Blog
Wine as an investment – the wine merchant’s risk
Alun Milford
21 May 2019
Wine as an investment – the wine merchant’s risk
The London Wine Fair is taking place this week. Exhibitors have come from around the world, over 14,000 wine buyers will attend and Olympia will be full for three days. Little wonder: wine is a massively popular commodity in this country and the market is incredibly diverse. At the top end of that market sits investment-grade wine. And with wine – as with any investment – there is risk. For most, the risk is simply the investor’s ordinary commercial risk. For a few, however, the risk sits with the wine merchant and is that of being involved in a money laundering scheme.
20 May 2019
Crunching the numbers: is the National Crime Agency right to seek additional funding?
As the National Crime Agency (“NCA”) releases its 2019 National Strategy Assessment, NCA Director General Lynne Owens is calling for an extra £2.7 billion in law enforcement funding to combat serious and organised crime over the next three years. With 4,542 active UK-based organised crime groups and 181,000 UK people involved in serious and organised crime, law enforcement agencies are starting to creak under the strain. In this blog, we review the National Strategy Assessment’s analysis of current trends in financial offending and we look at the authorities’ response within their current funding arrangements. Against that background, we consider the argument for greater investment in law enforcement capacity.
8 May 2019
Coming soon: the Domestic Abuse Bill
On 21 January 2019, the draft Domestic Abuse Bill (“the Bill”) was published by the Government. The stated aim of the Bill is to protect and support victims and their families, pursue and deter offenders and improve the performance of local agencies and services in instances of domestic abuse. It is of relevance to both criminal and family law practitioners.
8 May 2019
The use of force against intruders – the blurry lines of ‘lawful killing’
Last week, a Senior Coroner recorded a verdict that homeowner Mr Osborn-Brooks ‘lawfully killed’ an armed burglar with a kitchen knife. The burglar himself was armed with a screwdriver, leading Mr Osborn-Brooks to believe that he “intended to do [him] harm”, and thereby leading the Coroner to conclude that Mr Osborn-Brooks acted in self-defence. This blog considers the blurry lines underpinning the law of self-defence in the context of home intruder cases and the potential challenges these pose.
3 May 2019
The Draft Registration of Overseas Entities Bill - An Overview
During the Treasury’s recent consultation on Anti Money Laundering, it was noted that the Draft Registration of Overseas Entities Bill is an example of the leading role being taken by the UK in respect of improving transparency in the property market.
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