Updated bribery law comes into play

A magistrates court clerk has been charged with taking a bribe of £500 from a defendant in a landmark case affected by a recent update to the legal system.

Munir Yakub Patel, an administrative clerk at Redbridge Magistrates' Court in London, is the first person to be charged under the new Bribery Act, which came into force at the start of July.

Patel is alleged to have promised a defendant facing action for a motoring offence that he could influence the course of the proceedings for a 'fee' of £500, the CPS said in a statement.

He has been charged with with requesting and receiving a bribe intending to improperly perform his functions, it said.

Patel is also accused of misconduct in a public office and perverting the course of justice.

The new laws makes it illegal to offer or receive a bribe after previous anti-corruption laws were deemed too complicated.

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