Paperwork blunder by UK bookmaker reveals possible illegal offshore operation

The Gambling Commission has demanded a UK bookmaker hand over a trove of financial documents after the company accidentally disclosed information suggesting it may be running an illegal offshore betting operation.The Guardian understands that the company, which sponsors sporting events and boasts connections to high-profile figures in sport and politics, is the subject of early inquiries that could lead to a full-blown investigation.Sources said the company, which takes billions of pounds of bets from British punters every year, inadvertently alerted the Gambling Commission to potential wrongdoing during a routine disclosure of documents required by the regulator.The company mistakenly included documents indicating it had been transacting with entities based overseas, sources said. Details were written in white text on a white background but were spotted by staff at the regulator

Crime gangs in UK making weight-loss drugs with ‘sophisticated’ fake branding

Organised crime gangs have begun manufacturing their own branded weight-loss drugs, designed to look like legitimate medicines, in what authorities warn is a significant threat.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the trend had only just emerged, leading them to conduct the largest single seizure of trafficked weight-loss drugs ever recorded by any global law enforcement agency.Andy Morling, the head of the MHRA’s criminal enforcement unit, said that in the last few months it had seen a new model of production, “where criminals are putting investment into designing their own packaging and branding … and selling it purporting to be a genuine product”.He added: “That is an unusual model. [What they seized] looked like genuine medicines, but are entirely unlicensed and illegal to sell in the UK

England’s children’s commissioner calls for closure of young offender institutions

Custody is being used as a “waiting room” for hundreds of children who are being unnecessarily locked up while awaiting trial or sentencing due to failing services, the children’s commissioner for England has warned.Dame Rachel de Souza said many children were being placed in custody not because they posed the greatest risk, but because the systems designed to support them were failing. She called for the closure of all young offender institutions (YOIs) in England.In the annual Longford Lecture on Tuesday night, de Souza will warn we have “retreated from our moral duty” and become complacent about children in custody.“We have left a vacuum in the services that children need

NHS staff who visit patients at home say St George’s flags can mean ‘no-go zones’

NHS staff who care for patients in their own homes fear some areas have become “no-go zones” for them because of the presence of St George’s flags, health leaders have said.Black and Asian staff have been left feeling “deliberately intimidated” as a result of the flags that were put up in many parts of England during the summer, according to the chief executive of one NHS trust in England, who asked to remain anonymous.“We saw during the time the flags went up, our staff, who are a large minority of black and Asian staff, feeling deliberately intimidated,” he said.“It felt like the flags were creating no-go zones. That’s what it felt like to them

AI chatbots could help stop prisoner release errors, says justice minister

Artificial intelligence chatbots could be used to stop prisoners from being mistakenly released from jail, a justice minister told the House of Lords on Monday.James Timpson said HMP Wandsworth had been given the green light to use AI after a specialised team was sent in to find “some quick fixes”.A double manhunt was launched last week after the incorrect release of a sex offender and a fraudster from the prison in south-west London.Release errors over the past fortnight have been seized upon by opposition MPs as evidence of the helplessness of ministers in the face of chaos within the criminal justice system.David Lammy, the justice secretary, is expected to address parliament about the number of missing prisoners when MPs return on Tuesday

A Neet way to help youth in Dudley | Brief letters

Regarding Dudley having the highest rate of young people not in education, employment or training (How Dudley became centre of UK’s youth jobs crisis, 8 November), this doesn’t surprise me, having taught for 24 years in the Black Country. The area has a large proportion of working‑class communities that value technical education, but the national curriculum makes little provision for this. Investment in technical education from an early age would equip these young people with the skills that would attract employers to the area.Kartar UppalSutton Coldfield, West Midlands In response to Bill Onwusah’s winter fuel payment query (Letters, 6 November), the Department for Work and Pensions calculates it based on your circumstances in the “qualifying week”, principally your age in September this year and if you were living in England or Wales, whereas your actual entitlement to the payment depends on your income in the 2025-26 tax year, which HMRC won’t know until April next year at the earliest.Godfrey KellerDepartment of economics, University of Oxford Regarding the issue of changing the name of Epstein Road in Thamesmead (Letters, 7 November), this could be solved by adding “Jacob” to the beginning