grandpa gangsters - Herald Scotland | Comment | Tom Shields

Tom Shields on ... grandpa gangsters - Herald Scotland | Comment | Tom Shields: "Snowy-haired Glasgow businessmen who had planned to spend their declining years getting a bit of sun over in the Costa del Crime are still on the mean streets dealing drugs, collecting protection money and doing a bit of extortion to keep the wolf from the door.
It can’t be easy to pistol-whip a victim into submission when the arthritis is acting up.
The perfect bank heist becomes more problematic when the lookout man has nodded off again.
The getaway driver can’t remember where he put the car keys and the gang have to use their bus passes to make good their escape.
Tayside polis recently lifted a 93-year-old for shoplifting. A 79-year-old faced 11 such charges. It is to be hoped sufficient care provision is in place to help aged thieves get their loot safely home. A shoplifting-on-wheels service.
There should be support for the frail and house- bound villain.
Maybe computer classes to enable them to get into new fields of endeavour such as identity theft, online shoplifting or sending letters to South Lanarkshire Council pretending to be Nigerian businessmen.
The legal system will need to be changed to cater for elderly accused. They will have the option of pleading guilty, not guilty or can’t remember."

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Leonardo DiCaprio on Delta Plane That Made Emergency JFK Landing - FoxNews.com

Leonardo DiCaprio on Delta Plane That Made Emergency JFK Landing - FoxNews.com: "'Titanic' actor Leonardo DiCaprio was a passenger aboard the Delta flight bound for Moscow that was forced to return to New York's JFK airport after engine failure, Us Weekly reported Monday.
DiCaprio 'wishes to commend the actions of the pilot and flight crew in bringing the plane to a safe landing,' his rep said in a statement."

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From ‘insurance fraud’ to ‘uranium smuggling’: Armenia getting bad international press lately - Analysis | ArmeniaNow.com

From ‘insurance fraud’ to ‘uranium smuggling’: Armenia getting bad international press lately - Analysis | ArmeniaNow.com: "The Guardian, one of Britain’s leading national dailies, ran a story on Monday about the botched attempt by two citizens of Armenian to smuggle a small amount of highly enriched uranium into Georgia – “the stuff that nuclear warheads are made of.” The Armenians are said to have intended to sell the HEU to a group posing as Islamists (in fact representatives of Georgian special services).

The incident happened in April, but its details were disclosed only on Sunday in a closed-door trial in Georgia.

Armenian National Security Service spokesman Artsvin Baghramyan said on Monday that the enriched uranium smuggling case was disclosed “in close cooperation between the special services of Armenia and Georgia”.

He said still in April a citizen of Armenia, Garik Dadayan, was arrested as part of the case and a criminal case was brought against him.

The two citizens of Armenia on trial in Georgia pleaded guilty to smuggling charges and face at least ten years in prison.

In general, the subject of ‘Armenian’ crime became active in international media after October 13 when dozens of members of a criminal syndicate were arrested and charged in New York, Los Angeles and elsewhere in the United States over a large-scale government medical insurance fraud. The backbone of the group were immigrants “with substantial ties to Armenia” or Armenian citizens. They were charged with a multi-million fraud through stealing personal data of thousands of doctors and patients."

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Cross-border arrests may be legal grey area - Herald Scotland | News | Crime & Courts

Cross-border arrests may be legal grey area - Herald Scotland | News | Crime & Courts: "Scottish Police are risking “a legal grey area” when they detain suspects in other parts of Britain, an expert warned last night.
Recently retired Strathclyde superintendent George Barnsley believes last month’s landmark human rights judgment on the Cadder case has thrown up serious new hurdles to cross-border operations.
The veteran detective yesterday said the UK Supreme Court’s decision guaranteeing access to a lawyer to all those questioned in custody “raised a few more questions than it answered”.
So too, he said, did emergency and temporary legislation immediately passed by the Scottish Government to deal with the issues arising from the judgment, which was named after Glasgow teenager Peter Cadder, who brought the case.
The law now states that a detained suspect has the right to consult a lawyer. It also states that the amount of time he or she can be detained without charge is extended from six hours to 12 – and possibly 24 if this is approved by a senior officer. But it does not say how these new rules are to be obeyed for suspects in Scottish cases seized outside Scotland."

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Ironik stabbed in vicious gang attack - mirror.co.uk

Ironik stabbed in vicious gang attack - mirror.co.uk: "Chart star Ironik was stabbed in a vicious gang attack early yesterday.
The rapper, real name James Charters, whose hits include Tiny Dancer, was later recovering in hospital from a buttock wound.
It is believed the gang were after the 22-year-old's jewellery in the 4am attack in Highgate, North London."

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Tiger raiders missed €20m haul in horror ordeal for couple - City News, National News - Herald.ie

Tiger raiders missed €20m haul in horror ordeal for couple - City News, National News - Herald.ie: "NORTH Dublin crime gang are suspected of carrying out the €170,000 tiger kidnapping of a Brinks Allied director and his wife.
A group of experienced Coolock criminals are believed to have carried out the raid, threatening to kill terrified Shirley Hoyne during the incident.
Despite extensive planning the gang missed at least €20m in cash stored at the Brinks Allied depot in Clonshaugh.
Gardai investigating the robbery have singled out a Coolock outfit as the chief suspects. Members of the gang are known armed robbers, the Herald understands.
Shirley and Bill Hoyne, a senior executive at Brinks Allied, were subjected to a terrifying ordeal at their home in Monasterboice, Co Louth in the incident, which began on Friday evening.
Detectives monitored the handover of the cash, it is understood, but were powerless to do anything until Shirley Hoyne was safely released.
However, officers are confident of making arrests in the coming days."

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Masked gang attack billionaire mobile phone tycoon and his fiancee at home | Mail Online

Masked gang attack billionaire mobile phone tycoon and his fiancee at home | Mail Online: "One of Britain’s richest men was left bloodied and bruised after being attacked with a crowbar during a robbery at his £7.5million home.Mobile phone tycoon John ­Caudwell – who is worth £1.3billion – was bound and gagged by the masked intruders.After assaulting Mr Caudwell, the gang allegedly turned on his glamorous fiancee, former model Claire Johnson, during the raid at 50-bedroom Broughton Hall on Monday evening."

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