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21 October 2022
Issue: 7999 / Categories: Legal News , Fraud , Criminal , Technology
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NLJ this week: Does the Fraud Act need updating?

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It’s been 15 years since the Fraud Act 2006 took effect, and the scale and types of fraud have changed considerably. 

In this week’s NLJ, Stewart Hey & Abigail Rushton, of Charles Russell Speechlys, assess the Act’s success to date and outline outstanding issues.

Hey & Rushton contend that, for the Act to continue to succeed, three key issues should be considered—sentencing, the Act’s extra-jurisdictional reach, and the technological challenges of prosecuting fraud. They analyse each in turn.

Fraud is now the most common crime in England and Wales, and is said to cost the UK economy between £137bn and £190bn each year. Hey & Rushton write: ‘It is important that the UK has the legal framework to deal with the most complex cases of fraud and economic crime.’

See the full article here.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

From mowing lawns to life at the Bar: Stephen Ward reflects on an unconventional career

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Commercial property partner joins Clarke Willmott in Southampton

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Robert Tiffen joins Ellisons as Partner in growing Norwich office

NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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