developed machine learning technology that uses pre-populated parameters to alert the team to potentially fraudulent cases. Kaine explains more: This technology improves its accuracy and increases its alerts based on the amount of data thats added. The best way to think of it is that the system gets smarter every time we add a new case to it. It also anonymises the traveller data, enabling us to share data securely, internally, and externally with our clients, and our network providers.

Insurance fraud is rampant and law enforcement is stretched, so are sufficient resources devoted to catching and punishing fraudsters? In the context of extremely high levels of insurance fraud, the [UK] police do well with the limited resources at their disposal, said Cook. He also highlighted the importance of the ongoing campaign for the development of a database of incidents called CUE (the Claims and Underwriting Exchange). This will enable the travel industry to share claims data and proactively prevent fraud.

Smith argues that law enforcement needs to do more and said that there is also work to be done to change perceptions of fraud, as well as improving understanding of its far-reaching impact. There is a tremendous need for local, national and international law enforcement agencies to both learn more about, and increase efforts to prevent, all forms of insurance fraud, he told ITIJ. Too often, many law enforcement agencies view insurance fraud as a victimless crime or one where only the insurance company is impacted. Such beliefs are misplaced. Insurance crimes from arson fires which dramatically rose during the pandemic to staged accidents both injure and kill innocent people. Let alone the economic damage that insurance fraud inflicts on consumers worldwide.

For several years now, Kaine has privately and publicly advocated for law enforcement to take more action against both individuals and international organisations who actively target British insurers. He told us more about this effort: This has included reaching out several times to associations who portray themselves to be targeting insurance fraud. We have offered to share data, for no fee, with the intent of targeting, and reducing insurance fraud on a global scale. However, Kaine told ITIJ, these actions have not been well received. Unfortunately, these efforts have been met not only with a lack of interest, but in some cases, their responses were in fact extremely hostile. Its a typical silo that we have experienced time and again between private [firms] and government where the attitude is that we couldnt possibly know more than them. It shouldnt be about that. Crimes are being committed and assistance companies have the evidence needed to build an intelligence picture that can lead to arrests, and sanctions. That should be seen as a valuable asset to any law enforcement organisation committed to tackling these types of crimes.

It is apparent that the Covid-19 pandemic has ushered in a new era in which financial struggles are motivating people to commit fraud without a true understanding of the severity of their actions and consequences. Additionally, the pandemic has provided new opportunities for insurance fraud, including collusion between holidaymakers and accommodation owners or hotels, and provided the setting for new demographics of fraudsters who dont necessarily view their actions as insurance fraud. In light of this, mitigation and detection optimisation strategies are more important than ever before, and companies are placing renewed emphasis on travel risk mitigation along with training and awareness for claims teams. As Cook stated: In this climate of need and greed, its especially important for travel insurers to ensure they have mitigated risks efficiently and optimised their fraud strategies, not least through enhanced training, risk assessments and awareness building for frontline claims teams.

It seems that what may have once become a national issue has now reached global status. Such a prominent issue that costs the industry so much in time and money cannot be resolved with a one-size-fits-all approach. New tools, algorithms and technologies such as machine learning are, and should continue to be, used by the industry in the fight against fraud. Unfortunately, fraud is pervasive and insidious and, in addition, there are many misconceptions on this topic. There is a clear need to improve understanding and awareness of insurance fraud and for law enforcement to take more notice and action on an issue that is not just about rising premiums, but is causing economic damage and even loss of life. With continued and enhanced efforts to mitigate and spread awareness of fraud, as well as by organisations that are exposing, building evidence and determined to stamp out this criminal practice, the insurance industry and its partners remain one step ahead.

Lauren Haigh is a writer and copy-editor for ITIJ. She writes features and articles across the company's suite of publications.She has worked in publishing for over seven years, the past three of which she has dedicated to learning the ins and outs of travel and health insurance. She likes cats.

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The boots on the ground stomping out insurance fraud - ITIJ

Incidents of shoplifting have risen 21% in the 12 months to March 2022, according to Office of National Statistics data.

While the figure is down 11% compared to a decade ago, the rise in shoplifting over the past 12 months has sparked concern from the industry.

Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman said that the jump in shoplifting numbers is down to stores being closed due to Covid-19 restriction however added that its still a massive issue for retailers.

The overall increase in shop theft is likely to be partially due to many retailers being closed or partially closed during the period of Covid restrictions. Additionally, many convenience retailers were operating on reduced numbers of customers in store for safety reasons, which can make it more difficult for thieves to steal from stores.

Shop theft continues to be a massive issue for convenience retailers, and is mostly driven by organised groups stealing to sell on elsewhere and those who are suffering from a drug or alcohol addiction. Retailers have told us that they do not see any evidence of the cost of living crisis driving ordinary people to steal from stores, it is still the same groups looking to cash in at the expense of hard working business owners. We strongly urge all Police and Crime Commissioners to prioritise dealing with shop theft in their plans for local forces, as if there is not intervention there is a strong likelihood that these so called low level crimes will escalate to abuse, violence, robberies and burglaries as the criminals become more confident that they wont be caught.

Usdaw General Secretary Paddy Lillis was deeply concerned by the increase in incidents of shoplifting.

Shoplifting is not a victimless crime, theft from shops has long been a major flashpoint for violence and abuse against shopworkers, he said. Having to deal with repeated and persistent shoplifters can cause issues beyond the theft itself like anxiety, fear and in some cases physical harm to retail workers.

Lillis added that the increase could be down to the easing of Covid-19 restrictions and the rising cost of living putting pressure on consumers.

The reported 21% increase in shoplifting may well be a consequence of Covid restrictions being lifted in stores last year. Social distancing and limiting the number of customers in stores does make life more difficult for shoplifters, so the return to normal will have an impact. We want to see action to ensure this reversal of a downward trend does not continue.

We are aware that the cost of living crisis may also lead to more shoplifting. However, the answer to the squeeze on household budgets is not to turn a blind eye to theft from shops, which in itself contributes to rising prices as retailers try to recover losses.

He urged the government to act to help those that may be struggling and turning to shoplifting. The government must take immediate steps to help people who are struggling to make ends meet, with a new deal for workers on pay and employment rights, a reduction in VAT and an uprating of in-work benefits in line with inflation.

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Shoplifting rises 21% year-on-year | Features and Analysis - Convenience Store

Retailers that were already struggling to rebuild their businesses and attract customers due to the COVID-19 pandemic are now faced with large-scale theft and looting, much of it stemming from organized crime.

The problem is so bad that54% of small business owners experienced an increase in shopliftingin 2021 andthe average large retailer lost $700,000 per $1 billion in sales as of 2020 an increase of more than 50% over a five-year period, according to the National Retail Federation.

These crimes are not victimless. In addition to the growing number of thefts that turn violent, innocent consumers, employees, local communities, and business owners and shareholders bear the costs of rising retail theft.

What can be done,how big of an issue is retail theft, andwhat role can Congress play?

For more information visit uschamber.com/retailtheft

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Retail Theft a National Crisis: What Must be Done to Help Businesses and Consumers - ABC Action News Tampa Bay

A DUMBARTON man was caught with a stash of indecent images of children at his former home in Cardross.

Declan Deeney, of Old Academy Way, admitted to a charge of taking, or permitting to be taken, indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children at a property in Barrs Terrace between December 28, 2020 and February 23 the following year.

He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to a second charge of being in possession of indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children from December 28, 2020 and March 25, 2021.

Appearing for sentencing at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on July 12 the 20-year-old was placed on the sex offenders register for three years after pleading guilty to the two charges.

Phil Lafferty, defending, said: Clearly these are worrying offences. The background history is of some concern. I have to accept that he is aware of the matters and aware of the wrongfulness of his behaviour, and therefore responsible to that extent.

Sheriff Maxwell Hendry said: Reading this report there must be some concern as to how Mr Deeney can be managed by the social work department given the difficulties that he has although I dont think he assists his difficulties by smoking cannabis.

Addressing the young man, Sheriff Hendry said: The offences which you committed are serious. Some people think these are offences where effectively there are no victims. I do not take that view at all.

It is difficult to tell what lifelong damage may be done to those children. This is not a victimless crime. I take onboard this is your first conviction and you have done some things already to help yourself, although I think there is a distance to go before there can be any positive expectation that you will continue to commit these crimes. I could have sent you to prison, but I am not doing that.

The sheriff placed Deeney on a community payback order for three years under social work supervision where he will be required to follow 10 requirements as part of the order which were disclosed to Deeney by his solicitor in a private discussion.

He was also made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order for three years, barring him from any contact with any person under 16, and from entering any public parks, play areas, schools, nurseries or any other setting where children are expected to gather.

Deeney must remain in his home address from 7pm-7am for six months.

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Sex offender caught with vile image hoard avoids prison term - The Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Reporter

This follows a recent spate of cases at Sheffield Crown Court, in which numerous defendants have been brought to justice for downloading images and videos showing children and babies being raped and sexually abused.

Judge Peter Kelson QC has suggested that those who commit such crimes may believe that because they are not the ones who carry out and physically facilitate the abuse, that their involvement is limited to simply downloading images and videos.

However, Judge Kelson says they are the very individuals the despicable content is created for, and the demand they create fuels the illegal and vile trade of indecent images and videos of children.

Individuals who look at such material must understand that this is not a victimless crime. These videos they watch, and images they view, are of real children, of real children being raped, he said.

That is the gravity of this sort of crime is that offenders further the trade by viewing the images and videos.

Other defendants recently sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court for viewing child abuse content online include: Michael Stuart, aged 38, of Mill Road, Ecclesfield; Matthew Theaker, aged 24, of Thorpe House Avenue, Norton Lees and Benjamin Grant, aged 26, now of Sighthill Terrace, Edinburgh.

Police tactics to snare offenders who view such deplorable content are becoming more and more sophisticated, and they also act upon intelligence provided by concerned members of the public.

The spate of cases have also laid bare the consequences facing those who commit, and are convicted of, crimes involving the viewing, downloading and distributing of child abuse material.

The related offences include making, downloading and viewing indecent images of children, broken down by legal category of image, with the most severe of the categories involving the rape of children being Category A, followed by Category B and C.

The offences fall under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, and anyone convicted of a sex offence will be required to sign on to the Sex Offenders Register or face being convicted of another crime and are likely to be subject to rigorous and invasive monitoring, which includes visiting a police station once a week, and informing the force of any changes of address or any foreign travel.

For those who have children or grandchildren, registering as a sex offender is likely to result in intervention from social services and could mean offenders are forced to move out of the family home and may be required to have supervision during all visits with loved ones under the age of 18.

Many offenders convicted of making, viewing or downloading indecent images of children are also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order, which severely restricts a defendants access to the internet, and among other things, could also result in them being banned from places where children spend time.

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Top Sheffield judge highlights sickening treatment of children who are sexually abused for content shared online - The Star

Listen to the Stuff To Watch podcast by hitting the "play" button below, or find it on podcast apps such as Apple or Spotify. Resident Evil

This franchise has been living among us for a quarter of a century now.

From its origins as a cult-smash video game in 1996 still regarded as one of the best and most influential games ever made the Resident Evil universe now embraces seven live-action films and countless other spin-offs and products.

Resident Evil was largely responsible for reintroducing zombies to popular culture and proving that ideas such as 28 Days Later (2002) would find an audience.

And now, the series has made it to television, via an eight-part adaptation that appears to get many things right, even while it is disappointing and disenfranchising a lot of the game and film series fans.

Resident Evil revisits the origin story of the games, but also changes pretty much everything around. Our main characters here are two young women played by Ella Balinska and Adeline Rudolph, as the daughters of Albert Wesker (The Wires Lance Reddick). Tamara Smart and Siena Agudong play the sisters as teenagers, in flashbacks set in 2022 the year that the world first went all to hell.

Critics of the show point to the lack of action and how different the storylines are from anything that the feature films have explored. While fans will say the writing is exploring plot points that are in the game play and that the focus on character and storytelling rather than action and bloodshed makes for a compelling, engaging show that achieves far more than the films ever attempted. I think both sides have a point.

Me? I kind of like it, although I was never a huge fan of the films or the games, so I don't have any real investment here.

NETFLIX

Resident Evil is now available to stream on Netflix.

READ MORE:* The Gray Man: Netflix's spectacular, pointless, witless, repetitive action movie* Girl in the Picture: Compassion, insight makes this one of Netflix's best true-crime docos* I May Destroy You: Why this Neon series is modern TV at its finest* Pirate Gold of Adak Island: Netflix treasure show looks like a hoax - but I'm all for it

NETFLIX

D.B. Cooper: Where Are You? is now available to stream on Netflix.

The D.B. or Dan Cooper case is the Big Foot of unsolved recent crimes.

All that is known for sure is that in November, 1971, a man bought a ticket for a Northwest Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle. A few minutes into the flight, he handed an attendant a note, demanding $200,000 and four parachutes be brought on board when the plane landed and claiming that he had a bomb in his luggage.

The money and parachutes were delivered, the plane took off and a short while later the rear stairs were lowered. Dan Cooper whoever he was, had parachuted into the night, thousands of feet above forests and lakes, on a freezing cold and stormy night.

In the 50 years since, there have been dozens of books, movies, theories and documentaries about the D.B. Cooper case. He has featured in Loki and 30 Rock and the film Without A Paddle aka "that time Burt Reynolds came to Lower Hutt".

The documentary series D.B. Cooper: Where Are You? takes a near-exhaustive look at the case, profiles several of the main suspects and visits the various players who still investigate the case today. Although who Cooper was will probably never be conclusively proven, the name is still a drawcard and, like Jack The Ripper, can still get a book or a film deal off the ground, if you have a compelling story to tell.

D.B. Cooper: Where Are You? has interesting things to say about popular culture, internet-based society and the entertainment industry. The mystery of Cooper will endure, as long as there is money to be made from it. And, since his crime was essentially victimless, I guess that's fine.

NETFLIX

How to Change Your Mind is now available to stream on Netflix.

Years ago, I heard author Michael Pollan on a podcast, talking about his research and his rediscovery of earlier research, into the potential therapeutic and beneficial effects of LSD. The series How to Change Your Mind is based on Pollan's book of the same name.

This is a fascinating, serious and determinedly non-sensational look at how four popular party drugs LSD, MDMA, mescaline and psilocybin (magic mushrooms) all have therapeutic uses, that often pre-date their counter-culture and recreational use.

The first episode, on LSD, opens up the history of the drug pre-1965, when it was being widely researched for its potential in psychiatry and counselling. But, with LSD let out into society in the 1960s and being seized on as a symbol of rebellion by the hippies and the anti-war movement, LSD became the subject of a hysterical conservative backlash that led to LSD being demonised for decades.

In fact, it is a potentially incredibly useful tool. And, in the right environment, with people who understand what they are doing, one of the most benign and enjoyable of all the recreational drugs.

How to Change Your Mind is a well-made show with some real things to say. Very recommended.

ROADSHOW FILMS

Tenet is now available to stream on Netflix.

And lastly, Christopher Nolan's long-delayed sci-fi actioner has made it to Netflix.

Tenet was the first trip back to the big screen for many of us, in August 2020 and I was underwhelmed at the time. Tenet is an undeniably spectacular film and an astonishingly ambitious one too. But it is also a film so in love with its own cleverness and paradoxes, that it misses the essential emotional resonance that every film needs, to engage an audience at any sort of level that really means anything.

John David Washington (son of Denzel) is fine as a secret agent-type looking into the affairs of a brutal Russian oligarch (Kenneth Branagh) and Robert Pattinson is even better as his shadowy counterpart who may just have the answers. But the promising James-Bond-but-by-Nolan build up comes badly unstuck trying to explain who the villains are and what they are up to.

The idea SPOILER of reversing the flow of time through objects, so that they may be sent from the future to attack us is hard to film convincingly and even harder to make into an entertaining movie.

Tenet spends so much time trying to prove how clever it is, that by the time the big set-pieces arrive, you'll have forgotten why you are supposed to care.

Tenet is a massively conceived and structured film, but it lacks a heart.

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Resident Evil: Netflix's eight-part adaptation's very different from the movies - Stuff

While a single mother of four is jailed without any apparent judicial compassion for the theft of two packets of Milo, a convicted felon responsible for the theft of billions of Ringgit, remains free. Former prime minister Najib Razak, convicted in the SRC International case in the High Court July 2020, upheld in the Court of Appeals December 2021 is living in luxury, while on bail.

The above situation shows a deep difference in the way people are treated before the law.

The failure to jail former prime minister Najib after his conviction for abuse of power, money laundering, and criminal breach of trust has a number of consequences for Malaysia.

While petty criminals are given no leeway on a stay of execution of their sentences, Najib received VIP treatment. Najib was granted delays in the trial for trivial reasons, during the case and appeal. After his conviction, Najibs bail was extended, and after the appeal, extended once again. While on bail after conviction, Najib even had his passport returned for a visit to Singapore for the birth of his granddaughter.

These privileges smack of entitlement. Similar treatment was granted to two former French presidents, who after many years never saw a jail cell. However, within the English law system, bail after conviction is extremely rare. Cardinal George Pell, formally the third highest ranked official in the Vatican was jailed in Melbourne Australia immediately after his conviction, to lodge his appeal from jail, which was eventually upheld in Australias court.

We can only speculate why Justice Nazlan Mohd Ghazali felt a need to respect the social status of Najib after his conviction and grant him a stay of execution, deferring any serving of time in jail. This precedent been picked up by trial lawyers. One successfully cited it for a farmer Faiz Mohd Ruzeli, who was convicted of causing grievous hurt, but received a stay of execution of his sentence at the Court of Appeal in April this year.

This potentially opens the floodgates the convicted to obtain stays of execution of their sentences until the appeals processes are exhausted. The integrity of the justice system as a deterrent is undermined, when serving any sentence can be held off for years.

During the 2018 election, Mahathir Mohamed spearheading the Pakatan Harapan campaign harped on Najibs guilt and wrong doing over the 1MDB issue. When Pakatan unexpectedly won the election, Najib was dramatically investigated (and even humiliated) through the media on a daily basis. This lead both to a high public expectation that justice would be served upon Najib.

However, counterintuitively the heavy-handed media approach for Pakatans political advantage also gave Najib a narrative to espouse, that he is being politically persecuted.

This was very much a twin edge sword. Many were disappointed that Najib was not jailed after his original conviction and appeal, some believing Najib would never face jail time. The other edge of the sword gave Najib credibility in his narrative that the SRC International trial was political in nature. Most of his rural followers dont understand the complexities of such a case and gave him the benefit of doubt, believing Najib was facing the wrath of Mahathir, just like Anwar before him.

The failure to jail Najib actually exonerates him in the eyes of many of his supporters within the Malay heartlands. This is exemplified by the phrase created by his expensive media handlers, Malu apa Bossku.

Since the Court of Appeal decision, Najib has taken on an even higher profile. He rigorously campaigned in Melaka, and the Johor state elections, portrayed himself as a stateman with visits from international leaders, participated in a televised debate with the opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. All of this contributed to his persona as a politician who is persecuted.

Najib is playing internal politics to the hilt within UMNO. He is showing that as a powerful UMNO warlord, he is one of the most influential persons in Malaysian politics today. Depriving Najib of personal liberty would have stemmed his influence greatly and possibly changed the dynamics of the politics in Malaysia going on today.

In fact, it can be strongly argued that the prime source of political instability at this time is due to the manoeuvring of Najib, holding the current Ismail Sabri Yaakob government hostage.

The failure to jail Najib assisted him to reinvent his Bossku persona and become one of the most potent power brokers in Malaysian politics today. Had Najib been jailed, his influence would have greatly diminished, and perhaps the government today been a little bit more stable than it is presently.

The failure to jail Najib after such a high-profile case, has enormously dinted the integrity of the Malaysian judicial system both at home and abroad.

Members of the Malaysian Bar Association held a protest march to parliament, blocked by the police to demand judicial independence. Outside of Malaysia, some commentators view the Malaysian judicial system something akin to Thailand, Indonesia, and even Cambodia.

These images are almost unrepairable.

To many Malaysians, the privileges granted to Najib during and after the trial, highlights the existence of one set of laws and procedures for the elite, and another set for the rest. Some argue this is a sign of a failed state, while others argue this is a symptom of feudalism. Either one of the above interpretations is not a good image for the nation.

By far, the greatest damage done is the distortion of the sense of right and wrong for the nation. The cultural assumption that crime can pay reinforces the culture of corruption plaguing the country. Najibs freedom is glorifying the notion that a crook can get away with it. This will have a generational impact upon Malaysias youth now entering the civil service. Everyday Najib is outside jail implicitly resonates the notion that white collar crime is victimless and OK to do.

Subliminally and unintentionally, the judicial system is saying white collar crime is less serious than other crimes. If this hypothesis holds, then corruption will increase over the rest of the decade, as Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) statistics already indicate.

This has weakened the institutions of the nation. Its keeping Malaysia captive within the third world.

However, there is a remedy. A remedy that many UMNO leaders privately are talking about. That is to send Najib to jail as soon as possible, with an opportunity at his appeal to the Federal Court on 15th August, should his final appeal be dismissed.

Malaysias judges acted according to the law. However, they are strongly influenced by Malaysian culture and political dynamics. Showing compassion in the wrong place has grave national consequences.

Murray Hunters blog can be accessed here

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The Consequences Of Justice Not Seen To Be Done: The Case Of Najib Razak Analysis - Eurasia Review

A father claimed he began growing cannabis in the loft of his home to pay for medical treatment for his son.

But a judge heard none of the money was ever used to pay for a scan.

Now supermarket delivery driver Kieron Harris, 31, has been jailed for 18 months after he was caught growing 36 plants which could have netted him up to 45,000.

In the dock with him at Maidstone Crown Court was ex-partner Charlotte Harris, 28, who has now changed her last name to Brown.

She had admitted allowing her home to be used for the production of the illegal drug and the court heard the power bills were 10 times the normal for the three months.

The judge, Recorder Clive Broe told Harris: "Drug offences are not victimless crimes. They cause harm to those who abuse drugs and lead to other criminality and to society."

He said that other families face difficulties in raising money for medical treatment without resorting to crime.

The judge said the marriage has broken down since the arrests.

Harris of North Trench Road, Tonbridge, was jailed for 18 months after admitting producing cannabis and possessing criminal property.

Brown, 28, of Bricks Close, Tonbridge, received a 12-month community order and was ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.

The judge told her: "You were a willing participant in this but I accept you have had mental health problems."

Prosecutor Ben Irwin said that on June 12, 2020, police stopped a vehicle, driven by Harris, because of a faulty headlight.

He said: "The officers were immediately overwhelmed by the smell of cannabis. The officers asked what was in the car and Harris replied: 'A bit of weed'.

"The vehicle was searched and 21 grams of cannabis were found along with loads of black sacks in the back of the car

"Mr Harris denied the cannabis was his and the car was further searched and in a drawer in the footwell was 2,230 in cash in 10 and 20 notes."

Mr Irwin said when the police told him they now intended to search his home he looked: "Shocked and nervous" before admitting he was growing cannabis there.

He added: "This was a commercial growth albeit on a limited scale. There was also a significant spike in electricity usage and by March 2020 there had been a tenfold increase."

Samantha Davies, for Harris said: "This was driven by a desire to privately fund his son's medical treatment... although that is not to provide an excuse.

"But this is not a case of a professional criminal."

Eleanor Lucas, for Brown, said she had not helped with the setting up in the loft and had not benefited financially."

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Dad's weed grow 'to fund son's treatment' - Kent Online

Hundreds of homes and business have been left without broadband, TV and phone services after more than a dozen attacks on underground cables.

Openreach and Crimestoppers are offering a 1,000 reward in a bid to catch thieves who have stripped and damaged large sections of live wiring in a series of locations across Kent this month.

Horsmonden Road, Brenchley was the first location to be targeted, on June 2, having previously been attacked twice before in May.

This was followed by a network in Tonbridge Road, Wateringbury being hit a day later.

Next to be targeted was a network beneath Linton Road, Loose on June 7 with other locations in Bethersden and Deal being targeted around the same time.

The latest location to have its wires cut was in Gillingham on June 21.

Significant damage has also been caused to street furniture and farmland, where cables have been dragged through fields.

Now Crimestoppers are working with Openreach to uncover the culprits and have issued an appeal asking for anyone with information to come forward anonymously.

They have issued a reward of up to 1,000 to anyone with information that results in a conviction.

Openreach engineers are working as quickly as possible to restore services to those customers affected.

Mick Duthie from Crimestoppers, said: The people behind these crimes care little about the consequences or the fact that hundreds of residents and businesses have been badly affected with a loss of vital broadband, telephone and TV services. The impact and disruption cannot be underestimated.

This is not a victimless crime and we are urging anyone with information on those behind the thefts to speak up."

Richard Ginnaw, head of security services for Openreach, said: These incidents have severely impacted the day-to-day lives of people across these areas of Kent throughout June.

We are working closely with the police to catch those who are responsible and have deployed additional security enhancements across the area.

Please be vigilant, and if you saw anything suspicious on or around the time of the incidents, or know who is involved, please report it."

People with information are being encouraged to get in touch with Crimestoppers either by calling their number 0800 555 111 or filing out an online form on its website.

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Reward to catch cable thieves as hundreds without internet - Kent Online