LegalHand: *Update* Court Clerk sentenced for bribery

Wednesday 23 November 2011

Update Court Clerk sentenced for bribery

Update of a previous post http://legalhand.blogspot.com/2011/10/it-wasnt-thug-rioter-or-criminal-it-was.html.

Court clerk, Munir Patel has made legal history being the first defendant convicted under the new bribery legislation, being sentenced to 6 years imprisonment. He was exposed taking a £500 bribe to avoid putting details of a traffic summons onto a legal database.

Patel admitted to one count of bribery and misconduct in a public office. However, the prosecution believed that he had in fact helped 53 offenders and made in the region of £20000 from his bribes. Sentencing Judge Alistair McCreath stated how the offences were ‘ a very substantial breach of trust... your position as a court clerk had... the duty to public confidence in it’. Judge McCreath sentenced the clerk to 3 years for bribery and 6 years for misconduct to be served concurrently.

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Glossary

Appellant-
an individual moves from being a defendant to an appealant after filing an appeal case.

E.G. R v Wilson (Paul Anthony) (benefit of an early plea)
Wilson was the defendant when first sentenced and became the appellant when he appealed his case to the Court of Appeal, Criminal Division

Concurrent Sentencing- When a defendant is convicted of multiple crimes there is a penalty attached to each crime. Concurrent sentencing means the individual will serve each penalty simultaneously.

E.G Munir Patel Case (Court Clerk convicted of bribery)

Sentenced to 3 years for bribery and 6 years for misconduct to be served concurrently. Concurrent sentencing means he will serve 6 years, if he was faced with consecutive sentencing he would serve 9 years.