Magistrates Court clerk first to be convicted under Bribery Act

A former Magistrates’ Court administrative officer from East London has become the first person to be convicted under the Bribery Act 2010.

Munir Yakub Patel, 22 from Green Lane in Dagenham, was charged in August under s. 2 of the Act for requesting and receiving a bribe intending to improperly perform his functions.

The court clerk took £500 after offering to “get rid” of a speeding charge. However, he was secretly being filmed by The Sun newspaper.

Patel admitted one count of bribery and misconduct in public office when he appeared at Southwark Crown Court today. However seven charges of possessing false garage receipts for use in fraud were ordered to lie on file.

Sentencing will take place on 11 November. The maximum sentence for an offence under s. 2(1) of the 2010 Act is 10 years’ imprisonment.

Janice Johnson, Patel’s counsel, told the court he was a man of previous good character.

Gaon Hart, Senior Crown Advocate for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Public servants are required to act with integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality but Patel's actions could not have been further from each of these.

“His conduct has brought into disrepute the criminal justice system as he sought to undermine the very laws which he was employed to uphold. The public rightly expects criminal cases to be dealt with fairly and professionally, and the police, courts and CPS have all worked together to deal with this case swiftly and robustly.”

Hart said the Bribery Act had provided a “significant weapon in the armoury of prosecutors that enables us to focus on the bribery element rather than general misconduct behaviour."

He added: “We will continue to target those who act corruptly purely for personal gain and tailor the charge to reflect their wrong-doing.”