Monday, October 28, 2013

Popular sports supplements contain meth-like compound

USA TODAY - A popular and controversial sports supplement widely sold in the USA and other countries is secretly spiked with a chemical similar to methamphetamine that appears to have its origins as an illicit designer recreational drug, according to new tests by scientists in the USA and South Korea.

The test results on samples of Craze, a pre-workout powder made by New York-based Driven Sports and marketed as containing only natural ingredients, raise significant health and regulatory concerns, the researchers said.

The U.S. researchers also said they found the same methamphetamine-like chemical in another supplement, Detonate, which is sold as an all-natural weight loss pill by another company: Gaspari Nutrition.

"These are basically brand-new drugs that are being designed in clandestine laboratories where there's absolutely no guarantee of quality control," said Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and a co-author of the analysis of Craze samples being published today in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Drug Testing and Analysis.

Read more on the investigation as it unfolds here.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Defendants in criminal trials forced to pay to see key forensic evidence

Defendants in criminal trials are facing charges of hundreds of pounds before being allowed to see key forensic evidence that may prove their innocence.

Guidance from the Home Office's forensic science regulator, Andrew Rennison, is being exploited by private firms to generate lucrative sources of income.

The costs are likely to fall ultimately on the government's Legal Aid Agency, which pays for representation of many defendants who appear in criminal courts.

Concern about a shift in charging practices has been raised by independent forensic scientists, who are increasingly being confronted by demands for payment before being allowed to examine DNA, firearms and other material pivotal to the outcome of criminal cases.

Read more here.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Criminal compensation reforms would shift burden of proof on to victims

Victims of miscarriages of justice will have to prove their innocence in future or endure damaged reputations, human rights groups and Labour's parliamentary frontbench are warning.

None of the Birmingham Six or Guildford Four, who spent more than 10 years in jail having been wrongfully convicted of pub bombings in the 1970s, would be entitled to payments under government reforms that will narrow the test for compensation, according to opponents.

Proposed changes attached to the antisocial behaviour, crime and policing bill governing compensation – due to come before the Commons on Monday – could be ruled illegal by the courts, it is also claimed.

The government's amendment to section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 would redefine the compensation test for a miscarriage of justice, limiting it to 'if and only if the new or newly discovered fact shows beyond reasonable doubt that the person was innocent of the offence'.

Read more here.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Criminals Today Are Taking It To the Tweets

Crime has a new face: Twitter. Political extremists, criminals and gang members are advertising their wares, flaunting their exploits and recruiting new members in 140 characters or less, according to police, criminologists and security experts.

The most shocking example occurred a week ago when the extremist group al-Shabab live-tweeted about the mall siege in Kenya, defending the mass killing, threatening more violence and taunting the military.
But the list is long -- and growing -- of those using Twitter and other social media venues for nefarious purposes.

Extremists spread their propaganda via video. Gangs post their colors, signs and rap songs to showcase their criminal enterprises. Prostitutes and drug dealers troll for new customers. Teens trash a former NFL player's house and brag about it with photos on Twitter.

But Twitter can be a double-edged sword: Public boasting about illegal deeds can serve as a road map for police and lead to arrests.

Read more here.