Public and Regulatory News

On 18 May 2018 Sunyana Sharma secured the largest financial penalty for the Maritime Coastguard Agency ('MCA') against Sodexo Ltd in the sum of £300,000. The Defendant Company pleaded guilty for failing to operate a passenger vessel, 'Symphony' on the River Thames, with a valid Domestic Ship Safety Management Certificate for a period of 6 weeks. During this period, it had carried approximately 10,000 passengers. For an offence which was contrary to Regulations 6 and 10 of the Merchant Shipping (Domestic Passenger Ships)(Safety Management Code) Regulations...

This case concerned the deaths of 4 sailors. They were the crew of the Cheeki Rafiki sailing from Antigua to the United Kingdom in May 2014. The vessel capsized when 1000 miles off the east coast of the USA after her keel became detached following the failure of the keel/hull attachment. Mr Innes was the managing agent for Cheeki Rafiki. His business Stormforce Coaching Ltd ran her as a commercial charter for races and cruising....

Nicholas Cotter successfully argues exceptional circumstances in a dishonesty case before the Solicitors Regulatory Tribunal. The case involved evidentially challenging any issues of intention relating to third parties and a reasoned approach to the criteria laid out in the case of Sharma in order to preserve the career of a solicitor. Click here to read Nicholas' profile.

3PB's public and regulatory and crime teams are proud to announce the publication of the fifth edition of 'Millington and Sutherland Williams on the Proceeds of Crime'. This major work, published by Oxford University Press, is available to 3PB's instructing solicitors with a 20% discount.  Please contact [email protected] to benefit from this offer, valid until 31/1/2019. A leading practitioner text on all aspects of restraint, confiscation and civil recovery of the proceeds of crime, the book has been fully...

3PB Barristers are delighted to announce that three of their barristers have been appointed as Recorders. Lawrence Messling, is assigned to sit on the North Eastern Circuit dealing with Family matters. William Hansen has been assigned to sit on the South Eastern Circuit dealing with Criminal matters. Mathew Gullick has also been assigned to sit on the South Eastern Circuit dealing with Criminal matters. Lawrence Messling, a specialist family law barrister with over twenty five...

3PB's public and regulatory team are proud to announce the publication of the fifth edition of 'Millington and Sutherland Williams on the Proceeds of Crime' (published by Oxford University Press).  The book is a leading practitioner text on all aspects of restraint, confiscation and civil recovery of the proceeds of crime.  It has been fully updated to cover the recent Money Laundering Regulations of 2017 and Criminal Finances Act 2017, including explanation of new measures such as Unexplained Wealth Orders....

On 15 March 2018 3PB Barristers Nicholas Leviseur, Nicholas Cotter and Sunyana Sharma presented a seminar on The CQC: Aims, Powers and Enforcement Powers and provided a Regulatory and Discipline Update on Practice and Procedure to solicitors in Manchester. Topics covered included Sanction, Insight, Dishonesty, GDPR, Professional Reporting and Open Reporting. Click here to view Nicholas Leviseur's profile. Click here to view Nicholas Cotter's profile. Click here to view Sunyana Sharma's profile. To arrange a seminar with our Professional Disciplinary team, contact...

Tom Horder, instructed by Central Bedfordshire Council, successfully prosecuted CP Woburn (Operating Company) Ltd in respect of a fall from height. An 8 year old girl fell from a tree during a tree climbing activity at Center Parcs, Woburn. Luton Crown Court heard that whilst the Defendant Company clearly had systems in place to ensure the safety of guests these were not sufficiently adhered to or implemented in respect of this incident. Agreeing with Mr...

3PB Barrister Nicholas Cotter has successfully demonstrated before Lincoln Crown Court that his client was not responsible for causing the actual deaths of three residents arising from a breach of Health and Safety (non-employees) in a care home. The Care Home had on advice admitted security and risk assessment failures linked to its care of the three residents and was fined £70,000.

Head of 3PB's maritime team David Richards defended the Pilot of the City of Rotterdam in Hull Crown Court on a charge of misconduct endangering a ship following a collision with the Primula Seaways on 3rd December 2015. The prosecution initially alleged a variety of failures by the Pilot but were persuaded that he was subject to ‘Relative Motion Illusion’ caused by the non SOLAS compliant design of the ship’s bridge and bridge windows: the...

Martin Westgate QC, of Doughty Street Chambers, and Joshua Dubin, of 3PB’s Public & Regulatory Law Group, have won a second Court of Appeal victory in a young Eritrean woman’s challenge to Bedford Borough Council’s refusal to provide her with services. To read more about the case, please click here.

Just when you thought there was no need to attend another seminar regarding dishonesty in regulatory proceedings and then comes along Ivey (Appellant) v Genting Casino (UK) Ltd t/a Crockfords (Respondent) [2017] UKSC 67. Please click here to read 3PB barrister Jennifer Agyekum's analysis.