Members of our advocates team have a wealth of experience in defending those charged with serious violence and public disorder.
Our advocates regularly defend in the Crown Court in cases of serious violence and public order offences which can include those involving a fatality.
Members of the team are very experienced in cases involving:
- murder
- manslaughter
- Section 18 (s18) causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent
- other offences of violence
- violent disorder and affray
Instruct a specialist defence advocate for public order and serious violence offences
Notable cases
Advocacy team
About the case
David Aubrey QC defended a man charged with a high-profile, brutal murder, in which the defence was ‘loss of control’.
David appeared before the Court of Appeal presided over by the Lord Chief Justice. A ‘guideline judgement’ hearing involving five other appellants heard over three days.
Advocacy team
About the case
3-month high profile murder
- Acting for the first defendant and only one charged with murder in an 8 handed trial
- Case involved thousands of hours of CCTV and complex images
- Jury failed to agree
Advocacy team
About the case
Multi-handed murder case. The main witness had entered into SOCPA (Serious Organised Crime and Police Act) agreement. The defendant was acquitted at retrial.
Advocacy team
About the case
The Defendant arrived home in the early hours of the morning and discovered his wife asleep on the sofa with a sleeping man. The Defendant threw a vodka bottle at the victim, waking and stunning him at the same time and then got a knife which he plunged deep into the victim, killing him. He claimed that he acted in self defence but there were also a question of ‘loss of control’ in case. (John took the case on appeal to the Court of Appeal and this is now one of the leading authorities on ‘loss of control defences’.)
Advocacy team
About the case
Representation of a female defendant charged with section 18 wounding in the context of domestic violence.
Advocacy team
About the case
The defendant had committed an aggravated burglary which included chasing several victims whilst armed. Initially he was assessed as being mentally well. After sympathetic conferences and a detailed advice, drafted for the purposes of obtaining a psychiatric assessment, S was ultimately diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He had suffered a manic episode at the time of the offence. The mitigatory effect of this afforded him a significant reduction in his sentence as well as treatment for a condition that had lain undiagnosed for many years.
Advocacy team
About the case
This was a highly sensitive case, attracted much publicity. It was alleged the defendant, a homeless young man, with no real motive, other than identity around the time of the allegation, had set fire to a home in which a mother and 4 children died.