News & Events: Criminal
How can the backlog be addressed?
It is no secret that the effects of COVID 19 have had a substantially detrimental effect on the “flow” of cases through the Crown Court. Prior to the lockdown, approximately 39,000 cases were waiting to be heard; now, five months on, there are well over 41,000 by most estimates. Some trials are being listed as […]
Siân Beaven secures Referral Order in youth robbery sentence
Siân Beaven represented R, a youth, who had pleaded guilty to 5 charges of robbery and 3 charges of attempted robbery at sentence. The client, who had been 13 years old at the time of the offences, had been part of a group that had committed the series of street robberies against other teenage victims. […]
Justin Gau secures rape acquittal
Justin Gau secured an acquittal for his client in a recent rape trial, where the Crown alleged the defendant had confessed in a text exchange with the Complainant. After a 4-day trial at Wood Green Crown Court, the jury were out for less than an hour before returning a verdict of Not Guilty.
38 members ranked in Legal 500 2021 Edition
We are proud to announce that Pump Court Chambers has been recognised as a ‘Top Tier Set’ in the Legal 500, 2021 Rankings. Described as the ‘go-to‘ set on the Western Circuit, 38 of our members have been recognised across a number of practice areas including: Chancery, Crime, Employment, Family and Children Law, Personal Injury and […]
Oliver Foy Joins Pump Court Chambers
Pump Court Chambers is pleased to welcome Oliver Foy to chambers following successful completion of his pupillage. During his pupillage he undertook work across Chambers’ core areas and gained specific experience in Employment, Criminal and Family law under the supervision of Heather Platt, Eleanor Fargin and Claire Fox respectively. Tony Atkins; Senior Clerk said: “We’re delighted […]
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 […]
When care proceedings and criminal proceedings collide
Corinne Iten of Pump Court Chambers joins regular host Mark Ablett to look at the issues which arise when care proceedings and criminal proceedings collide, following Corinne’s experience of a linked directions hearing in the Crown Court. The pod looks at issues such as the interrelation of the separate but factually linked proceedings and disclosure. […]
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 […]
