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16 May 2014 / Helen Mulcahy , Jim Sharkey , Jim Sharkey
Issue: 7606 / Categories: Features , Commercial
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Lies, lies & damned lies

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Jim Sharkey & Helen Mulcahy analyse a raft of recent fraud cases

Clutterbuck and Paton v Al Amoudi [2014] EWHC 383 (Ch) involved a defendant who became known in the British press as “the Vamp in the veil”. A couple sued Miss Al Amoudi, claiming that:

  1. they had transferred almost £3m to her in relation to the purchase of properties and an additional sum of almost £1m for refurbishment costs in relation to other properties; and
  2. a further six properties had been transferred to Al Amoudi at an undervalue.

In relation to both claims, the couple said this was done as part of a number of joint ventures with Al Amoudi and that they would never have entered into these joint ventures, paid over the money and transferred the properties but for certain fraudulent misrepresentations allegedly made by Al Amoudi. They said she falsely claimed to be a Saudi princess, related to the Saudi royal family by marriage, extremely rich and that she had undertaken to arrange £46m

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NEWS
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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