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Joshua Bouzan, 29, who raped and sexually abused 2 children over the course of 6 years has had his sentence increased by the Court of Appeal following intervention by the Solicitor General, Michael Ellis QC MP.
Bouzan subjected the victims, both of whom were under the age of 13 when the offending started, to a campaign of sexual abuse.
He raped the first victim on multiple occasions and sexually assaulted them, as well as subjecting them to degrading name calling. Bouzan also went on to pursue a second victim, committing a number of further offences against them including rape and causing a child to engage in sexual activity.
He was originally sentenced to a total of 6 years’ imprisonment, however today the Court of Appeal have increased his sentence to 10 years.
Following this decision the Solicitor General said:
“Bouzan subjected young victims to a prolonged campaign of sexual abuse. I hope that the Court of Appeal’s decision today gives some closure to the victims, that justice has been done.”
The contracts are part of the NDA’s Direct Research Portfolio (DRP) work, which is focused on projects to:
DRP contracts were last awarded in 2016 to a range of organisations and consortia, including large corporations, academic institutions and small businesses. Worth £12 million in total, more than 70 organisations were involved, including 3 consortia led by SMEs.
The 2019 procurement will lead to a series of framework contracts, each lasting 4 years, for research covering the following themes:
The NDA’s recently published 5-year R&D plan outlines future topics for research in greater detail, including those that will form part of the DRP portfolio.
NDA Research Manager Yvonne Morris said:
We would like to encourage wide-ranging interest from organisations of all sizes, including global corporations, UK businesses, academic institutions and SMEs.
The event is an opportunity to find out more about the contracts and discuss the areas of research we plan to cover. As we’re encouraging businesses to form consortia for the procurement, there will also be time for networking with other businesses and exploring options for joint submissions.
More details are available at:
The information day will take place at Energus, Workington, Cumbria, on 18 September. Suppliers wishing to attend must register in advance: procurement.inbox@nda.gov.uk
In December 2010, the UK agreed to provide a bilateral loan of £3.2 billion as part of a €67.5 billion international assistance package for Ireland. The loan was disbursed in 8 tranches, and the final tranche was drawn down on 26 September 2013. Ireland has made interest payments on the loan every six months since the final disbursement.
On 30 July, in line with the agreed repayment schedule, HM Treasury received a total payment of £404,642,604.73 from Ireland. This comprises the repayment of £403,370,000 in principal and £1,272,604.73 in accrued interest.
As required under the Loans to Ireland Act 2010, HM Treasury provided a Statutory Report to Parliament on 1st April 2019 covering the period from 1 October 2018 to 31 March 2019. The Report sets out details of future payments up to the final repayment on 26 March 2021. The Government continues to expect the loan to be repaid in full and on time.
The next Statutory Report will cover the period 1 April to 30 September 2019. HM Treasury will report fully on all repayments received during this period in the Report.
The Government will inform Parliament of the repayment through a Written Ministerial Statement following its return from recess.
A ‘flexible operating hours’ (FOH) pilot for court work in Brentford and Manchester starts September 2019 and legal aid providers can claim for taking part.
The pilot is being run by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and will run from 2 September 2019 to 13 March 2020 in these courts:
Brentford County Court – civil cases only
Manchester Civil Justice Centre – civil and family cases only
The pilot is being funded by HMCTS but payments are being administered by the LAA.
Two fees are payable:
£100 for attendance at a duty solicitor session for Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme work only at a single FOH courtroom
£50 for attendance at a single hearing in a single FOH courtroom
These HMCTS payments relate only to the ‘participation fees’ for taking part in the pilot.
They will be paid in addition to regular payments for legal aid work carried out for clients during the pilot sessions.
You should continue to claim for your legal aid work in the usual way.
Participation fees can only be claimed by legal aid providers attending a court hearing or court duty session listed during flexible operating hours sessions.
Full details of how to claim fees and the criteria used can be found in the guidance.
Detailed guidance on how to claim is available to download on GOV.UK together with a claim form.
HMCTS Flexible Operating Hours – Pilot Participation Fee Guidance
Flexible operating hours: prospectus for civil and family court pilots – HMCTS guidance page
Funding available for professionals testing extended court hours – HMCTS news story announcement on 15 May 2019