News & Events: Criminal
Suspended sentence for man who tried to smuggle Class A drugs into prison
Richard Tutt represented Darren Lane, a heavily convicted serving prisoner from Bournemouth with 49 convictions for 161 offences on his record. Mr Lane was charged with conveying a List A article, 13.8g MDMA, into prison with an estimated value of £2,010. It was concealed in a hi-fi system when Mr Lane handed himself into a […]
Sarah Jones QC & Richard Tutt secure murder conviction
Sarah Jones QC, leading Richard Tutt, secured the conviction of Trent Hutchinson for murder at the Crown Court at Hove before HHJ Gold QC. Hutchinson (aged 16), stabbed his friend, Ollie Wells (aged 18), who had been staying with him. He stabbed him twice, once to the back and once to the head. Hutchinson claimed […]
Prison & Parole Hearings in the Age of COVID-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected all areas of public life and has changed the way the legal professions work. The impact of the changes in prisons has been particularly acute for our clients and for practitioners in crime and civil alike. In Prison & Parole Hearings in the Age of COVID-19, the speakers explore the changes […]
Prison & Parole Hearings in the Age of COVID-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected all areas of public life and has changed the way the legal professions work. The impact of the changes in prisons has been particularly acute for our clients and for practitioners in crime and civil alike. In this two-part discussion we explore the changes to the prison regime during the […]
Sarah Jones QC secures murder acquittal
Mark Oliver was acquitted of both the murder and unlawful killing of his brother Andrew in a trial which ended on 7th August at Winchester Crown Court in which Sarah Jones QC acted for the Defendant. The jury were told an argument had broken out between the brothers over pillowcases – each brother claiming some […]
Murder, Manslaughter and the Court of Public Opinion
Following the verdict of manslaughter returned against three defendants for the killing of PC Andrew Harper, news broke on 29th July 2020 that his widow had written to the Prime Minister to ask for a retrial after the jury failed to convict the three of murder. In the now infamously tragic case, PC Harper, a […]
The Magnitsky Act in the UK – A summary
Who was Sergei Magnitsky? Sergei Magnitsky, whose name is associated with laws implemented to impose sanctions on abusers of human rights, was a Russian tax advisor who died in police custody in 2009. He was arrested and charged on allegations of tax evasion after accusing Russian tax officials of defrauding Hermitage Capital Management, an investment […]
Dishonesty in the Criminal Courts
In ‘Dishonesty in the Criminal Courts’ Tim Akers and Alejandra Llorente Tascon explore the evolution of the test for ‘dishonesty’, from R v Ghosh [1982] EWCA Crim 2, to the present-day test in Ivey v Genting Casinos [2017] UKSC 67. The webinar will also explore the applicability of the Ivey test for ‘dishonesty’ in criminal courts following the Court of Appeal’s […]
Dishonesty in the Criminal Courts and Adjusting to ‘the New Normal’
Tim Akers explores the evolution of the test for ‘dishonesty’, from R v Ghosh [1982] EWCA Crim 2, to the present-day test in Ivey v Genting Casinos [2017] UKSC 67. The webinar will also explore the applicability of the Ivey test for ‘dishonesty’ in criminal courts following the Court of Appeal’s recent ruling in Barton & Booth v The Queen [2020] EWCA Crim […]
Naomi Gyane successful in the Court of Appeal
Congratulations to our Naomi Gyane on her success in the Court of Appeal this month. Ms Gyane’s client had been sentenced at Winchester Crown Court to 12 months immediate custody further to pleading guilty to a Sexual Assault. Ms Gyane was successful on all five of her grounds of Appeal, which included the argument that delays in […]
Skyping the Court of Appeal
Six Things I Learned dealing with an appeal against sentence during the pandemic: Court of Appeal Judges look infinitely less severe/frightening/impressive in “normal business attire” than when in full horse-hair and robed regalia. This sensation is further heightened when the designated High Court Judge giving the judgement of the court is the one in the […]
Technology – A lawyer’s Best Frenemy?
Following the covid-19 outbreak, courts have been forced into an alternative way of working. With the country in lockdown and people ordered by the government to work at home, the courts along with businesses have been transferred into the digital realm. While jury trials have had to be postponed, with only existing cases at the […]
