DMH Stallard’s leading Public Sector Prosecutions Team has secured two high profile convictions for and on behalf of the London Borough of Croydon, in case involving some £1 million of financial gain through criminal conduct.
The latest conviction came this week following a case involving the ‘chipping and flashing’ of game consoles such as Sony PSP and XBox 360 where the security devices within the consoles were circumvented to enable counterfeit games to be played.
DMH Stallard led the first and largest confiscation case in the UK commenced by private prosecution for and on behalf of Croydon Council. The complex investigations resulted in the defendant pleading guilty to 18 counts of various trade mark infringements under the Trade Marks Act 1994, Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and also for money laundering under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Earlier in May, DMH Stallard’s team successfully prosecuted a woman who was convicted of illegal benefit claims. The high profile case that also involved an application under POCA (Proceeds of Crime Act), resulted in £107,355 being seized from the defendents bank accounts.
London Borough of Croydon confirmed that the case was the largest amount of money ever fraudulently claimed by someone living in Croydon.
Mark Anthony Rayner, who heads DMH Stallard Public Sector Prosecutions Team commented,
“Both these cases are great results for DMH Stallard and the London Borough of Croydon. Once again, our methodical and comprehensive gathering of all the evidence has helped us secure a high profile convictions and significant recovery of costs for our client. Our aim is to always work in partnership to protect the Council’s reputation and financial interests.”
For further information including papers from the seminar please contact:
Scott Garner
Business Development Officer
Tel: 01293 663515
Email: scott.garner@dmhstallard.com
Note to Editor:
About DMH Stallard LLP
Described as ‘business people who happen to be lawyers’ DMH Stallard is a law firm that quickly gets to the heart of the issue to provide the right commercial response for its clients.
The firm operates in the mid-market acting for larger private companies, plcs, banks, private sector clients, entrepreneurs and high net-worth individuals.
Its 54 partners and 250 staff operate from prestigious offices in London, Gatwick and Brighton.
DMH Stallard was named Best Managed Firm 2007 at the MPF European Practice Management Awards.
About DMH Stallard Public Sector Group
DMH Stallard is one of the leading providers of legal services to Local Government in the UK. We work in partnership with many London Boroughs, County, Borough and District Councils.
We have been working with Local Government for over ten years and have a multi-disciplinary team of experts who advise on strategic and operational issues. Our expertise includes:
· Admin and Local Government Law
· Commercial, Contracts, IP & IT
· Construction
· Dispute Resolution including Judicial Review
· Employment
· Housing
· Planning and Highways
· Property, Regeneration & Development
· Prosecutions
DMH Stallard is ranked top in the South by Chambers and Partners 2010 for its Local Government practice and recognised as a leading provider across the UK
DMH Stallard LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England (registered number OC338287). Its registered office is 100 Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3YB and it is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The term partner is used to refer to a member of DMH Stallard LLP. A list of members may be inspected at the registered office. The firm is part of Law Europe ensuring it is represented in over 68 countries. DMH Stallard LLP incorporates the former practice of Courts & Co.
