Recent Cases from 2014

R v Beckles (2014) Wton CC. Defendant charged along with others of attempted murder. She had refused to give any account at the police station electing to exercise her right of silence. She declined on advice to give evidence at her trial. After a 2 week trial she was found not guilty by the jury

R v McIntosh (2014) Reading Crown Court. Attempted murder by shooting and conspiracy to supply class “A” drugs. Trial lasting 3 weeks. Complicated case involving issues of joint enterprise and secondary liability

R v Powell. (2014) Case involving historical sexual abuse going back to the 1970s when the defendant was only himself between 12 and 14 with one of the 3 alleged complainants being as young as 5 at the time. Factually and legally complex case. Factually complicated because of the passage of time and legally complicated by fact that it involved consideration of law namely the defence of Doli Incapac which was available to someone under 14 before 1996 and contrary to popular belief remains a valid defence today to offences committed before 1996 by someone under the age of 14 at the time of the alleged offences

R v Griffiths (2014) 83 year old defendant charged with sexual offences going back nearly 60 years. The defendant is not the oldest man to be charged with sexual offences but this is likely to be a case which involved the oldest sexual offences to date

R v Harper (2014) sexual abuse trial: defendant acquitted of the more serious allegation of sexual assaults

R v Kumar (2014) : trial : 38 year old man charged with 6 counts of rape of a girl from age of 13 onwards who gave birth to his child as a result of the offending

R v Heaps (2014) : trial : case attracting national media attention. Acid attack on a woman. Trial lasting 3 weeks.

Recent cases of murder and other serious offences in which I have been lead by Queens Counsel:

R v Rikko Marks (2013) : case of murder with a background of supply of class “A” drugs

R v Wishart (2013) case of murder by 2 relatively young men

R v Finn (2013) case of murder. Defendant found not guilty. Case involving a “cut-throat” defence. Defendant and co-defendant claiming that the other was responsible for the killing. Co-defendant found guilty of murder.

R v Abdulrahman (2013) complex case of attempted murder by a mother of own child of about 8 days of age which attracted national media attention. Case involved the complex medical defence of post partum post natal depression. Defendant found not guilty of attempted murder.

R v Bartnowski (2012) case of a double murder which attracted national media attention

R v Narwain (2012) case of murder by shooting with a background of supply of illegal drugs

I in particular have a significant practice in cases involving drugs. I have represented and continue to represent defendants charged with offences involving the supply of drugs and subsequent proceedings by the prosecution to recover the proceeds of crime under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. In particular I have appeared in such proceedings after others barristers have left the case. An example of recent successes:

R v Warley (2013) drugs case.: prosecution claimed the defendant had hidden assets of over £600,000 and that that amount was available for confiscation. Successfully reduced the confiscation order to approximately £87,000

R v Rattu: (2014) major drugs conspiracy: prosecution claimed the defendant had hidden assets of just under £900,000 and that that amount was available for confiscation. Case prosecuted by Queen Counsel. Successfully reduced the confiscation order to £30,000.