Johnson Partnership, Legal News

20/03/25

A mother of two pretended to have terminal cancer for five years, deceiving her partner out of £25,000 while also convincing her young daughter she was dying, a court heard.

Laura McPherson, 35, falsely claimed to have cervical, ovarian, colon, bowel, and breast cancer, using the money her partner, Jon Leonard, believed was for treatment to fund breast enhancement surgery and luxury spa days.

26/02/25

A police officer is set to face misconduct proceedings over failures in the search for an escaped mental health patient who was later struck and killed by a train.

An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) determined that Inspector Collin Baker should undergo a disciplinary hearing regarding the 2020 death of 23-year-old Matthew Caseby. Caseby, a fitness instructor, had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act and was receiving treatment at the Priory's Woodbourne Hospital in Birmingham when he escaped after being left unattended in a courtyard. He climbed over a fence, prompting staff to report his disappearance to West Midlands Police.

27/01/25

Dr. Patrick Hart, a 38-year-old GP, has been jailed for 12 months after damaging petrol pumps at an M25 service station in a protest supporting Just Stop Oil. Hart, from Bristol, used a hammer, chisel, and orange spray paint to vandalise 16 fuel pumps at Thurrock Motorway Services in Grays, Essex, on August 24, 2022, causing £9,376 in damages. The closure of the forecourt until the following evening led to an additional loss of £1,146 in profits.

18/12/24

Prison authorities have admitted to mistakenly releasing a record number of inmates last year, including sex offenders, violent criminals, and drug dealers.

Most of the errors involved prisoners being released earlier than scheduled. However, in one alarming instance, the wrong individual was set free entirely.

27/11/24

Victims of burglary are waiting up to five years for justice as court delays reach record levels, according to an investigation by a broadsheet newspaper.

Data from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) reveals that nearly one in ten theft victims, including those affected by burglary, wait over two years between reporting the crime and seeing the perpetrator brought to trial.