Hugh Grant claimed police investigating the case showed him evidence he had also been targeted.

Last month News International admitted liability over a number of phone hacking cases involving the News Of The World and set up a compensation scheme to deal with ‘justifiable claims’.

Actress Sienna Miller received £100,000 from the News of the World earlier this month, after the paper admitted hacking her mobile phone.

But Mr Grant said he was still considering whether to take the matter through the courts.

He went on to all but declare war on tabloid newspapers and said he hoped they went out of business.

And he gave his backing to the use of superinjunctions, but admitted they were an ‘imperfect’ way of reserving a level of privacy for those in the public eye.

Mr Grant said: ‘I also had the cops come round the other day who are now very hot on the criminal case and that’s exciting and I think very big heads will roll soon.’

He said the police had visited ‘to show me the evidence – all these notes with my PIN numbers, my phone numbers, my friends’, my family’s PIN numbers, bank accounts – all written down by a private detective working for the papers.’
Mr Grant added: ‘I’m sure if a policeman were here he would be saying don’t discuss any of this so I better shut up.’
Asked whether he would take his own legal action, Mr Grant said: ‘I could do and I’m just deciding whether to do that or not.’

And he was critical of tabloid newspapers. ‘We don’t need them, we don’t want them and as soon as they go out of business the better,’ he said.

‘The tabloid press is completely unnecessary – at least in my industry – to what you do. You need to make a good film, that’s 97 per cent of it; then about 2 per cent of it is having good advertising materials, good trailer etc and then right on the end make a bit of noise with publicity if you can.

‘But almost no one will talk to the tabloids. They’ll usually do it through radio or television or the internet.’

A host of high-profile names who have made claims against the News of the World, including actress Sienna Miller and former culture secretary Tessa Jowell, have received apologies from the newspaper.

Three journalists at the paper have been arrested since the Metropolitan Police reopened its inquiry into claims that staff hacked into the answerphone messages of celebrities and politicians.

It has been estimated that News International has set aside £20 million for payouts.

Scotland Yard has endured repeated criticism over its handling of the original phone-hacking inquiry, which led to the conviction of News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire in 2007.

The paper’s former editor, Andy Coulson, resigned as Prime Minister David Cameron’s director of communications in January after he admitted that the ongoing row about the affair was making his job impossible.

Days later the Met launched a fresh investigation, codenamed Weeting, after receiving ‘significant new information’ from News International.

Mr Grant accused newspapers of ‘stealing someone’s most precious commodity for profit’ by invading their privacy.
‘There’s nothing to do with public interest – it’s purely to do with money,’ he said.

‘It’s been a scandal that I think has been going on in this country for too long. So injunctions – imperfect though they are – are at least to be welcomed because something’s being done.’

Mr Grant, 50, also revealed he had largely left the acting world.

He said: ‘One of the reasons I feel so brave about speaking out now is I am pretty much retired.’

A 30-year-old man believed to be from the St Helens area was found in Napier Street by emergency services shortly after 1.45am suffering from a severe head injury. He was taken to hospital by ambulance where he has already undergone treatment and his condition is described as critical but stable.

Detectives called to the scene carried out immediate house-to-house investigations to gather as much information as possible but are still appealing for any witnesses to the incident.

Detective Inspector Gayle Rooney said: “This was a vicious attack that has left the victim in a critical condition. We are looking into the possibility that he may have been assaulted somewhere else in the area before returning to Napier Street. Anyone with any information about this incident to contact us.”

Merseyside police have appealed for anyone with any information to call St Helens CID on 0151 777 1565, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

If you have been the victim of a similar incident and/or need a solicitor for any other reason QualitySolicitors Keith Park (based in St. Helens) can help you.

• Personal Injury
• Family Law
• Private Client / Making a Will
• Criminal Law
• Professional Negligence
• Conveyancing / Moving House
• Prison Law
• Employment

Ossie James, a frail 74 year old man from South London, has been found guilty of manslaughter at the Old Bailey. James was jailed for five years for stabbing his son through the heart because he returned home with a different takeaway than the one his father has asked for. The victim, Josie who was 44, had left their home to get a Chinese meal as they had agreed but returned with chicken and chips instead. James, who was described as a ‘rigid and controlling man’ by a court psychiatrist, had picked up a kitchen knife and plunged it into his son in anger.

When police arrived at the house they found him sitting in a chair. He had to be restrained when they tried to handcuff him. Judge Richard Hawkins said: “Josie returned with a takeaway and you were not happy with what was brought back and its condition. An argument followed with your son. It is right to say Josie was strong and you are somewhat frail.” The sentence was shorter than normal sue to the age of the defendant.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has revealed the extensive action that has been taken across the UK to tackle the huge problem of counterfeiting and piracy. The Annual IP Crime Report shows that millions of fake items were seized through operations into everything from market traders to internet auction sites. Her Majesty Revenue Customs seized over 2100 consignments containing four million items during 2009/10. The goods had an estimated value of £40 million, based on the price of the genuine item. Trading Standards, police, the UK Border Agency and the IPO’s Intelligence Hub have all collaborated on the project with raids uncovering thousands of items of counterfeit goods as well as 25 kilos of Class B controlled drugs being seized.

Intellectual Property Minister Baroness Wilcox said:

“Counterfeiting and piracy are a major threat to the British economy. They take sales from legitimate businesses and put jobs in danger. Fake goods often pose a real threat to the people buying them. We have seen cigarettes with dangerous levels of chemicals, electrical goods that are a fire risk and toys that are a danger to our children. I am pleased to see everyone coming together: police, trading standards, industry, the Intellectual Property Office, and others to tackle this menace. The real key to beating this threat is the public. People must refuse to buy anything they suspect is not genuine and report the seller to their trading standards or police.”

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has launched a campaign aimed at ensuring private investigators follow the correct notification procedures. As they are handling people’s private data they are subject to the Data Protection Act in the same way that all other organisations are. Many private investigators routinely process personal data such as information about people’s private lives, financial data and images but the number of investigators on the register is much less than the number known to be operating in the UK.

David Smith, Deputy Commissioner at the ICO, said: “We want to work with the industry to ensure all private investigators meet the legal requirement to notify us that they are processing personal information. A targeted approach working with stakeholders and membership bodies has proved highly successful in other sectors. We will be writing to organisations providing them with advice and encouragement to notify. However, if that encouragement is ignored, we will take action against those who flout the law. The message is very clear – notify with the ICO.

Naphyrone, often known as ‘NRG1′, and related substances have been banned and made Class B drugs, as of Friday 23 July 2010.

Banning Naphyrone

The decision to make Naphyrone illegal was based on the recommendation of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD).

The ACMD found that the substance, often labelled ‘100 per cent legal’ or ‘plant food’, has considerable potential for misuse and accidental overdose.

Likely harmful effects of Naphyrone include:

• adverse effects on the heart and blood vessels
• hyperthermia
• dependence
• psychiatric effects

Minister for crime prevention James Brokenshire said: “I want to send a clear message to anyone considering buying a ‘legal high’ – just because they are advertised as ‘legal’ does not mean that they are safe and they may not be legal.

“You are putting your health at risk and could be committing a criminal offence.”

There were nearly ten recorded incidents a day of trespass and vandalism on railway lines in the last year, figures from Network Rail have revealed. By taking short cuts, spraying graffiti, playing chicken with trains or placing objects on the tracks, young people are not just putting their own lives at risk, but endangering other people as well.

As the summer holidays begin, Network Rail is encouraging young people to take up more positive activities than taking risks on the tracks. Campaign is working with local community groups and clubs to hold events across Britain. As well as loads of different sports you can try DJing, street dancing, street art and much more.

Incidents on the railway

A shocking 49 people died after trespassing on the tracks in the last year; with a quarter of trespass deaths young people aged 11-20. While adults commit more crimes, young people take more risks and their actions are more dangerous – such as playing chicken and graffiti spraying in hard to reach locations. Adult crimes tend to be more platform-to-platform trespass and taking short cuts.

People placing things on the railway line is another major problem. Items placed on railway lines over the last year include:

• 180 bikes
• 76 shopping trolleys
• 7 prams
• 3 trampolines and another dropped onto a train
• 3 televisions
• 1 bouncy castle

An agreement has been struck between the police and the mobile phone industry to close a loophole which sees roughly 100,000 stolen mobile phones being sold to recycling companies every year.

New industry code of practice

At the moment, 90 per cent of handsets reported stolen in the UK are blocked across all networks within 48 hours of reporting. This makes them useless in the UK to criminals trying to sell them on.

However, blocked phones can still be used abroad and as the recycling industry exports many of the handsets it buys this has created a new market for stolen phones.
To combat this trade in stolen mobile phones, 20 recycling companies have signed up to a new industry code of practice.

Under the new code, companies will check the details of every phone they are offered against the National Mobile Phone Register, a database of all phones reported stolen.

If the handset has been reported as stolen the company will refuse to buy the phone and details of the phone and the person trying to sell it to them will be passed to police to investigate.

The recyclers who have so far signed up to the code are:

• 20 – 20 Mobile
• Anovo
• Carphone Warehouse
• Earthmobile Ltd
• Eazyfone
• EMC Recycle
• Fone Hub
• Greener Solution
• Mazuma Mobile
• Mobile Phone Exchange
• Mobile Phone Recycling Organisation
• Money for Your Phone
• Recipero
• Redeem PLC
• Regenersis
• Royal Mail
• RPC Recycle
• SHP Solutions
• Virgin Media
• West One Technology

Source: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_189551

Some credit cards were issued to police officers for job expenses have been misused.

In 2003, the Metropolitan Police gave around 3,533 American Express credit cards to the staff and officers. However, 1,400 were then taken back after the met found they were being used for expenses that were not job related and couldn’t be accounted for. More credit cards were issued in 2006 to detectives in operations such as counter-terrorism and royalty protection etc.

In 2008, one sergeant detective was given a suspended 8 month sentence for 2 years after spending over £9000 on his credit card, and another was jailed for 10 months after spending £70,000 on his credit card. In both cases the money was not used as job expenses.
Now it seems that another 300 cases have come to light, 46 of which have turned into criminal investigations.

The Metropolitan Police Authority are appalled at the fact that police officers, who not only set an example to the community but are supposed to uphold the law, are actually breaking it and committing fraud.

For consumers the advent of “Tesco Law” with the promise of low or fixed fee legal services may be a welcome relief.  This is especially so in an environment where consumers seek value for money, but how do you measure value?  Solicitors and Barristers have for many years charged their time at a set hourly rate.

Recently the Master of the Rolls predicted that Tesco Law would remove from the market place the “billable hour” and replace it with fixed fees.  Any lawyer who has worked with fixed fees will know that this does not automatically mean low fees.  What consumers are acquiring is a great deal of expertise backed with years of education and continuous training in order to provide the commodity that they seek.

Tesco are clearly experts in the field of providing mass products at low prices but anybody who thinks that a legal service is akin to a can of beans is in for a shock.

The only way that low or discounted fixed fees are going to come about is by the services to which they relate being provided by lesser qualified individuals.  The Legal Services Act 2007 will do little I suspect in providing the safeguards around ‘non-law firms’ to ensure quality of products, which standards lawyers have had to aspire to under the Code of Conduct 2007 and its predecessor.

The only saving grace for traditional law firms with the dawn of ‘Tesco Law’ is the potential to ultimately market for mass Professional Negligence claims against the providers of volume, remotely accessed legal services at low prices.  Such suppliers, in trying to produce these services cheaply, may do so as a consequence without sufficient regard for quality. That quality having been achieved traditionally by reason of the work being done at reasonable hourly rates, reflecting the many years expertise and qualification which apply to such areas of work.

Ask any law firm who have had to advise families whose deceased relatives have used certain ‘Will writing companies’ only to discover that the Wills are negligently drafted or the companies no longer exist and didn’t carry Professional indemnity insurance.

There is a well known and perhaps suitable adage to be applied in this context that you only get what you pay for; let’s hope that consumers are more discerning about the acquisition of legal services than they are cans of beans.

Nick Hall
Keith Park Solicitors