Latest News and Events from our Barristers and Chambers

Martin Rutherford QC represented NL, a young man accused of a joint enterprise stabbing in North London. At the close of the prosecution case at the Old Bailey Martin successfully argued there was no joint enterprise based on the recent ruling in R v Jogee.  The judge agreed, and NL was acquitted.

Beth Crocker represented KT, a local business owner, accused of playing his part in a conspiracy to defraud the London Borough of Southwark.  Funds were being syphoned off by a corrupt employee at Southwark and credited to the business rates accounts of business owners in exchange for cash.  Further sums…

Beth Crocker represented FT who was stopped at Birmingham airport with 4.4kilos of cocaine in her suitcase.  FT was stopped having spent a week in Jamaica.  She denied all knowledge of the drugs in her case but interrogations of her telephone revealed suspicious communications with persons in Jamaica and the…

Following a three day trial at Isleworth Crown Court the Jury unanimously found the defendant not guilty of GBH. Briefly, the Crown alleged that the defendant was the aggressor in a neighbour dispute over loud music. The Crown alleged that the defendant had brought “knives to a punch up” and…

Chambers is delighted to announce that Michael Hillman has accepted an invitation to join Chambers. Chambers is also pleased to announced that Helen Dawson and Stuart Dingle have joined Chambers after the successful completion of their pupillages.  

Neil Ross and Justin McClintock successfully defended in a 7 day trial involving a large scale fight in the middle of a busy public road. Evidence was heard as to how a belt and a broken bottle were used as weapons, with six men and women needing hospital treatment by the end.  The…

  By Jeremy Lynn, 15NBS Chambers As a barrister I have a keen interest in whether my client has Legal Aid: I want to know at the outset whether, and by whom, I am going to get paid. Since the introduction of the Graduated Fee Scheme we…

Justin McClintock has conducted the successful defence of a defendant accused of false imprisonment and robbery. It was suggested that Justin's client had, as part of a gang, forced his way into a flat where a number of individuals were attacked with machetes / swords. It was further alleged that…

 James Lofthouse, instructed by CPS SE Complex Casework Unit as sole prosecution counsel, secured a conviction for murder at Lewes CC. The Defendant and his victim were partners who also ran the Battle Tackle fishing equipment shops. Having denied murder on the basis of loss of control, and following the…

Helen McCormack has secured the conviction of a woman who made up to 130 false reports of crime to the police , many of them against a man with whom she had a short relationship. She was also convicted of stalking him and two of his subsequent girlfriends. The case received significant…

John Waller successfully defended a teenager accused of a joint enterprise robbery in which a taxi driver was struck around the head with a bottle of vodka. The Jury were receptive to Mr Waller's robust submissions that the complainant was unaware of who had struck him with the bottle and that…

Patrick Maggs defends in this matter, which has received significant attention in the national media: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/retired-head-of-croydon-school-facing-jail-for-sex-with-boy-14-a3330566.html

Helen Dawson secured the acquittal of a Defendant charged with facilitating the illegal entry of a non-EU national at Canterbury Crown Court. Helen’s client was apprehended by the Border Services in Dover, with her partner, son and the non-EU national also present in the car. Despite her co-defendants pleading guilty…

Robert Ward, led by Kieran Vaughan QC, acted for a teenage defendant accused of killing a 17 year-old in Acton. The incident was widely reported the national press: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/oct/16/17-year-old-arrested-youth-stabbed-death-acton-west-london http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-34565728 http://www.itv.com/news/london/2015-10-17/second-youth-arrested-over-acton-murder/

On 9 August Justin McClintock's submissions in the Court of Appeal led to a two year reduction in the appellant's sentence for his role in what the prosecution asserted was a conspiracy to supply cocaine worth £2.5 million  The Court of Appeal accepted Justin's central submission that the appellant incorrectly received a…

Michael Collis acts for the Nursing and Midwifery Council in high profile case: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/25/nhs-chief-launched-cover-up-after-surgeon-operated-on-wrong-fing/

On 21st July 2016 John Waller successfully argued that an original sentence of 25 months was manifestly excessive and the Court of Appeal reduced the sentence to 18 months. The Appellant had been sentenced to a total sentence of 25 months imprisonment for Breach of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order and…

In circumstances undoubtedly the strangest of the year, RZM represented a lady who had originally been charged with riotous disruption of a church service under section 2 of the Ecclesiastical Church and Courts Act 1870. This overzealous charge arose from the fact that her client was protesting outside a church…

One of our junior tenant's, Jodie Woodward, who has recently been battling breast cancer has recently launched a new charity and would appreciate your support.   When Jodie was initially diagnosed, she was provided with a file full of advice from the lovely people at Breast Cancer Care; part of this advice was…

Helen Dawson acted for an Albanian man wanted for murder in Albania, and also currently on bail for an allegation of rape in the UK, not currently charged. See link for more information. http://news.sky.com/story/1709682/albanian-killer-fights-extradition-from-uk