Cathy Humphreys

A hardened core of 100,000 criminals convicted last year already had at least 15 offences to their names. This group of serial offenders is growing and now contains more than one in three of all criminals coming before the courts. Worryingly, official figures show that less than four in ten were sent to jail last year, despite their lengthy criminal records. The number of offenders with such prolific records has shot up by more than 50 per cent in a decade. Revenue chiefs are naming and shaming tax dodging small firms while multinationals avoid paying billions. Nine ordinary business people, including a hairdresser and a coach operator, were listed by HMRC as part of a scheme to highlight deliberate defaulters. The idea is that the stigma of appearing on the list, to be updated every three months, will persuade those thinking of avoiding tax to pay up. KIDS’ campaigner Esther Rantzen has revealed how learning of TV perv Jimmy Savile’s abuse was “a dagger in my heart”. The ChildLine founder, 72, had