Police stakeout bill for Assange tops £1m as it costs £11,000 a DAY to ensure he doesn't flee ... [View all]

[struggle4progress]

Ecuadorian Embassy
At least four Met officers stand guard around the clock
William Hague admits there is 'no sign of breakthrough'
By Chris Greenwood, Crime Reporter
PUBLISHED: 19:34 EST, 1 October 2012 | UPDATED: 04:51 EST, 2 October 2012

The police bill for staking out the embassy where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is evading justice has already reached more than £1million. Scotland Yard confirmed it is costing £11,000 every day to ensure the Australian does not flee his bolthole at the Ecuadorean Embassy ...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2211530/Police-stakeout-Assange-tops-1m-costs-11-000-DAY-ensure-doesnt-flee-Ecuadorian-Embassy.html?ito=feeds-newsxml


Sentencing Guidelines Council
Fail to Surrender to Bail

... Bail Act offences are committed in significant numbers each year and are a major cause of disruption, delay and unnecessary cost for the criminal justice system ... When a Bail Act offence has been committed, the sentence must be commensurate with the seriousness of the offence and must take into account both the reason why the offender failed to surrender and the degree of harm intended or caused. For these purposes, ‘harm’ is not only that caused to individual victims and witnesses but includes the consequential effect on police and court resources and the wider negative impact on public confidence in the criminal justice system ... Section 6 of the Bail Act 1976 states:

“1) If a person who has been released on bail in criminal proceedings fails without reasonable cause to surrender to custody he shall be guilty of an offence; and
2) If a person who:
(a) has been released on bail in criminal proceedings, and
(b) having reasonable cause therefor, has failed to surrender to custody, fails to surrender to custody at the appointed place as soon after the appointed time as is reasonably practicable, he shall be guilty of an offence.”

The maximum sentence in a magistrates’ court is 3 months imprisonment. If the matter is committed to the Crown Court for sentence, or dealt with there, the maximum sentence is 12 months custody ... The obligation on a person who is granted bail is to surrender to custody at the court or the police station as required ... Where the failure to surrender was deliberate, it will be relevant whether it was designed to disrupt the system to the defendant’s advantage ... Seriousness is not reduced automatically by subsequent acquittal of the original offence ... The period of time for which a defendant absconds is also likely to influence the court when considering sentence ... The following aggravating factors are particularly relevant to an offence of failing to surrender to bail:
... Offender’s absence causes a lengthy delay to the administration of justice
... Determined attempt to avoid the jurisdiction of the court ...
Surrender initiated by the offender merits consideration as a mitigating factor ... Where the failure to surrender to custody was ‘deliberate’ ... at or near the top of the range will be cases where any of aggravating factors ... are present if there is also a significant delay and/or interference with the progress of the case ...

<link to pdf:> http://sentencingcouncil.judiciary.gov.uk/docs/web_Fail_to_Surrender_to_Bail.pdf