Category: Lancashire Constabulary

What was the judgment when Lancashire Constabulary requested an anti-social behaviour order against Mr Ponting and why were £30,000 costs awarded?

What was the judgment when Lancashire Constabulary requested an anti-social behaviour order against Mr Ponting and why were £30,000 costs awarded?

What was the judgment when Lancashire Constabulary requested an anti-social behaviour order against Mr Ponting and why were £30,000 costs awarded?

                                               

Liverpool Civil & Family Court, Vernon Street, Liverpool, L2 2BX which was the venue for the hearing
Liverpool Civil & Family Court, Vernon Street, Liverpool, L2 2BX which was the venue for the hearing

Continues from What happened during day 2 of a trial which involved a Lancashire Constabulary request for an anti-social behaviour order against Mr Ponting?

Unfortunately there is no report on day 3 of the trial (held on Wednesday 11th March 2020). The hearing originally scheduled for day 4 (Thursday 12th March 2020) was vacated to allow time for HHJ Knifton QC to write his judgment. So day 4 of the trial in Court Room 26 at Liverpool County Court, Liverpool was held scheduled to start at 2.00 pm on Friday 13th March 2020 for those present to hear the judgement of HHJ Knifton QC in case F70LV339 (Chief Constable of Lancashire Police v Ponting).

After people had sat down, HHJ Knifton QC poured water into his glass and arranged his papers.

HHJ Knifton QC started by referring to the invention of the internet and world wide web as one of the technological achievements of the twentieth century which had revolutionised communication with friends and family around the world.
Continue reading “What was the judgment when Lancashire Constabulary requested an anti-social behaviour order against Mr Ponting and why were £30,000 costs awarded?”

What happened during day 2 of a trial which involved a Lancashire Constabulary request for an anti-social behaviour order against Mr Ponting?

What happened during day 2 of a trial which involved a Lancashire Constabulary request for an anti-social behaviour order against Mr Ponting?

What happened during day 2 of a trial which involved a Lancashire Constabulary request for an anti-social behaviour order against Mr Ponting?

                             

Liverpool Civil & Family Court, Vernon Street, Liverpool, L2 2BX which was the venue for the hearing
Liverpool Civil & Family Court, Vernon Street, Liverpool, L2 2BX which was the venue for the hearing

By John Brace (Editor)

This is a report on a public hearing of day 2 of Chief Constable of Lancashire Police v Ponting at the Liverpool County Court which continues from what happened on day 1.

As the case was ongoing at the time of publication comments are turned off.

Mr Henry Gow (barrister for the Defendant Mr Ponting) referred to the face to face conference the Defendant had had with a Superintendent Thistlethwaite which had been recorded by the Defendant. Mr Gow was going to refer to it in cross examination and asked HHJ Knifton QC to consider when the recorded extracts of this which had been submitted would be listened to.
Continue reading “What happened during day 2 of a trial which involved a Lancashire Constabulary request for an anti-social behaviour order against Mr Ponting?”

What happened during day 1 of a trial which involved a Lancashire Constabulary request for an anti-social behaviour order against Mr Ponting?

What happened during day 1 of a trial which involved a Lancashire Constabulary request for an anti-social behaviour order against Mr Ponting?

What happened during day 1 of a trial which involved a Lancashire Constabulary request for an anti-social behaviour order against Mr Ponting?

                             

Liverpool Civil & Family Court, Vernon Street, Liverpool, L2 2BX which was the venue for the hearing
Liverpool Civil & Family Court, Vernon Street, Liverpool, L2 2BX which was the venue for the hearing

By John Brace (Editor)

This is a report of day 1 (of a possible 4) held on the 9th March 2020 of Chief Constable of Lancashire Police v Ponting in Court Room 26 on the third floor of Liverpool County Court, 35 Vernon St, Liverpool, L2 2BX.

HHJ Knifton QC is presiding over the case. Henry Gow (New Bailey Chambers) is the barrister for the Defendant Mr Ponting. Lee Bonner (Atlantic Chambers) is the barrister for the Chief Constable of Lancashire Police.

As the case was ongoing at the time of publication comments are turned off.
Continue reading “What happened during day 1 of a trial which involved a Lancashire Constabulary request for an anti-social behaviour order against Mr Ponting?”

Lancashire Police fraud investigation widened to “include alleged criminality within Liverpool City Council and the Merseyside Pension Fund”

Lancashire Police fraud investigation widened to “include alleged criminality within Liverpool City Council and the Merseyside Pension Fund”

Lancashire Police fraud investigation widened to “include alleged criminality within Liverpool City Council and the Merseyside Pension Fund”

                                        

Ged Fitzgerald (Former Chief Executive, Liverpool City Council) is on bail after being arrested last year
Ged Fitzgerald (Former Chief Executive, Liverpool City Council) is on bail after being arrested last year

Regular readers of this blog will remember a story last year about the arrest of former Liverpool Chief Executive Ged Fitzgerald on suspicion of both conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and witness intimidation.
Continue reading “Lancashire Police fraud investigation widened to “include alleged criminality within Liverpool City Council and the Merseyside Pension Fund””

Liverpool City Council’s Chief Executive Ged Fitzgerald suspended

Liverpool City Council’s Chief Executive Ged Fitzgerald suspended

Liverpool City Council’s Chief Executive Ged Fitzgerald suspended

                                                                    

Ged Fitzgerald (Chief Executive, Liverpool City Council) tries to explain devolution to a meeting of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Scrutiny Panel 28th October 2015
Ged Fitzgerald (Chief Executive, Liverpool City Council) at a meeting of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Scrutiny Panel 28th October 2015

Liverpool City Council’s Chief Executive Ged Fitzgerald (pictured above) has been suspended from his position as Chief Executive by Liverpool City Council.

He was arrested in May on suspicion of both conspiracy to pervert the cause of justice and witness intimidation as part of Lancashire Constabulary’s Operation Sheridan. Operation Sheridan is a corporate corruption investigation.

Since his arrest, Ged Fitzgerald has been bailed and rebailed a number of times.

Operation Sheridan is a long running police investigation into the Lancashire County Council’s former One Connect Ltd partnership with British Telecom. Ged Fitzgerald is a former Chief Executive of Lancashire County Council.

A number of other individuals were also arrested earlier this year as part of the same investigation.

Liverpool City Council councillors were informed of the suspension yesterday evening by email from Mayor Joe Anderson which included this statement,

“We can confirm that a meeting of the City Council’s Appointments and Disciplinary Panel met today to discuss the circumstances surrounding the Chief Executive, Ged Fitzgerald.

After deliberating carefully, the Panel took the decision to suspend him.

We must stress this is a neutral act to allow an independent investigation into issues, including potential reputational impacts on the City Council at the current time, to proceed.

It is important for the City Council, the Panel and the Chief Executive that the investigator is able to make an objective assessment and therefore we are not able to make any further comment at this stage.”

A public meeting of all Liverpool City Council’s councillors meets tomorrow evening starting at 5 pm at Liverpool Town Hall.

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