Kent man has sentence increased for knife attack

News story

A Kent man who attacked a drug dealer with a knife has had his sentence increased under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

A Kent man who attacked a drug dealer with a knife has had his sentence increased after the Solicitor General Alex Chalk QC MP referred his sentence to the Court of Appeal.

On 30 March 2019, George Stemp, then 23, approached the victim who was in his vehicle on the pretext of purchasing cocaine. Before the exchange took place, Stemp opened the car door and stabbed the victim three times using a kitchen knife. The victim ran from the vehicle in fear for his life. Stemp chased him and threatened to stab the victim again unless he handed over more wraps of cocaine before fleeing the scene.

The victim suffered significant injuries in the incident. One of his lungs now has reduced capacity after being penetrated by the knife and medics have told him he may never regain full use of his left hand.

On 4 March 2022, Stemp was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months’ imprisonment at Maidstone Crown Court for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

The Solicitor General referred the original sentence to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme because he believed it was too low.

On 25 May the Court of Appeal found Stemp’s sentence to be unduly lenient and increased it to 5 years’ imprisonment.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General Alex Chalk QC MP said:

George Stemp inflicted life-changing injuries in order to obtain class A drugs. I did not believe that the original sentence accurately reflected the fact that Stemp attacked the victim with the intent of doing him serious harm, so I welcome the Court’s decision to increase the sentence today.

Published 25 May 2022

Learning and Development award for Deputy Official Receiver

Kevan Glaysher, a Deputy Official Receiver based in our Manchester office, has won a special achievement award at the Operational Delivery Profession Awards 2022 after he was nominated by colleagues for delivering excellent learning and development and improving the skills of others.

The prestigious awards ceremony took place on 24 May 2022 at Lancaster House, London, and Kevan attended the event to collect his prize.

Following 25 years in the banking industry, Kevan joined the Insolvency Service in 2009 as a trainee examiner dealing with bankruptcies, liquidations, Bankruptcy Restriction Orders and director disqualifications.

Kevan soon went onto mentor new trainee examiners and remains heavily involved in mentoring his colleagues in the Manchester Official Receiver office, while carrying out his duties as a Deputy Official Receiver.

Colleagues nominated Kevan because they wanted to celebrate his achievements in training and developing his colleagues.

Kevan’s nomination said that he creates a safe space where colleagues can bring any questions or problems they might have about the work, and Kevan happily talks through the problem to find a solution. He has also hosted regular surgeries for colleagues to help train them up.

Deputy Official Receiver, Kevan Glaysher, said:

This has been a total yet welcome surprise to win a special achievement award at the Operational Delivery Profession Awards.

Working for Official Receiver Services is challenging as the work is not only complex but the things you do has a real impact on people’s lives. That’s why I take learning and development so seriously, as I want to ensure my colleagues not only improve their skills but also deliver excellent customer service.

Robin Dury, Official Receiver for the Manchester office, said:

I am really happy for Kevan being nominated for the award which recognises his considerable commitment to not only his own role but developing those around him and promoting a positive and supportive culture within the office.

UK Government acts on Identity and Language legislation for Northern Ireland

The Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Bill will deliver measures to promote and respect Northern Ireland’s diverse national, cultural and linguistic identities.
It will provide for the recognition and protection of the Irish language and the development of the Ulster Scots and Ulster British tradition.
It will create two Commissioners and an Office of Identity and Cultural Expression, which will benefit everyone in Northern Ireland.

The Bill will amend the Northern Ireland Act to allow for the establishment of three new public authorities in Northern Ireland, including an Office of Identity and Cultural Expression to promote cultural pluralism and respect for diversity, alongside Commissioners on the Irish language and the Ulster Scots/Ulster British tradition.

The Irish language, which will be granted official status in Northern Ireland, will be protected by a new Commissioner, tasked with developing best practice standards for public authorities to follow.

These standards, which will be subject to approval, will help to facilitate interaction between Irish-speaking service users and public bodies.

A further commissioner will work to enhance and develop the language, arts and literature associated with the Ulster Scots and Ulster British tradition, and will promote Ulster Scots services provided by public authorities.

Following Executive failure to progress the legislation through the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland committed to bringing the legislation through Parliament, which will be delivered today.

In addition to the legislation, the UK Government has also announced the delivery of two of its own New Decade, New Approach commitments.

The Government is officially giving recognition to Ulster Scots as a National Minority under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, a status already accorded to Irish, Welsh and Scots, and since 2014, Cornish, among others.

The Government will also provide £4 million to An Ciste Infheistíochta Gaeilge, the Irish Language Investment Fund.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis said:

“The introduction of this Bill represents a significant milestone, not just in the continued delivery of New Decade, New Approach, but in laying down a new cultural framework for the people of Northern Ireland.

“This legislation is carefully balanced, as negotiated by all parties, to ensure everyone in Northern Ireland benefits.

“Not only will the legislation faithfully deliver on the measures within New Decade, New Approach, it will also, importantly, ensure the principles of respect and tolerance, as stated in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, continue to be realised.”

Re-appointment of non-executive directors at DBS

Mary Cunneen and Samantha Durrant have both been re-appointed as non-executive directors of the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) board. Mary has been re-appointed for a second term of two and a half years, and Samantha has been re-appointed for a second term of three years.

Mary Cunneen

Mary Cunneen’s re-appointment commenced on 1 April 2022, and was made in accordance with the governance code on public appointments.

Career

Mary Cunneen has been a non-executive director of the DBS board since April 2019. She is chair of the Remuneration Committee and a member of people and change management committees. Mary is also board equality champion.

A lawyer by profession, Mary has worked across the private sector, non-government organisations, and government. She started her career as a criminal defence lawyer before becoming director of law and policy at Liberty, director of Anti-Slavery International, human rights advisor to the Foreign Office, and senior lawyer at the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Most recently, Mary was a commissioner at the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), overseeing substantial change and expansion. A board member and responsible for public confidence in the police complaints process, she led high-profile investigations into police conduct, including deaths in custody, corruption, and serious sexual assaults. She was the IPCC board lead for child sexual abuse, and oversaw development of IPCC strategy and procedures, and numerous investigations into police handling of child sexual abuse cases.

As well as her role at DBS, Mary is also a chair of the National Referral Mechanism multi-agency panels, reviewing Home Office decisions on the status of trafficking and slavery victims.

Samantha Durrant

Samantha Durrant’s re-appointment commenced on 1 April 2022, and was made in accordance with the governance code on public appointments.

Career

Samantha Durrant has been a non-executive director of the DBS board since April 2019. Samantha is a member of the Quality, Finance and Performance Committee and the Audit and Risk Committee and she chairs the Change Management Committee.

Samantha has worked as a senior leader in a broad range of organisations across the public and private sectors. Her executive responsibilities included business change, IT, customer management, legal, governance, and operations. Samantha is also a non-executive director for NHS Sussex Commissioners and the Insolvency Service.

Board members at DBS

Board members are senior figures from outside DBS who bring a mix of expertise and skills from across the public and private sector. They:

oversee performance
set the strategic direction for DBS
support and challenge management on implementing DBS’ strategic direction
make sure that statutory duties are carried out

DBS board members are appointed following open and fair competition and in line with the governance code on public appointments. The appointments are for an initial period of 3 years, with the possibility of re-appointment.

More than 1,000 Ukrainian arrivals already receiving vital financial boost from Pension Credit

Press release

More than 1,000 Ukrainian pensioners who recently arrived in Britain after fleeing the Russian invasion are already receiving financial support through Pension Credit, new figures show.

The figures follow emergency regulations laid by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in March 2022 which enabled Ukrainians to immediately access benefits and other support upon their arrival.

Minister for Pensions Guy Opperman said:

Our priority is ensuring those arriving from Ukraine can find safety here and get the support they need.

Pension Credit provides a vital financial boost which is why we’re helping new arrivals apply, with translation services available for phone applications.

I urge those hosting elderly Ukrainians – and all those across the country with older relatives and friends – to check with them and see if they could be eligible for this extra financial assistance.

As well as help with daily living costs of up to £182.60 per week for single people and £278.70 for couples, Pension Credit also opens up access to other support, such as help with rent and council tax, heating bills, free NHS dental care and free TV licenses for the over-75s.

To be eligible for Pension Credit, people need to be over State Pension age and on a low income. More than 1.4 million pensioners across Great Britain currently receive Pension Credit and take-up is at its highest level since 2010.

The government recently launched a campaign to boost take-up of Pension Credit among UK pensioners. The campaign aims to increase take-up both by encouraging older people to claim and encouraging others to speak to their retired friends and loved ones about the support.

The easiest way for Ukrainian nationals to apply for Pension Credit is by phone and the department has made translation services available to help new arrivals with their applications. The Freephone number: 0800 99 1234, is available Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

DWP staff are also delivering additional face-to-face assistance to those who need it, including advice on benefit eligibility and support with online applications.

Immediate access to Pension Credit and other means-tested benefits is just one of the ways the UK is continuing to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Ukrainian people and those forced to flee the country following Russia’s barbaric invasion.

Further information

Without the emergency legislation, people arriving from Ukraine would be subject to the Habitual Residence Test, meaning they would have to wait up to three months before being able to receive income-related benefits, including Universal Credit and Pension Credit.
Additional information on the Government’s Pension Credit campaign can be found here.

Media enquiries for this press release – 0115 965 8781

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Published 25 May 2022