Called to the Bar 1997/Middle Temple

Education

• LL.B (Law with Politics) (University of Birmingham)
• M.Jur and Ph.D (Institute of Judicial Administration-University of Birmingham)
• M.Soc.Sci (CQSW)

Formerly a solicitor and a qualified social worker who can communicate in British Sign Language to Level I. She transferred to the Bar in 1997 having previously taught Criminal Law and Evidence at the University of Central England (then Birmingham Polytechnic) and then full time at the University of Sheffield where she was the Criminal Law course co-ordinator. She ran a half module in feminist jurisprudence and supervised a number of Masters dissertations.

Areas of Practice

Tina Dempster is a senior criminal practitioner with a heavy caseload of serious crime. She appears on an almost daily basis in the Crown Court both alone and as a led and leading junior. In addition to a general practice which covers the whole spectrum of serious crime, she specialises in particular in the following areas

• Serious sexual offences;
• Child cruelty, in particular cases involving complex medical issues;
• Other serious offences involving complex telephone analysis and cell site evidence.
• Level 4 prosecutor (including rape panel)

She both prosecutes and defends. Entries in the Legal 500 include her suitability for cases concerning expert witnesses whilst the present entry describes her as a practitioner who is recommended for cases involving vulnerable adults. She has represented vulnerable defendants where an intermediary has been appointed (R v W-Nottingham Crown Court) and has successfully challenged a decision to prosecute by way of judicial review in a case involving a vulnerable young person (ES DPP)

She has appeared in the following cases (inter alia)

R v Benson, McGovern and Steanson-prosecuting murder as leading junior

R v Eccles and Others-prosecuting a multi handed conspiracy to commit armed robbery involving telephone analysis and cell site evidence

R v Barran and Others-prosecuting as leading junior a multi handed conspiracy to kidnap and commit armed robbery

R v Reed and Reed-Court of Appeal-led in CA guideline case involving Low Template DNA evidence

R v B, R v K, R v H, R v ML-defending historic allegations of rape

R v Buchan-defending in multi defendant conspiracy to supply Class A drugs

Attended training in prosecuting serious sexual offences and in the use of intermediaries to assist vulnerable witnesses.

Referred to in the Legal 500 “Tina Dempster specialises in cases involving children and is good with expert witnesses"

She is an advocacy trainer for the North Eastern Circuit and regularly offers training to external organisations on the interviewing of children and other vulnerable witnesses and the presentation of their evidence in court.

She was shortlisted in 2011 for an award in the Criminal Law category of the Acquisition International Legal Awards which “celebrate excellence and reward firms, teams and individuals for their contribution to client service, innovation and commitment to quality”. 

Professional Membership

• North Eastern Circuit