I was instructed to defend Stephen Nicholson, aged 25, who was charged with the murder and multiple sexual offences against Lucy McHugh, a 13-year-old girl. The trial took place before Mrs. Justice May at Winchester Crown Court earlier this year. Nicholson lived as a lodger in the same house as Lucy and her family in […]
The Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) 2017 came into effect on 3rd April 2018 and places new legal duties on local authorities so that everyone who is homeless, or at risk of homelessness, should have access to meaningful help, irrespective of their priority need status, as long as they are eligible for assistance. The Act amends […]
Introduction 1. In R v O [2019] EWCA Crim 1389, the Court of Appeal gave further guidance on when a conviction may be unsafe where the defendant was a Victim of Trafficking (“VOT”). The Court concluded that there is a “settled approach to these cases”. This approach requires three questions to be posed: 1) Is […]
A man with a history of stalking offences pleaded guilty to one count of encouraging another to aid and abet murder by providing a gun and ammunition and one count of making a threat to kill. Matthias Brandt, of Horsham Road, Swindon, had initially denied claims he planned to kill his ex-partner. However he changed […]
Alejandra Llorente Tascon has successfully represented a man charged with section 18 wounding with intent to cause GBH and attempted wounding with intent to cause GBH. It was alleged that the Defendant had stabbed the complainant in the face and attempted to throw hot oil over him. The trial took place at Hove Crown Court […]
Sunday saw the Annual Pegasus Access and Support Scheme (PASS) held at Inner Temple. PASS was designed in order to support aspiring barristers who have not yet started their BPTC, with the aim of improving access to the profession and to support high achieving students from under-represented backgrounds by providing the experiences they need to […]
Sarah Jones QC has successfully represented a man arrested over the attempted murder of his first girlfriend following a four day trial at Portsmouth Crown Court. Harry Middleton, 21 of Chichester had been accused of attacking his ex-partner, 21-year-old Louise Brindley, with a 2.5in tomato knife leaving her with six wounds and a cut thumb […]
Pump Court Chambers is delighted to announce that Anne Brown has been appointed a Circuit Judge. Anne will sit at Kingston Crown Court. On joining Chambers, Anne gained a reputation as one of the leading juniors on the Western Circuit maintaining a strong and loyal following from local firms and gaining recognition from the leading […]
James Newton-Price QC has prosecuted a man for beating his partner to death. The defendant, Daniel O’Malley-Keyes of Christchurch, Dorset, battered his partner to death in her own home after she had embarrassed him by her drunken behaviour on a night out in Bournemouth. The victim was found to have 82 areas of bruising to […]
Pump Court Chambers is pleased to announce that Alejandra Llorente Tascon has been appointed to the Criminal Bar Association social mobility committee. The committee’s aim is to improve social mobility within the Criminal Bar through: Improving access to the Criminal Bar as a profession for individuals from all socio-economic backgrounds, challenging financial and structural barriers […]
Moving chambers as a third-six pupil can be a daunting and scary experience; however, this was not my experience of moving to Pump Court Chambers. From day one, I was made to feel welcome, valued and challenged. As a working pupil, no two days are ever the same. I often commuted to Southampton, Winchester, Portsmouth […]
We are deeply saddened by the tragic news that one of our former members of chambers H.H. Judge Cottle has passed away. Graham Cottle was an exceptional barrister and having joined from 4 Pump Court he quickly built up a very successful criminal practice on Circuit before being elevated to the Bench. He had been […]