Annabel Hazlitt successful in the Court of Appeal

On 14^th February 2025, Annabel Hazlitt appeared in the Court of Appeal, successful in appealing a sentence imposed in the Crown Court sitting at Newport (Isle of Wight), as manifestly excessive.

The Defendant received a 24-month period of imprisonment for one count of Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm. Annabel argued that this was manifestly excessive, effectively “double-counting” the background of domestic abuse.

The appeal was successful, with the Court forming the view that the overall harm, having been placed within category 1 on the sentencing guidelines, the context of domestic abuse should not have been treated as an aggravating factor. The Court concluded that the effective double-counting of that factor resulted in a notional sentence, before credit for plea, which was significantly too high.

The appeal was allowed, reducing the sentence from 24 months’ imprisonment to 10 months’ imprisonment. Counsel was thanked for her excellent and impressive submissions.

The full judgment is reported here: R v Angus, [2025] EWCA Crim 224