Tag: crime

Explained: The UK’s Potentially Terrifying Criminal Justice “Reforms”

Plans to reform the UK’s criminal justice system – including the scrapping of jury trials for some offences and reduced sentences for those who plead guilty – are all part of larger “reforms” that would empower tyrannical authoritarianism.

Former senior judge and current Investigatory Powers Commissioner Brian Leveson made the news this week with the publication of his report recommending, among other things, “jury-free” trials, in order to “prevent the collapse of the criminal justice system”.

Note the language, by the way. “Jury-free“, not “jury-less“, as if juries are a food additive we should avoid, rather than a right guaranteed in British law for over 800 years.

This is not new. “Replacing”, “updating” or otherwise “reforming” Jury trials has been on the worldwide agenda for years now.

Within weeks of “Covid” starting, Scotland moved to suspend jury trials entirely (a move so unpopular they reversed it within 24 hours). At the same time, noted lawyers wrote opinion pieces for the Guardian headlined:

“Coronavirus has stopped trials by jury, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing”

Also in the Guardian, Simon Jenkins wrote that Covid had presented an “opportunity” to get rid of the old-fashioned jury trial system. He repeated the idea in another column a couple of months ago.

Less than a year later, Scotland wanted to waive jury trials again, this time in rape cases, to “protect the victim”. They scrapped that plan, too.

Not long after that, in the US, the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict caused the predictable pundits to rant and rave about the “broken” jury system.

In January 2023, the French government announced it would be scrapping jury trials for rape cases and all crimes with a maximum sentence of 15-20 years, citing a need to clear the backlog and make the court system more efficient.

Academic papers are even discussing the possibility of replacing jurors with ChatGPT-like artificial intelligences. A possibility to horrendous to contemplate.

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UK police arrest scores of supporters of newly banned Palestinian protest group

British police arrested scores of supporters on Saturday of a pro-Palestinian protest group that was banned this month under anti-terrorism legislation.

Police said they had arrested at least 41 people in London and 16 others in Manchester for showing support for the group Palestine Action. Campaign group Defend our Juries said 86 people had been arrested across the UK, with other protests held in Wales and Northern Ireland.

British lawmakers proscribed the group under anti-terrorism legislation earlier this month after some of its members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged planes in protest against Britain’s support for Israel.

“Officers have made 41 arrests for showing support for a proscribed organisation. One person has been arrested for common assault,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement on social media about the demonstration.

After a similar protest in London last week, police arrested 29 people.

Before Saturday’s arrests in London, close to 50 protesters had gathered with placards saying “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action” near a statue of former South African President Nelson Mandela outside the British parliament.

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Democrat State Senator From Nebraska Defends Illegal Alien and Accused Murderer, Calling ICE the ‘Gestapo’

Democrat State Senator Megan Hunt of Nebraska recently went on a profanity laden diatribe on Twitter/X, in which she seemingly defends an illegal alien accused of murder and other crimes, while referring to ICE as the ‘gestapo.’

It’s absolutely stunning to see the lengths Democrats are willing to go to in order to defend dangerous criminals who are in the country illegally.

Twitchy reported:

This was no ‘Nebraska man,’ and he was no innocent person just seeking a new life in America. His name has not been publicly released yet, but El Salvador confirmed that the gang member is on their ‘Most Wanted’ list and has been charged in his home country with multiple counts of aggravated homicide as well as being affiliated with terrorist organizations. One of the kingpin’s top MS-13 associates, also wanted for murder in El Salvador, was shantched up in the raid as well.

All of America should be cheering for arrests like this, but the Democrats just can’t help themselves.

After the news broke, one Nebraska resident noted that State Senator Megan Hunt is opposed to arresting and deporting such nefarious criminals. Not only that, but she is actively trying to disrupt ICE operations.

How does this further the interests of the people of Nebraska?

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Pennsylvania Man Convicted of Gruesome Beheading of Federal Employee Father, Posting Video of Decapitated Head on YouTube

In a shocking case that captured national attention, Justin D. Mohn, a 33-year-old resident of Levittown, Pennsylvania, was found guilty of murdering his father and posting a video of himself holding the severed head on YouTube.

Mohn was found guilty of murder on Friday and sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Mohn shot his 68-year-old father, Michael F. Mohn, with a pistol at his home in January 2024. He then decapitated the body and uploaded a 14-minute video to YouTube displaying his father’s severed head.

In the video, Mohn ranted about various issues, including the government, immigration, border control, fiscal policy, urban crime, and the war in Ukraine. He called his father a “traitor” and urged others to join him in overthrowing the U.S. government.

“This is the head of Mike Mohn, a federal employee of over 20 years and my father. He is now in hell for eternity as a traitor to his country,” the killer said in the video.

Mohn continued, “It is said those who commit treason and betray others occupy the lowest pits of hell for all time. The federal government of America has declared war on America’s citizens and the American states. America is rotting from the inside out as far-left woke mobs rampage our once-prosperous cities, turning them into lawless zones.”

He went on to call for a “revolution” against the “Biden regime.”

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MEDIA MALPRACTICE: CNN and MSNBC Didn’t Cover the Recent Attempted Murder of ICE Agents in Texas

Media bias is expressed in a number of ways, often by putting political spin on a particular issue. Sometimes however, it happens when news organizations just don’t report on an issue at all.

This is exactly what happened with CNN and MSNBC when it comes to the recent attempted murder of ICE agents in Texas. CNN and MSNBC simply didn’t cover the story.

Can you imagine them skipping the attempted murder of a group favored by the left? It simply wouldn’t happen. In fact, in any such case, both networks would probably cover the story for days.

FOX News reports:

CNN, MSNBC skip on-air coverage of July 4 armed attack on ICE agents at Texas facility

Americans who rely on watching CNN or MSNBC for information would be in the dark about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents being ambushed at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, on Independence Day.

A heavily armed group lured two unarmed ICE agents into a parking lot on the evening of July 4 by firing a barrage of fireworks at their door and spray-painting graffiti on their personal cars with the words “traitor” and “Ice Pig,” which agents could see from the cameras inside.

At around the same time, a police officer responded to their 911 call for two men firing rounds from a nearby tree line, and an officer was hit in the neck, which forced the agents to take cover. Police also found seven suspects in black military fatigues wandering in a field 300 yards away, some of whom were covered in mud from trying to escape on foot. They also had weapons, vests and radios.

But CNN and MSNBC didn’t devote any airtime to the incident, Mediaite was first to report.

“Should that not strike you as unusual, imagine this scenario: 11 members of a right-wing militia group open fire on an FBI field office on a major holiday, and a responding police officer is shot in the neck,” Isaac Schorr wrote for Mediaite.

For CNN, MSNBC and other liberal news outlets, everything is motivated by whether a story is helpful or hurtful to their preferred side. It goes beyond politics though, especially where human lives are concerned. These liberal outlets put their politics above people’s lives. It’s sickening.

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7 Chinese nationals charged in MASSIVE money laundering, human smuggling, drug trafficking operation

Seven Chinese nationals have been charged in connection to a conspiracy to cultivate as well as distribute marijuana in the Northeastern United States. They undertook this operation by using a network of single-family houses in Massachusetts as well as Maine, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).  

A press release from the DOJ on the charges stated that Jianxiong Chen, 39; Yuxiong Wu, 36; Dinghui Li, 38; Dechao Ma, 35; Peng Lian Zhu, 35; Hongbin Wu, 35; and Yanrong Zhu, 47 were all charged in connection to the network distributing the drugs around the Northeast. Six of the defendants were taken into custody earlier this week, with Yanrong Zhu still on the run as a fugitive.  

Most of the Chinese nationals have been charged with money laundering as well as conspiracy, and some were also charged with bringing assisting with bringing foreign nationals to the US illegally.

US Attorney Leah B. Foley said of the charges, “This case pulls back the curtain on a sprawling criminal enterprise that exploited our immigration system and our communities for personal gain. These defendants allegedly turned quiet homes across the Northeast into hubs for a criminal enterprise – building a multi-million-dollar black-market operation off the backs of an illegal workforce and using our neighborhoods as cover. That ends today.” 

The DOJ further stated, “According to the charging documents, from in or about January 2020, the defendants allegedly owned, operated or partnered with a network of interconnected grow houses in Massachusetts and Maine to cultivate and distribute kilogram-sized quantities of marijuana in bulk. Specifically, the enterprise allegedly operated grow houses in Braintree, Mass.; Melrose, Mass.; and Greenfield, Mass., among other locations in Massachusetts, Maine and elsewhere.” 

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Vegas 7-Eleven security guard sentenced to 5 to 14 years in prison for killing customer over COVID-19 protocols

A Las Vegas security guard was sentenced to spend between five and 14 years in prison for fatally shooting a customer outside a 7-Eleven convenience store during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kegia Mitchell tearfully apologized on Thursday after she entered an Alford plea for the August 2020 death of 56-year-old Thomas Martin.

“I didn’t mean to take this man’s life, I did not,” Mitchell cried out in court. “I am truly sorry from the bottom of my heart.”

The deal means she doesn’t plead guilty to the murder of Martin but acknowledges that prosecutors may have enough evidence for a conviction, according to KLAS.

Mitchell was tasked with regulating the number of customers permitted into the convenience store in Las Vegas’ northeast section on August 26 when Martin cut the line and attempted to enter.

Martin was blocked and began complaining that Mitchell was refusing to let him in while she had allowed other customers through the checkpoint.

The two began arguing as Martin cursed at the security guard, threatening Mitchell before breaking past and into the store, the outlet reported.

Mitchell grabbed the angry customer and the two shoved each other before she took out a handgun and pointed it at Martin’s face, according to security footage of the incident.

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Three Zizians face trial together in Maryland amid sprawling federal investigation

Three members of a violent cultlike group, including its alleged ringleader, will be tried together on charges of trespassing, gun and drug possession after police discovered them camping in box trucks in rural western Maryland.

The group known as Zizians, which attracted a fringe contingent of computer scientists who connected online over their shared anarchist beliefs, has been linked to six killings spanning three states in recent years.

The Maryland cases were originally scheduled for separate trials, but the defendants requested a joint proceeding despite concerns from their attorneys; a judge granted the request following a court hearing Tuesday afternoon.

Jack “Ziz” LaSota and her associates Michelle Zajko and Daniel Blank were arrested in February after a man told police that “suspicious” people had parked two box trucks on his property and asked to camp there for a month, according to authorities. The trucks were found in a largely remote wooded area near the Maryland-Pennsylvania line, a mountainous region dotted with small towns.

LaSota, a transgender woman who’s regarded as the group leader, entered the courtroom Tuesday hoisting a brown paper bag filled with documents. Throughout the hearing, LaSota and Zajko repeatedly interjected to address the judge directly, disregarding conventional courtroom practices and occasionally speaking over their attorneys. The regular interruptions added to the already unusual circumstances of the case, which hinges on the findings of federal investigators despite being prosecuted in state court.

The main issue discussed Tuesday was the timeline of the proceedings. After the trio was arrested in February on trespassing and illegal gun possession charges, prosecutors filed a superseding indictment last month with new allegations, including LSD possession.

Defense attorneys argued prosecutors are trying to slow-walk the case while federal authorities continue investigating the Zizians.

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Missing Maine Paddleboarder Was Murdered

Police in Union, Maine, have ruled the death of 48-year-old Sunshine Stewart a homicide, days after she was found in Crawford Pond. Stewart disappeared last Wednesday evening after heading out on a paddleboard around 6pm, CBS News reports, and was reported missing six hours later. Her body was discovered last Thursday near 100 Acre Island, which is in the middle of the pond and only accessible by boat, reports WMTW. Authorities have not disclosed the cause of death. Sources close to the investigation tell ABC News that the body was found under “unusual circumstances” that rule out suicide or accidental drowning.

Kathy Lunt, who runs the Mic Mac campground near the pond, said Stewart was a seasonal resident and was last seen by her roommate. When Stewart failed to return, the roommate raised the alarm. Police urged the public to “remain aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behavior to law enforcement,” the Bangor Daily News reports. Area residents say they are shaken by the killing. Police are asking anyone who may have seen Stewart on her paddleboard between 6pm and 9pm last Wednesday to contact them

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Former CBP Officer Sentenced for Smuggling Cocaine from the U.S. Virgin Islands to Atlanta

Ivan Van Beverhoudt, 45, a former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, will serve a 20-year prison sentence following his convictions for importing and possessing with intent to distribute over 15 kilograms of cocaine.

“Van Beverhoudt betrayed his badge by committing one of the very crimes he was entrusted to prevent—smuggling dangerous drugs into our country,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our office and its agency partners will hold accountable any law enforcement officer who abuses his authority for criminal ends, and Van Beverhoudt’s twenty-year sentence demonstrates that such abuse will be met with severe consequences.”

“This case highlights the severe repercussions for law enforcement officers who abuse their positions of trust,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Georgia and Alabama. “Ivan Van Beverhoudt’s attempt to smuggle over 15 kilograms of cocaine into the country was a grave violation, and thanks to the efforts of HSI and our partners, he will spend 20 years behind bars.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On January 10, 2020, Van Beverhoudt, a CBP officer, boarded a commercial flight from St. Thomas to Atlanta with 16 bricks of cocaine in his two carry-on bags. To avoid TSA screening in St. Thomas, Van Beverhoudt traveled in his official capacity with his loaded CBP-issued firearm. Upon arriving at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, a CBP-trained narcotics K-9 officer in the jetway alerted to Van Beverhoudt’s luggage, which led to the discovery of the cocaine. 

On February 24, 2025, following a five-day jury trial, Van Beverhoudt was convicted of conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, importation of cocaine into the United States, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. 

On July 8, 2025, United States District Judge J.P. Boulee sentenced Van Beverhoudt to 20 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. 

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, with valuable assistance provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General. 

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