Wednesday, 12 June 2013
Snowden Checked Out ?
According to reports from the BBC, Edward Snowden has vanished from his Hong Kong hotel room. Ex-CIA employee Snowden, 29, was not expected to check out and the move has taken many by surprise. His whereabouts are unknown and thus far he has not made contact with anyone as to his plans.
Snowden who is on record as saying he had:
“an obligation to help free people from oppression”
He is being investigated regarding the leaks and the case has been referred to the Department of Justice as a criminal matter.
An online petition on the White House website has so far gotten 30,000 signatures calling for an immediate pardon for Snowden, though sadly, an opinion poll commissioned by the Washington Post reveals that the majority of American Citizens think that this kind of intrusive phone monitoring is acceptable if it is aimed at fighting terrorism.
The implications of Snowdens’ leaks have reverberated around the globe with similar allegations being leveled at GCHQ (Government Communication Headquarters) in the UK.
Before fleeing to Hong Kong Snowden said:
“The NSA has built an infrastructure that allows it to intercept almost everything. With this capability, the vast majority of human communications are automatically ingested without targeting. I don’t want to live in a society that does these sorts of things. I do not want to live in a world where everything I say and do is recorded…. We have seen enough criminality on behalf of the government, it is hypocritical to make this allegation against me.”
Hong Kong does have an extradition treaty with the US though a standard US visa lasts for 90 days, he is believed to have arrived in Hong Kong on May 20th.
He has recently said that he fears his actions could put him in jail and he is worried about his family and friends being sucked into the affair. His vanishing without warning from the Mira Hotel has concerned those close to him.
On Thursday, the Washington Post and Guardian said the NSA tapped directly into the servers of nine internet firms including Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo to track online communication in a program known as Prism.
All the internet companies deny giving the US government access to their servers.
Prism is said to give the NSA and FBI access to emails, web chats and other communications directly from the servers of major US internet companies.
Other major US Security Leaks
Pentagon papers, 1971: Daniel Ellsberg leaks study showing the government had knowledge it was unlikely to win Vietnam war
Watergate, 1972: Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein reveal extent of cover-up over burglary at Democrat National Committee HQ
Iran-Contra affair, 1986: Iranian cleric reveals illegal US arms sales to Iran, the proceeds of which are later used to fund Nicaraguan Contras
Valerie Plame, 2003: Ms Plame is revealed to be an undercover CIA agent, ending her covert career
Abu Ghraib, 2004: Publication of pictures showing abuse of detainees at Iraq prison by US officials turns initial media reports of abuse into full-blown scandal
Bradley Manning, 2010: The soldier downloads thousands of classified documents from military servers and hands them over to Wikileaks
Delivered by The Daily Sheeple
Contributed by Chris Carrington of The Daily Sheeple.
Chris Carrington is a writer, researcher and lecturer with a background in science, technology and environmental studies. Chris is an editor for The Daily Sheeple. Wake the flock up!
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Monday, 10 June 2013
Bob Bellew the Abusing Coach Walks Free From Court
Will this paedophile ever be jailed? Gym coach who abused girls for 40 years is spared prison for a SECOND TIME... despite Solicitor General's plea for a harsher sentence
Bob Bellew admitted eight child sex offences in schools and gyms
He was handed 15-months suspended sentence after showing remorse
Judges reject CPS appeal to increase term because it's not 'unduly lenient'
Victims say courts 'favour' the abuser above those who were attacked
Anger: Bob Bellew was given a 15-month suspended sentence in April for abusing young girls, but High Court judges refused to increase it today
A renowned gymnastics coach who abused students as young as six over 40 years has avoided jail for the second time.
Robert 'Bob' Bellew, 66, admitted attacking girls at schools and gyms across the country, but was given a 15-month suspended prison sentence in April after a judge said he had shown remorse.
The pensioner, who served on a committee planning London 2012, admitted seven counts of indecent assault and one of sexual activity with a child.
His victims were outraged and the Crown Prosecution Service then appealed to try to get him thrown in jail.
But three senior judges at London's Appeal Court have now rejected a bid by the Solicitor General, Oliver Heald QC, to jail Bellew at the second time of asking and to increase his sentence, because they believed his 15-month suspended term 'was not unduly lenient.'
Speaking after the hearing, one of Bellew's victims and her family slammed the courts for 'favouring' the abuser over those he had 'scarred for the rest of their lives'.
During the Appeal Court hearing Lady Justice Rafferty, who was among the three judges considering the CPS's application, said Bellew's shining reputation was 'shattered' after it emerged he had molested seven girls between the early 1970s and 2010, often using coaching sessions as a cover for his abuse.
The appeal judge said the former Community Coach of the Year lifted the leotards of some girls, rubbing and touching their genitals, grabbing one's bottom and molesting another while she performed a handstand.
Lady Justice Rafferty said one of Bellew's first victims said she was terrified of telling anyone of his unwanted advances 'because he was her coach and others trusted him.'
Bellew, of New Cross, in south-east London, made one gymnast sit on his lap and rubbed her groin, saying 'these were the muscles which she needed to work on', before patting her bottom, the appeal judge said.
Referring to statements made by his victims, Lady Justice Rafferty said: 'Some endure difficulties still in trusting men and, in general, each victim feels that her personal relationships have been affected by what she has had to endure.'
Decision: Judges at the high Court said the sentence was not 'unduly lenient', to the fury of the gymnastic teacher's victims
When sentencing him April, Judge Joanna Korner spared Bellew jail, suspending his sentence for two years after saying his case called for 'mercy' from the court.
Duncan Atkinson, for the Solicitor General, argued that the judge ought to have imposed a term above two years - which would have excluded the possibility of a suspension.
He said: 'Bellew was entrusted to be with these young girls by their families to benefit them through gymnastics training. It was, as the sentencing judge recognised, a gross breach of trust and this was not reflected in the sentence imposed.'
Mr Atkinson said Bellew had since received a caution for witness intimidation after writing a letter to one of his victims after proceeedings.
But while Mr Barry Kogan, for Bellew, accepted the sentence was short, he denied it was excessively soft.
He said: 'A total of 15 months was arguably somewhat on the lenient side but not unduly so. Further, there was indeed sufficient mitigation before the judge to justify her decision to make the suspended sentence order she did.'
Backing: Lady Justice Rafferty agreed with the first judge, Judge Joanna Korner, and said: 'We are not inclined to disturb the 15 months on which this judge settled'
The barrister said Bellew suffered from a heart condition and psychological problems as a result of the proceedings and argued his mitigation 'outweighed' the aggravating factors of the case.
'He is a broken man and I don't think he will ever recover. He has lost his life's work and, as the sentencing judge accepted quite openly, that, in some sense, was a severe sentence in itself,' Mr Kogan added.
Application: The Solicitor General, Oliver Heald QC, failed in the attempt to have Bellew's sentenced increased
Lady Justice Rafferty, sitting with Mr Justice Keith and Judge Jeremy Goss QC, rejected claims that the length of sentence was simply too short.
'Whilst some judges might well have imposed a term of more than 15 months, we are not inclined to disturb the 15 months on which this judge settled,' she added.
The appeal judge admitted the court had 'struggled' to decide whether Bellew should have been caged but ultimately rejected the solicitor general's challenge against the suspension.
'After significant anxiety, we have concluded that the term of 15 months suspended for two years was not unduly lenient,' she concluded.
Speaking after the hearing, one of Bellew's victims said she felt let down by the justice system after watching the paedophile twice walk free.
She said: 'I don't think I would come forward and complain again.
'It is nothing to do with what the police have done, but the judges - they favour the abusers rather than the people who have been abused.'
Her mother slammed the decision, saying she felt furious that Bellew was free to walk the streets after inflicting so much pain and suffering on his victims.
She said: 'This is going to affect others who want to come forward. They are going to reference this case and refuse to come forward and another paedophile is going to get away with it again.
'We could have taken this into our own hands. If my husband had done that, he would have gone to prison. We have tried to do the right thing and this is what happens.'
By MARTIN ROBINSON
PUBLISHED: 11:14, 10 June 2013 | UPDATED: 13:13, 10 June 2013
Bob Bellew admitted eight child sex offences in schools and gyms
He was handed 15-months suspended sentence after showing remorse
Judges reject CPS appeal to increase term because it's not 'unduly lenient'
Victims say courts 'favour' the abuser above those who were attacked
Anger: Bob Bellew was given a 15-month suspended sentence in April for abusing young girls, but High Court judges refused to increase it today
A renowned gymnastics coach who abused students as young as six over 40 years has avoided jail for the second time.
Robert 'Bob' Bellew, 66, admitted attacking girls at schools and gyms across the country, but was given a 15-month suspended prison sentence in April after a judge said he had shown remorse.
The pensioner, who served on a committee planning London 2012, admitted seven counts of indecent assault and one of sexual activity with a child.
His victims were outraged and the Crown Prosecution Service then appealed to try to get him thrown in jail.
But three senior judges at London's Appeal Court have now rejected a bid by the Solicitor General, Oliver Heald QC, to jail Bellew at the second time of asking and to increase his sentence, because they believed his 15-month suspended term 'was not unduly lenient.'
Speaking after the hearing, one of Bellew's victims and her family slammed the courts for 'favouring' the abuser over those he had 'scarred for the rest of their lives'.
During the Appeal Court hearing Lady Justice Rafferty, who was among the three judges considering the CPS's application, said Bellew's shining reputation was 'shattered' after it emerged he had molested seven girls between the early 1970s and 2010, often using coaching sessions as a cover for his abuse.
The appeal judge said the former Community Coach of the Year lifted the leotards of some girls, rubbing and touching their genitals, grabbing one's bottom and molesting another while she performed a handstand.
Lady Justice Rafferty said one of Bellew's first victims said she was terrified of telling anyone of his unwanted advances 'because he was her coach and others trusted him.'
Bellew, of New Cross, in south-east London, made one gymnast sit on his lap and rubbed her groin, saying 'these were the muscles which she needed to work on', before patting her bottom, the appeal judge said.
Referring to statements made by his victims, Lady Justice Rafferty said: 'Some endure difficulties still in trusting men and, in general, each victim feels that her personal relationships have been affected by what she has had to endure.'
Decision: Judges at the high Court said the sentence was not 'unduly lenient', to the fury of the gymnastic teacher's victims
When sentencing him April, Judge Joanna Korner spared Bellew jail, suspending his sentence for two years after saying his case called for 'mercy' from the court.
Duncan Atkinson, for the Solicitor General, argued that the judge ought to have imposed a term above two years - which would have excluded the possibility of a suspension.
He said: 'Bellew was entrusted to be with these young girls by their families to benefit them through gymnastics training. It was, as the sentencing judge recognised, a gross breach of trust and this was not reflected in the sentence imposed.'
Mr Atkinson said Bellew had since received a caution for witness intimidation after writing a letter to one of his victims after proceeedings.
But while Mr Barry Kogan, for Bellew, accepted the sentence was short, he denied it was excessively soft.
He said: 'A total of 15 months was arguably somewhat on the lenient side but not unduly so. Further, there was indeed sufficient mitigation before the judge to justify her decision to make the suspended sentence order she did.'
Backing: Lady Justice Rafferty agreed with the first judge, Judge Joanna Korner, and said: 'We are not inclined to disturb the 15 months on which this judge settled'
The barrister said Bellew suffered from a heart condition and psychological problems as a result of the proceedings and argued his mitigation 'outweighed' the aggravating factors of the case.
'He is a broken man and I don't think he will ever recover. He has lost his life's work and, as the sentencing judge accepted quite openly, that, in some sense, was a severe sentence in itself,' Mr Kogan added.
Application: The Solicitor General, Oliver Heald QC, failed in the attempt to have Bellew's sentenced increased
Lady Justice Rafferty, sitting with Mr Justice Keith and Judge Jeremy Goss QC, rejected claims that the length of sentence was simply too short.
'Whilst some judges might well have imposed a term of more than 15 months, we are not inclined to disturb the 15 months on which this judge settled,' she added.
The appeal judge admitted the court had 'struggled' to decide whether Bellew should have been caged but ultimately rejected the solicitor general's challenge against the suspension.
'After significant anxiety, we have concluded that the term of 15 months suspended for two years was not unduly lenient,' she concluded.
Speaking after the hearing, one of Bellew's victims said she felt let down by the justice system after watching the paedophile twice walk free.
She said: 'I don't think I would come forward and complain again.
'It is nothing to do with what the police have done, but the judges - they favour the abusers rather than the people who have been abused.'
Her mother slammed the decision, saying she felt furious that Bellew was free to walk the streets after inflicting so much pain and suffering on his victims.
She said: 'This is going to affect others who want to come forward. They are going to reference this case and refuse to come forward and another paedophile is going to get away with it again.
'We could have taken this into our own hands. If my husband had done that, he would have gone to prison. We have tried to do the right thing and this is what happens.'
By MARTIN ROBINSON
PUBLISHED: 11:14, 10 June 2013 | UPDATED: 13:13, 10 June 2013
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
SPY ON EVERY FUCKER
People who suspect their neighbours may be extremists should inform the security services because “the enemy is everywhere”, the former head of MI5 has said.
Dame Stella Rimington invoked the wartime spirit as she said the public had a duty to act as the “eyes and ears” of the security services in combating terrorists.
She made the plea as she warned that MI5 could not be expected to spot every danger and that further attacks were likely unless Britain wanted a “Stasi” state where everyone was monitored.
She also warned against using drones to gather intelligence saying they should only be “weapons of war”.
Dame Stella, MI5’s first female chief, was speaking at The Telegraph Hay Festival in the aftermath of the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby by alleged Islamist fanatics in Woolwich last Wednesday.
The 25-year-old soldier was allegedly hacked to death by Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, in a suspected anti-Western attack.
It was the worst apparent terrorist atrocity on UK soil since the July 7 London bombings in 2005.
It emerged today that Mr Adebolajo made a second attempt to travel to Somalia to join extremist groups after failing in 2010, and the former Home Secretary, Jack Straw, warned that threats to ban extremist preachers from television would act as a “recruiting sergeant” for extremists and damage democracy.
Meanwhile a 10th man was arrested in connection with Drummer Rigby’s death while three others previously detained were released on police bail.
The atrocity has raised serious questions for MI5 after it emerged both suspects were known to them for up to a decade. Mr Adebolajo had been detained in Kenya in 2010 trying to join the al-Shabaab terrorist group in neighbouring Somalia. Friends claimed MI5 tried to recruit him as an informant when he returned.
The parliamentary intelligence and security committee is now conducting an inquiry to examine whether there were any intelligence failings that could have prevented the atrocity.
Dame Stella, 78, who was at Hay to promote her latest spy novel, The Geneva Trap, revived images of the Second World War when she urged the public to do their bit. She said it was impossible for the security services to spot every risk, especially amid the growing threat of people radicalising themselves over the internet.
Speaking to Gaby Wood, the Telegraph's head of books, the former spy master said: “The community has the responsibility to act as the eyes and ears, as they did during the war … where there were all these posters up saying the walls have ears and the enemy is everywhere.” She said: “There have often been indications in the community, whether it’s Muslim or anywhere else, that people are becoming extremists and spouting hate phrases.”
Dame Stella said the alleged ideology behind the Woolwich killing made it a “terrorist attack”. She said the nature of the al-Qaeda threat, whose strongholds in Pakistan and Afghanistan have been weakened, meant such ideologies had become “rooted in certain parts of society”. That was more difficult to deal with, she said.
She defended her former service and said the public had to accept there was a risk people would slip through the net. There were “thousands” of people being radicalised in the UK, which meant MI5 had to prioritise the greatest dangers. The alternative was to have a “police state”.
The former MI5 chief also warned against the expanding use of drones, saying: “Drones are a weapon of war and at the moment they’re being operated by security services.”
She also revealed how she and her family had to be moved to a secret address after a member of an active IRA cell in London was found with a copy of her home address in his pocket.
Source: telegraph.co.uk
Dame Stella Rimington invoked the wartime spirit as she said the public had a duty to act as the “eyes and ears” of the security services in combating terrorists.
She made the plea as she warned that MI5 could not be expected to spot every danger and that further attacks were likely unless Britain wanted a “Stasi” state where everyone was monitored.
She also warned against using drones to gather intelligence saying they should only be “weapons of war”.
Dame Stella, MI5’s first female chief, was speaking at The Telegraph Hay Festival in the aftermath of the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby by alleged Islamist fanatics in Woolwich last Wednesday.
The 25-year-old soldier was allegedly hacked to death by Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, in a suspected anti-Western attack.
It was the worst apparent terrorist atrocity on UK soil since the July 7 London bombings in 2005.
It emerged today that Mr Adebolajo made a second attempt to travel to Somalia to join extremist groups after failing in 2010, and the former Home Secretary, Jack Straw, warned that threats to ban extremist preachers from television would act as a “recruiting sergeant” for extremists and damage democracy.
Meanwhile a 10th man was arrested in connection with Drummer Rigby’s death while three others previously detained were released on police bail.
The atrocity has raised serious questions for MI5 after it emerged both suspects were known to them for up to a decade. Mr Adebolajo had been detained in Kenya in 2010 trying to join the al-Shabaab terrorist group in neighbouring Somalia. Friends claimed MI5 tried to recruit him as an informant when he returned.
The parliamentary intelligence and security committee is now conducting an inquiry to examine whether there were any intelligence failings that could have prevented the atrocity.
Dame Stella, 78, who was at Hay to promote her latest spy novel, The Geneva Trap, revived images of the Second World War when she urged the public to do their bit. She said it was impossible for the security services to spot every risk, especially amid the growing threat of people radicalising themselves over the internet.
Speaking to Gaby Wood, the Telegraph's head of books, the former spy master said: “The community has the responsibility to act as the eyes and ears, as they did during the war … where there were all these posters up saying the walls have ears and the enemy is everywhere.” She said: “There have often been indications in the community, whether it’s Muslim or anywhere else, that people are becoming extremists and spouting hate phrases.”
Dame Stella said the alleged ideology behind the Woolwich killing made it a “terrorist attack”. She said the nature of the al-Qaeda threat, whose strongholds in Pakistan and Afghanistan have been weakened, meant such ideologies had become “rooted in certain parts of society”. That was more difficult to deal with, she said.
She defended her former service and said the public had to accept there was a risk people would slip through the net. There were “thousands” of people being radicalised in the UK, which meant MI5 had to prioritise the greatest dangers. The alternative was to have a “police state”.
The former MI5 chief also warned against the expanding use of drones, saying: “Drones are a weapon of war and at the moment they’re being operated by security services.”
She also revealed how she and her family had to be moved to a secret address after a member of an active IRA cell in London was found with a copy of her home address in his pocket.
Source: telegraph.co.uk
Monday, 8 April 2013
TV LIES-SENSE
A British 9/11 truther is claiming victory following a court ruling that said he did not have to pay a fine over his refusal to pay his annual £130 TV license fee.
Tony Rooke claimed the BBC intentionally misrepresented facts about the 9/11 attacks when it reported that World Trade Center 7 collapsed “due to an office fire, which, even the NIST report says, fell at free-fall speed for eight floors in 2.5 seconds. That is absolutely impossible without a controlled demolition being involved.” The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is the U.S. government agency charged with investigating collapses.
In an act of civil disobedience, Rooke refused to support the BBC and pay the license fee because he believed the BBC has covered up the events of that day. To pay the license fee, he said, would be tantamount to supporting the terrorists responsible for the controlled demolition. He also argued that supporting terrorists would violate the UK’s Terrorism Act, which states: “It is an offence for someone to invite another to provide money, intending that it should be used, or having reasonable cause to suspect that it may be used, for terrorism purposes.”
Rooke was charged with not paying the license fee. Prior to his hearing, Rooke provided the court with evidence that both WTC towers and WTC 7 were destroyed by controlled demolition rather than by the airliner impacts and subsequent fires. The judge gave Rooke an unconditional discharge, which in British legal parlance means he was convicted but he does not suffer the consequences of a conviction and the conviction will be erased if he is not brought before the court for six months. He was not required to pay the fee and non-payment fine but had to pay court costs of £200.
The BBC first reported the collapse of WTC 7 about 20 minutes before it occurred. The “official line” from the U.S. government is the building fell due to fire damage. But it collapsed into its own footprint and was the first steel-reinforced high-rise to ever collapse due to an uncontrolled fire. Explosions were heard and reported prior to the collapse.
Bob Livingston
personalliberty
http://www.pakalertpress.com/2013/04/06/british-man-wins-small-victory-for-911-truthers/
http://archive.org/details/ExpertsOn9-11BuildingDemolition
Tony Rooke claimed the BBC intentionally misrepresented facts about the 9/11 attacks when it reported that World Trade Center 7 collapsed “due to an office fire, which, even the NIST report says, fell at free-fall speed for eight floors in 2.5 seconds. That is absolutely impossible without a controlled demolition being involved.” The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is the U.S. government agency charged with investigating collapses.
In an act of civil disobedience, Rooke refused to support the BBC and pay the license fee because he believed the BBC has covered up the events of that day. To pay the license fee, he said, would be tantamount to supporting the terrorists responsible for the controlled demolition. He also argued that supporting terrorists would violate the UK’s Terrorism Act, which states: “It is an offence for someone to invite another to provide money, intending that it should be used, or having reasonable cause to suspect that it may be used, for terrorism purposes.”
Rooke was charged with not paying the license fee. Prior to his hearing, Rooke provided the court with evidence that both WTC towers and WTC 7 were destroyed by controlled demolition rather than by the airliner impacts and subsequent fires. The judge gave Rooke an unconditional discharge, which in British legal parlance means he was convicted but he does not suffer the consequences of a conviction and the conviction will be erased if he is not brought before the court for six months. He was not required to pay the fee and non-payment fine but had to pay court costs of £200.
The BBC first reported the collapse of WTC 7 about 20 minutes before it occurred. The “official line” from the U.S. government is the building fell due to fire damage. But it collapsed into its own footprint and was the first steel-reinforced high-rise to ever collapse due to an uncontrolled fire. Explosions were heard and reported prior to the collapse.
Bob Livingston
personalliberty
http://www.pakalertpress.com/2013/04/06/british-man-wins-small-victory-for-911-truthers/
http://archive.org/details/ExpertsOn9-11BuildingDemolition
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
DC Nick gets nicked
A corrupt detective has been found guilty of stealing large amounts of seized drugs and selling them back to drug dealers in a plot that made him and his brother around £600,000.
Detective Constable Nicholas McFadden of West Yorkshire police helped himself to tens of thousands of pounds of heroin, cocaine and cannabis by exploiting "slack" procedures at secret evidence stores, Leeds crown court heard.
McFadden, 38, was in charge of looking after evidence when he worked for a special organised crime group. His brother Simon McFadden, 41, a debt collector, then conspired to sell the illegal substances and made around £600,000.
The brothers "spent heavily but made so much money they didn't know what to do with it", jurors heard. They splashed out on exotic holidays, designer clothing, expensive jewellery, home improvements and private numberplates for their cars.
When police raided Nicholas's family home in Castleford, West Yorkshire, they found almost £160,000 in banknotes stuffed into sacks in his garage and £20,000 hidden around his house. They also discovered £6,000 in his sports car.
Nicholas denied stealing the drugs and conspiring to supply them but pleaded guilty to money laundering, claiming he stole the cash from a drug dealer and made money selling illegal steroids. Simon, of Harehills, Leeds, denied conspiracy to supply.
However, it took jurors less than four hours to find Nicholas guilty of stealing class A and B drugs including heroin and cocaine and both brothers guilty of conspiring to supply them.
The former police officer was acquitted on a charge of stealing amphetamine and the jury found both not guilty of conspiring to supply it.
Simon's wife Karen McFadden, who has a teenage son with her husband, pleaded guilty to money laundering and did not appear in the dock during the five-week trial. She will be sentenced with the two brothers at Leeds crown court on Thursday morning.
"The plot of the McFadden brothers was successful and it generated huge sums of cash," Paul Greaney QC said during the trial. "Nicholas McFadden exploited [his] trusted position to steal drugs in very substantial quantities.
"Once the drugs had been stolen, Nicholas McFadden and his elder brother Simon McFadden conspired together and with others to supply those drugs for a profit. So, in other words, drugs which the police had succeeded in removing from the streets were put back by the accused men, who did so for the sole purpose of making money for themselves."
Nicholas told colleagues his wife had received an insurance payout after getting cancer, which was a total lie, the court heard. He also told his wife Clair, a teacher, he had made lots of money on overtime and his police pension was kicking in.
Nicholas also gave a former partner, a police officer called Tanya Strangeway, more than £13,000 in cash and bought her an Audi car, claiming he had a windfall after selling his house.
The detective was caught after regularly paying cash into ATMs, which triggered a bank's security alert and police were informed. When he was arrested, he told police he found bags of cash in a ditch by the M62 motorway.
"As Nicholas McFadden was to explain to the officers, he thought all his birthdays had come at once," said Greaney.
The Crown told jurors that Nicholas used a range of methods to syphon off huge quantities of drugs, including failing to book cocaine and other illegal substances when they were moved between premises.
Greaney said McFadden, who joined the force in 2000 and climbed the ranks, was in a position of authority but exploited "slackness" in the store's security procedures.
Following the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Nick Wallen of West Yorkshire police said he was extremely pleased with the outcome. He said: "This case has focused on a corrupt police officer - this man was in fact a criminal purporting to be a police officer."
Source: guardian.co.uk
Detective Constable Nicholas McFadden of West Yorkshire police helped himself to tens of thousands of pounds of heroin, cocaine and cannabis by exploiting "slack" procedures at secret evidence stores, Leeds crown court heard.
McFadden, 38, was in charge of looking after evidence when he worked for a special organised crime group. His brother Simon McFadden, 41, a debt collector, then conspired to sell the illegal substances and made around £600,000.
The brothers "spent heavily but made so much money they didn't know what to do with it", jurors heard. They splashed out on exotic holidays, designer clothing, expensive jewellery, home improvements and private numberplates for their cars.
When police raided Nicholas's family home in Castleford, West Yorkshire, they found almost £160,000 in banknotes stuffed into sacks in his garage and £20,000 hidden around his house. They also discovered £6,000 in his sports car.
Nicholas denied stealing the drugs and conspiring to supply them but pleaded guilty to money laundering, claiming he stole the cash from a drug dealer and made money selling illegal steroids. Simon, of Harehills, Leeds, denied conspiracy to supply.
However, it took jurors less than four hours to find Nicholas guilty of stealing class A and B drugs including heroin and cocaine and both brothers guilty of conspiring to supply them.
The former police officer was acquitted on a charge of stealing amphetamine and the jury found both not guilty of conspiring to supply it.
Simon's wife Karen McFadden, who has a teenage son with her husband, pleaded guilty to money laundering and did not appear in the dock during the five-week trial. She will be sentenced with the two brothers at Leeds crown court on Thursday morning.
"The plot of the McFadden brothers was successful and it generated huge sums of cash," Paul Greaney QC said during the trial. "Nicholas McFadden exploited [his] trusted position to steal drugs in very substantial quantities.
"Once the drugs had been stolen, Nicholas McFadden and his elder brother Simon McFadden conspired together and with others to supply those drugs for a profit. So, in other words, drugs which the police had succeeded in removing from the streets were put back by the accused men, who did so for the sole purpose of making money for themselves."
Nicholas told colleagues his wife had received an insurance payout after getting cancer, which was a total lie, the court heard. He also told his wife Clair, a teacher, he had made lots of money on overtime and his police pension was kicking in.
Nicholas also gave a former partner, a police officer called Tanya Strangeway, more than £13,000 in cash and bought her an Audi car, claiming he had a windfall after selling his house.
The detective was caught after regularly paying cash into ATMs, which triggered a bank's security alert and police were informed. When he was arrested, he told police he found bags of cash in a ditch by the M62 motorway.
"As Nicholas McFadden was to explain to the officers, he thought all his birthdays had come at once," said Greaney.
The Crown told jurors that Nicholas used a range of methods to syphon off huge quantities of drugs, including failing to book cocaine and other illegal substances when they were moved between premises.
Greaney said McFadden, who joined the force in 2000 and climbed the ranks, was in a position of authority but exploited "slackness" in the store's security procedures.
Following the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Nick Wallen of West Yorkshire police said he was extremely pleased with the outcome. He said: "This case has focused on a corrupt police officer - this man was in fact a criminal purporting to be a police officer."
Source: guardian.co.uk
Wednesday, 27 March 2013
STRANGE BLACK BOX OF GOODIES
Check Your Trunk For A Black Tracking Device..
Recently I came across this interesting forum post on a car website… He found this interesting ‘black box’ in the back of this car that was plugged into his cigarette lighter.. Here is a quote from his forum post: “I recently found this black box thing plugged into the power socket in the trunk of my car. Not to sure what it is or where it came from.” Now it’s interesting that he doesn’t know where it came from! Could have someone came to his house in the middle of the night and put it in his car? I tried googling about this box and I couldn’t find anything about it online..
It even has a serial number and a reset button! Now this is where it gets interesting.. He decided to open the box up and see what’s inside. He found out that there was a stripped-down Boost Mobile phone inside. It has no numbers or battery! Now I wonder what you would find if turned on the phone.. I want to know who it belongs too.. Maybe the government? A lot of people on the forum were joking about the FBI and Black Helicopters.. I don’t think it’s a joke.. Could this guy and others being watched by this simple black box?
Now that’s pretty creepy! The strangest thing of all is that the original poster of the topic hasn’t reposted a single thing within the past couple days? Does that mean he was kidnapped or something? Did he let the “cat out of the bag?” Looking on the internet with the serial numbers and the description of this device, returned nothing.. I think this is going to be come a future occurrence, so watch out! Do you remember this story?: Caught Spying on Student, FBI Demands GPS Tracker Back The FBI and our Government use tracking devices on citizens… So remember Big Brother is probably watching you!!
Source: usahitman.com
Here are some pictures of the box:
Recently I came across this interesting forum post on a car website… He found this interesting ‘black box’ in the back of this car that was plugged into his cigarette lighter.. Here is a quote from his forum post: “I recently found this black box thing plugged into the power socket in the trunk of my car. Not to sure what it is or where it came from.” Now it’s interesting that he doesn’t know where it came from! Could have someone came to his house in the middle of the night and put it in his car? I tried googling about this box and I couldn’t find anything about it online..
It even has a serial number and a reset button! Now this is where it gets interesting.. He decided to open the box up and see what’s inside. He found out that there was a stripped-down Boost Mobile phone inside. It has no numbers or battery! Now I wonder what you would find if turned on the phone.. I want to know who it belongs too.. Maybe the government? A lot of people on the forum were joking about the FBI and Black Helicopters.. I don’t think it’s a joke.. Could this guy and others being watched by this simple black box?
Now that’s pretty creepy! The strangest thing of all is that the original poster of the topic hasn’t reposted a single thing within the past couple days? Does that mean he was kidnapped or something? Did he let the “cat out of the bag?” Looking on the internet with the serial numbers and the description of this device, returned nothing.. I think this is going to be come a future occurrence, so watch out! Do you remember this story?: Caught Spying on Student, FBI Demands GPS Tracker Back The FBI and our Government use tracking devices on citizens… So remember Big Brother is probably watching you!!
Source: usahitman.com
Here are some pictures of the box:
Monday, 25 March 2013
Government can and will grab smartphone data warrant free!!!
Cell phone searches are a common law enforcement tool, but up until now, the public has largely been in the dark regarding how much sensitive information the government can get with this invasive surveillance technique. A document submitted to court in connection with a drug investigation, which we recently discovered, provides a rare inventory of the types of data that federal agents are able to obtain from a seized iPhone using advanced forensic analysis tools. The list, available here, starkly demonstrates just how invasive cell phone searches are—and why law enforcement should be required to obtain a warrant before conducting them.
Last fall, officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seized an iPhone from the bedroom of a suspect in a drug investigation. In a single data extraction session, ICE collected a huge array of personal data from the phone. Among other information, ICE obtained:
call activity
phone book directory information
stored voicemails and text messages
photos and videos
apps
eight different passwords
659 geolocation points, including 227 cell towers and 403 WiFi networks with which the cell phone had previously connected.
Before the age of smartphones, it was impossible for police to gather this much private information about a person’s communications, historical movements, and private life during an arrest. Our pockets and bags simply aren’t big enough to carry paper records revealing that much data. We would have never carried around several years’ worth of correspondence, for example—but today, five-year-old emails are just a few clicks away using the smartphone in your pocket. The fact that we now carry this much private, sensitive information around with us means that the government is able to get this information, too.
The type of data stored on a smartphone can paint a near-complete picture of even the most private details of someone’s personal life. Call history, voicemails, text messages and photographs can provide a catalogue of how—and with whom—a person spends his or her time, exposing everything from intimate photographs to 2 AM text messages. Web browsing history may include Google searches for Alcoholics Anonymous or local gay bars. Apps can expose what you’re reading and listening to. Location information might uncover a visit to an abortion clinic, a political protest, or a psychiatrist.
In this particular case, ICE obtained a warrant to search the house, and seized the iPhone during that search. They then obtained a second, separate warrant based on probable cause before conducting a detailed search of the phone. However, even though ICE obtained a warrant for this cell phone search, courts are divided about whether a warrant is necessary in these circumstances, and no statute requires one. As a result, there are many circumstances where police contend they do not need a warrant at all, such as searches incident to arrest and at the U.S. border.
The police should not be free to copy the contents of your phone without a warrant absent extraordinary circumstances. However, that is exactly what is happening. Last year in California, for example, Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a common-sense bill that would have required the police to obtain a warrant before searching seized phones, despite the bill’s broad bipartisan support in the state legislature.
Intrusive cell phone searches are becoming ever easier for law enforcement officers to conduct. Companies such as Cellebrite produce portable forensics machines that can download copies of an iPhone’s “existing, hidden, and deleted phone data, including call history, text messages, contacts, images, and geotags” in minutes. This type of equipment, which allows the government to conduct quick, easy phone searches, is widely available to law enforcement agencies—and not just to federal agents.
While the law does not sufficiently protect the private data on smartphones, technology can at least provide some protection. All modern smartphones can be locked with a PIN or password, which can slow down, or in some cases, completely thwart forensic analysis by the police (as well as a phone thief or a prying partner). Make sure to pick a sufficiently long password: a 4 character numeric PIN can be cracked in a few minutes, and the pattern-based unlock screen offered by Android can be bypassed by Google if forced to by the government. Finally, if your mobile operating system offers a disk encryption option (such as with Android 4.0 and above), it is important to turn it on.
source: http://www.aclu.org/blog/technology-and-liberty-criminal-law-reform-immigrants-rights/new-document-sheds-light
Last fall, officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seized an iPhone from the bedroom of a suspect in a drug investigation. In a single data extraction session, ICE collected a huge array of personal data from the phone. Among other information, ICE obtained:
call activity
phone book directory information
stored voicemails and text messages
photos and videos
apps
eight different passwords
659 geolocation points, including 227 cell towers and 403 WiFi networks with which the cell phone had previously connected.
Before the age of smartphones, it was impossible for police to gather this much private information about a person’s communications, historical movements, and private life during an arrest. Our pockets and bags simply aren’t big enough to carry paper records revealing that much data. We would have never carried around several years’ worth of correspondence, for example—but today, five-year-old emails are just a few clicks away using the smartphone in your pocket. The fact that we now carry this much private, sensitive information around with us means that the government is able to get this information, too.
The type of data stored on a smartphone can paint a near-complete picture of even the most private details of someone’s personal life. Call history, voicemails, text messages and photographs can provide a catalogue of how—and with whom—a person spends his or her time, exposing everything from intimate photographs to 2 AM text messages. Web browsing history may include Google searches for Alcoholics Anonymous or local gay bars. Apps can expose what you’re reading and listening to. Location information might uncover a visit to an abortion clinic, a political protest, or a psychiatrist.
In this particular case, ICE obtained a warrant to search the house, and seized the iPhone during that search. They then obtained a second, separate warrant based on probable cause before conducting a detailed search of the phone. However, even though ICE obtained a warrant for this cell phone search, courts are divided about whether a warrant is necessary in these circumstances, and no statute requires one. As a result, there are many circumstances where police contend they do not need a warrant at all, such as searches incident to arrest and at the U.S. border.
The police should not be free to copy the contents of your phone without a warrant absent extraordinary circumstances. However, that is exactly what is happening. Last year in California, for example, Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a common-sense bill that would have required the police to obtain a warrant before searching seized phones, despite the bill’s broad bipartisan support in the state legislature.
Intrusive cell phone searches are becoming ever easier for law enforcement officers to conduct. Companies such as Cellebrite produce portable forensics machines that can download copies of an iPhone’s “existing, hidden, and deleted phone data, including call history, text messages, contacts, images, and geotags” in minutes. This type of equipment, which allows the government to conduct quick, easy phone searches, is widely available to law enforcement agencies—and not just to federal agents.
While the law does not sufficiently protect the private data on smartphones, technology can at least provide some protection. All modern smartphones can be locked with a PIN or password, which can slow down, or in some cases, completely thwart forensic analysis by the police (as well as a phone thief or a prying partner). Make sure to pick a sufficiently long password: a 4 character numeric PIN can be cracked in a few minutes, and the pattern-based unlock screen offered by Android can be bypassed by Google if forced to by the government. Finally, if your mobile operating system offers a disk encryption option (such as with Android 4.0 and above), it is important to turn it on.
source: http://www.aclu.org/blog/technology-and-liberty-criminal-law-reform-immigrants-rights/new-document-sheds-light
Thursday, 21 March 2013
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