Latest news with #bail
The Sun
19 minutes ago
- General
- The Sun
Machete-wielding teen who sparked massive police hunt when he cut off electronic tag while on bail is spared jail
A TEENAGER who sparked a massive police hunt after absconding on bail and cutting off his electronic tag has been spared custody again. Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley last week raised his concerns over the 16-year-old boy's case. 2 He said massive resources had been used to track down the teenager — 'involved in machete attacks' — with a history of being arrested for firearms and zombie knives. Sir Mark told BBC Radio 4: 'We sought his remand in custody. Even under the current system he was eventually bailed. He skipped his bail on his tag and we've put massive resources into chasing him. 'He's been caught with another machete again.' But we can reveal the boy is now back on the streets after being captured in Eltham, South East London, on Tuesday. He was held on suspicion of attempted murder, possessing a machete and cannabis. He had also cut off his electronic tag. The lad, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Bromley youth court on Thursday over the machete and drugs. Prosecutors called for him to be remanded. But District Judge Vanessa Lloyd said: 'Custody for young people must be a last resort.' She technically refused bail, but remanded him to local authority accommodation with an 8pm to 7am curfew — and ordered he wear a tag. Cops are probing the attempted murder allegation. 2
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Taxi driver (28) charged over €380,000 drug bust at Dublin storage unit
A taxi driver has been charged over a seizure of €380,000 worth of drugs in a storage unit in Dublin. Eoin Richardson, 28, of Swilly Road, Cabra, Dublin 7, is accused of possessing cocaine, MDMA, and ketamine and having them for sale of supply on May 28th. It follows a garda drug seizure at a Store 4U unit on the Old Naas Road, Kingswood, Dublin 22. Advertisement He appeared before Judge Patricia Cronin at Dublin District Court and faced objections to bail. Defence barrister Paddy Flynn, instructed by solicitor Martin O'Donnell, pleaded for bail and that his client would obey conditions. He had surrendered his passport. Judge Cronin set bail in his bond of €1,000 but required the approval of a €10,000 independent surety before release. He was also ordered to provide a phone number to gardaí. Once bail has been taken up, he must reside at an address in Kildare, not apply for a new passport with a phone number, sign on daily at a garda station and obey a curfew. He was remanded in custody with consent to bail on these terms and will appear at Cloverhill District Court next week.
The Herald
4 days ago
- General
- The Herald
Bail lifeline for Gqeberha firearms dealer Karen Webb
Beleaguered firearms dealer Karen Webb was shown a glimmer of hope on Tuesday when an application to prevent the joinder of the cases against her was granted. This means the matter against the 41-year-old will go to trial only once her third shot at bail in the Makhanda high court has been finalised. Webb, who faces a laundry list of charges, including murder, theft, fraud, illegal transportation of firearms and selling firearms to people not permitted to possess them, has been in custody since her arrest in February 2024, and has been refused bail twice. Her lawyers are now awaiting a court date from the Makhanda high court to hear her appeal against the refusal of bail. Subsequent to her bail being refused, more charges were brought against her. She decided to abandon a formal bail application in those cases as it would be moot in light of her previous failed bail applications. The state wanted to join all the cases against her, but defence attorney Peter Daubermann brought an urgent application to keep the matters separate. This is as a successful appeal could reopen the door for her to bring bail applications in respect of the latest charges. The application, in the Gqeberha magistrate's court, was not opposed by state advocate Liezel Landman. Landman previously indicated that the state was ready to proceed with the trial, but that will now commence only once the bail appeal has been concluded. The matter will return to court on July 14. Webb will return to court on another matter on June 5, when she is scheduled to stand trial for possession of contraband after she was allegedly found in possession of a cellphone on two separate occasions while in custody at the North End Prison. The Herald
ABC News
5 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
NSW chief justice releases rare statement of growing number of people on remand
The NSW chief justice has sounded the alarm about the soaring number of people in the state being held on remand. In a rare public statement, Chief Justice Andrew Bell also sought to defend judges' bail decisions amid media scrutiny, saying the court system does its best to balance risk to the community and the interests of those accused. Chief Justice Bell pointed to the latest Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) figures that show there were 5,732 people on remand awaiting trial. "This figure has increased from 5,452 as at 30 March 2024 and from 4,778 five years earlier, that is to say, an increase of approximately 20 per cent over five years," he said. In June last year, the Minns government tightened bail laws for domestic violence offenders after a string of high-profile killings of women by men known to them, meaning those accused of serious domestic violence charges now have to demonstrate why they should be given bail before it is granted. The government also made it harder for young offenders to get bail. The chief justice said the presumption of innocence was a "fundamental plank in our system of justice", and the denial of bail left innocent people at risk of being kept behind bars for "a considerable period of time". "It is not possible to ensure that an accused person held in prison on remand will receive a quick trial, despite the best efforts of all concerned," he wrote. "A person charged with a serious offence may have to wait up to three years before their trial comes on for hearing." He said keeping an accused person behind bars was costly for taxpayers, with an annual average cost in 2024 of over $105,000 per person to keep a person in custody, totalling almost $600 million per year spent on prisoners held on remand. Chief Justice Bell said there was also a hefty human toll. "It also carries an irremediable cost to the not insignificant number of accused person held on remand but not subsequently convicted, or if sentenced for a shorter period than he or she has been held on remand," he said. Chief Justice Bell said the Bail Act strives to deal with the "difficult issue" of what to do with those who have been charged but not convicted of an offence. He said while over time it has "significantly restricted the circumstances in which bail may be granted" it does not "mandate the refusal of bail for any person". Supreme Court justices dealt with over 3,100 bail applications last year, while magistrates in the local court system determined almost 40,000 bail applications. The chief justice said while the act allows courts to impose "stringent conditions", he acknowledged there was no "absolute guarantee that the person granted bail will not offend whilst on bail". "To do so involves a profound misunderstanding of the nature of the difficult and complex risk assessment which judges are required to make when hearing and determining bail applications. "While judges' decisions are not immune from criticism, media reporting of decisions to grant bail is sometimes not informed by a full understanding or proper appreciation of the evidence before the court on the bail application." He concludes his piece with predecessor Tom Bathurst KC's 2012 quote: "There are a few people as much in touch with the realities faced by victims, accused and convicted as are the judges of the criminal courts. They are in the thick of it every single day". "That remains the case today," Chief Justice Bell said.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Murderer Lucy Li broke bail to go to restaurant and gym, leaving mom to pay $1M fine: Hamilton court
While Yun Lu "Lucy" Li was waiting to go on trial for first-degree murder, she breached her bail conditions to eat lunch at a restaurant with a potential Crown witness, work out at the gym in her sister's luxury Toronto condo and use her cellphone unsupervised. The cost for the breach: $1 million to her mom, Hong Wei Liao, as ordered by Justice Andrew Goodman in a Hamilton courtroom May 16. "She never imagined for a moment that her daughter would ever do something as thoughtless, selfish, irresponsible," said Liao's lawyer William Smart. Li is currently serving a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years for murdering Tyler Pratt and attempting to murder Jordyn Romano after a jury found both her and her partner Oliver Karafa guilty a year ago. But before the trial, in December 2021, Liao had pledged $2 million when she signed as a surety for Li after what Goodman described as a "hotly contested" bail hearing, which he presided over. Three of Liao's friends, including Nam Sook Bae, also became sureties and committed another nearly $1 million. A surety is someone who agrees to ensure the person out on bail meets their court-ordered bail conditions. Bae is now required to forfeit $50,000 of the $200,000 she pledged. "None of these people are bad people," said Bae's lawyer Dean Paquette at the hearing earlier this month. "They came forward with the best of intentions: to grant someone liberty pending a trial." Liao's two other friends don't face any penalties as they were not responsible for Li at the time of the breaches, as agreed by both the Crown and defence lawyers for the four sureties, who were all present at the hearing, along with Li's lawyer. Li apologizes for 'blowing it' The amount being forfeited is "exceptional," capping off an "exceptional" case, said assistant Crown attorney Mark Dean. "Given the seriousness of the charges she was facing, the extraordinary sums pledged and the apparent flagrant nature of the breaches, there remains a great public interest in proceeding with forfeitures," he said. "It sends a message to the public and Hamilton community that promises made to the court to secure someone's release matter." Li's lawyer Frank Addario said she accepts full responsibility for the breaches. "She's asked me to convey to the court her sincere regret for blowing it," he said. "She has apologized to the sureties through me and unfortunately that's the most she can do in her current circumstances." In early 2021, Li and Karafa lured Pratt and Romano, their business partners and friends from Toronto, to a Stoney Creek warehouse under the guise of a secret meeting. Karafa then shot and killed Pratt. He also shot Romano in the heart but she escaped and was rescued by a person who happened to be driving by. Romano was 13-weeks pregnant and the fetus did not survive. Li and Karafa fled to Europe but police extradited them back to Canada months later. $3M bail among highest in Ontario At the bail hearing that December, Liao promised Goodman she'd "chain lock" her daughter's door at night, install iron bars on the window and take away her credit cards and ability to drive, Smart told Goodman this month. But Liao went out of town in May 2023 and Bae was in charge of Li, who was "actively manipulating and deceiving her," Paquette said. Li told Bae she needed to meet with a paralegal about a potential lawsuit and that's how they ended up at a Chinese restaurant in Markham, a city outside of Toronto, said Paquette. Li and Bae ate lunch with Li's two sisters and a man who was a possible Crown witness. Going to the restaurant and speaking to the man were both breaches of her bail conditions although they didn't interfere with the trial, Paquette noted. The next day, Li told Bae the paralegal meeting would actually take place at her sister's condo in a five-star hotel in downtown Toronto, Paquette said. "Foolishly, unwisely," Bae allowed Li to use her phone and the gym while in the building— two more breaches. After investigating GPS monitoring of Li, police arrested and charged her with four counts of breaching bail conditions and she remained in jail until her trial. The breach charges were withdrawn by the Crown when Li was sentenced for first-degree murder, which already carries the maximum sentence, said Dean. But even without charges, Goodman has the power to order forfeitures, which he did. "This is the highest amount I've ever ordered, and I'm not sure it's equalled in Ontario," Goodman said. "I appreciate the sincerity of all the sureties and a mother's love for her daughter in pledging her hard-earned money, as well as her friends in stepping up in support." Liao and Bae have a year to pay the court.
