Called to the Bar: 2003, Inner Temple
Inner Temple Exhibitioner
Recipient of the Paul Methven Scholarship Benefactors Award
Recorder of the Crown Court (2018)
Authorised to try Class II cases (2020)
Master of the Bench, Inner Temple (2025)
Accredited Inner Temple Advocacy Trainer (Pupils and New Practitioners)
Faculty, Keble Advanced Advocacy Course (2024)
Accredited Pupil Supervisor
Recommended as a ‘Leading Junior’ in Crime [Legal 500: 2017 – 2025]
Prosecutes and defends in legally aided and privately funded cases.
Grade 4 prosecutor (since 2016) and member of the specialist Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) panel (since 2012).
Recent cases have included prosecuting offences of attempted murder, drugs importation, wounding with intent, rape of a child and large drugs supply conspiracies and defending cases of manslaughter, attempted murder, wounding with intent, arson with intent to endanger life, possession of prohibited firearms, drugs importation and fraud.
Regularly instructed as Leading Junior counsel, particularly in relation to multi-handed drugs conspiracy and complex sexual offences.
Has undertaken extensive training in prosecuting serious sexual offences and cross-examining vulnerable witnesses.
Also regularly instructed to advise police forces and others on policy and procedure in relation to complex issues in criminal procedure and litigation, and as independent counsel in relation to issues of legal professional privilege in relation to on-going, sensitive, investigations.
Recent cases
R v Andrew Harston - In January 2025, appeared before Teesside Crown Court to prosecute the defendant, a former Director at Durham University, who was charged with sexual offences against two women. Following a trial the defendant was unanimously convicted of all counts and subsequently sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8mrvxngg2o
R v Glenn Adams - In January 2025, appeared before Southampton Crown Court, leading Daniel Ingham, on behalf of a defendant charged with drugs importation. The prosecution contend that the defendant was involved in a conspiracy intended to import cocaine valued at c.£80 million into the United Kingdom. Following discussions with the prosecution, the case was compromised, and the defendant was sentenced on 27th May 2025 to 13 ½ years imprisonment.
R v Benjamin Swindells - In October 2024, appeared at Leeds Crown Court to prosecute a defendant charged with attempted murder. The defendant was convicted following a five-day trial and on 20th December 2024 was sentenced to a 27 year custodial sentence comprising 23 years’ imprisonment, with a 4 year extended licence period.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8xj1e5gl4eo
R v Stephen Corner - In October 2024, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court to prosecute a defendant charged with attempted murder. Following legal argument regarding the admissibility of medical evidence (with the prosecution resisting the introduction of any such evidence) the defendant was re-arraigned and pleaded guilty to attempted murder. On 6th December 2024 he was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment.
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/24778509.south-shields-man-jailed-attempted-murder-partner/
R v H - In September 2024, appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on behalf of a defendant charged with attempted murder. The prosecution sought to rely upon res gesta hearsay evidence which directly implicated the defendant, however, following legal argument the trial Judge refused to admit the evidence, the prosecution offered no evidence, and the defendant was acquitted.
R v Siamund Yasin - In August 2024, appeared at Teesside Crown Court to prosecute a case of alleged rapes and assaults committed over the course of an evening at various locations around Darlington town centre after the defendant befriended the complainant, who had a number of vulnerabilities. Having advised in conference, the prosecution obtained expert evidence on the complainant’s suggestibility and desire to avoid confrontation as explaining her behaviour in remaining in the defendant’s company. The defendant was ultimately convicted of all counts and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment, comprising a 20 year custodial term and 5 year extended sentence.
R v Michael Ferry & Others - In July 2024, appeared before Newcastle Crown Court (leading Stephen Littlewood and, later, Daniel Ingham) where the final of seven defendants was sentenced for his role in a large-scale regional drug trafficking operation, uncovered as part of Operation Venetic (the NCA operation using material obtained from the ‘Encrochat’ encrypted messaging service).
The case involved a two-week trial in July 2023 (in which a range of arguments were advanced and resisted regarding admissibility, reliability and disclosure) and a Newton Hearing in April 2024, and the defendants – one of whom was conspiring from inside prison - were sentenced to a total of over 115 years’ imprisonment, which the principal defendants receiving 25 years 6 months and 22 years 6 months imprisonment respectively. The Court also made Serious Crime Prevention Orders against a number of defendants and made Confiscation Orders to the value of over £5 million.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmj2mplvgj3o
R v Ryan Jackson - In June 2024, appeared before Leeds Crown Court on behalf of a defendant charged with five counts of collecting or making a record of information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism and one count of dissemination of a terrorist publication, along with offences relating to his possession of indecent images of children. Following extensive mitigation, the defendant was sentenced to a total of 2 years 6 months’ imprisonment.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c84418eq2n2o
R v Rimas Ekleris - In January 2024, appeared before Grimsby Crown Court to prosecute the driver of a HGV involved in the importation of 60kg of cocaine, with an estimated value of £5 million. Following a six day trial, which included evidence obtained from foreign intercepts and cell site and ANPR data, the defendant was convicted and sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmmdygjgmjro
R v I - In December 2023, appeared at Bradford Crown Court on behalf of first defendant in an alleged knifepoint kidnapping. The prosecution had, however, lost contact with the complainant and so sought to rely upon his evidence under the hearsay provision of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Having heard legal argument, the trial Judge refused the prosecution’s application and the defendants were acquitted.
R v Christopher Taylor & Others - In October 2023, appeared at Durham Crown Court (leading Jess Butterell) to prosecute a case involving both a conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and a separate conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime. The latter trial, heard over two weeks at Newcastle Crown Court, saw jurors provided with a laptop to marshal the voluminous banking and other financial records upon which the case was built, which was the first time such technology had been deployed at Newcastle Crown Court. The lead defendant was ultimately sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/23864763.st-helen-auckland-man-concealed-criminal-money-network-accounts/
R v N - In September 2023, appeared at Teesside Crown Court to represent one of two defendants charged with manslaughter in relation to their alleged involvement in a theft from a delivery driver which precipitated his tragic death. Following representations the prosecution offered no evidence against the defendant in respect of the manslaughter charge, the defendants pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced to 6 months’ imprisonment.
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/23772857.two-men-formally-cleared-dpd-delivery-drivers-horden-manslaughter/
Other cases of note
R v Robinson - Prosecution junior, led by Peter Makepeace Q.C., prosecuted the defendant for the murder of his partner, whom he killed during a prolonged incident of sporadic domestic violence which caused a diffuse traumatic axonal brain injury which, along with alcohol intoxication, was the cause of death. The case involved issues of hearsay and bad character evidence, along with factual issues relating to causation. The defendant was unanimously convicted in a little over an hour, and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years.
R v Cahill and Harper - Prosecution junior, led by Adrian Waterman QC, in the appeal against conviction and sentence hearing before the Court of Appeal. The Appellant contended, principally, that an admission she had made to a prison officer ought not to have been admitted in evidence and that the directions of law in relation to joint enterprise were defective. The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal on all grounds and upheld the conviction and sentence.
R v Husman & Others - Prosecution junior, led by Nicholas Campbell Q.C., instructed by the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division – prosecuted two serving police officers – Wahid Husman and Tahsib Majid – who planned to carry out unlawful ‘sting’ operation, steal the drugs which they seized and then supply them on via their criminal associates, for their own profit. In addition, both officers had, separately, obtained and disclosed personal and sensitive data from police systems for their own, unlawful, purposes. In Mr. Husman’s case that included passing the information to his criminal associates. On 7th August 2017, Wahid Husman and the officer’s criminal associates pleaded guilty in respect of their involvement in the plot and the disclosure of personal data, and on 22nd August 2017, after a trial which had lasted ten days, Tahsib Majid, was unanimously convicted of all counts. In October 2017, the two police officers were sentenced to a total of 31 years’ imprisonment, and their criminal associates a total of 28 years’ imprisonment for their involvement in the offences. The case involved careful analysis of cell site and ANPR evidence, covert recordings and piecing together a complex circumstantial case.
R v Cahill and Harper - Prosecution junior, led by Andrew Robertson Q.C., prosecuted two defendants for the murder of Owen Kerry, in Cramlington Working Men’s Club on Christmas Eve 2016. Brian Cahill accepted being the person who inflicted the fatal stab wound, but he denied that he did so deliberately. His partner, Lyndsey Harper, who was with him in the Club that night, admitted causing trouble in the Club but denied any knowledge of or participation in the fatal attack. Despite there being no evidence that Lyndsey Harper was aware that Brian Cahill had a knife with him, on 27th June 2017, after a 12 day trial, both defendants were unanimously convicted of murder. On 28th June 2017 Brian Cahill was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 26 years and Lyndsey Harper was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years. The case involved careful analysis of joint enterprise post-Jogee and the taking of evidence via Skype from a witness whilst she was on holiday overseas.
R v Bashir & Others - Defence junior, led by Adrian Waterman Q.C., in a 12 week trial before Males J (as he then was) at the Crown Court at Sheffield representing a young defendant charged along with 2 adults and two youths with murder of Craig Preston. The two adult defendants, Shiraz Bashir and Leonie Mason, were found guilty of murder and the three 15 year old defendants were found guilty of manslaughter. The case involved consideration of vast quantities of unused material, analysis of cell site evidence and complex issues of causation (as the deceased, having initially been assaulted in a layby outside Rotherham, was driven by the two adult defendants to a ravine on the Woodhead Pass where his body was thrown to into a river below), and associated issue of neuropathology. Appeared alone at the sentencing hearing and the defendant received a sentence of 3 years’ detention, the lowest of the sentences imposed, an application by the media to lift reporting restrictions in respect of the young defendants was successfully resisted.
R v Thaxter - Prosecution junior, led by Dafydd Enoch Q.C., following a five week trial before Globe J, Jason Thaxter was unanimously convicted of the murder of Thomas Groome, his mother’s long-term partner, and conspiring with his mother to prevent the lawful burial of Thomas Groome’s body. On 19th December 2016 Jason Thaxter was sentenced to life imprisonment and must serve a minimum of 30 years before he may apply for release on life license.
In March 2015 Jason Thaxter’s mother, June Buttle, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in respect of her involvement in the killing of Thomas Groome, preventing the lawful burial of a corpse and fraud, and is currently serving a 16 year prison sentence.
The prosecution of Jason Thaxter was a formidable challenge, given that the deceased’s body has never been found and there was no forensic or eye witness evidence against the defendant. Instead it was necessary to rely extensively on hearsay evidence; from the defendant’s ex-partner, to whom the defendant confessed in the hours after the murder, but was medically unfit to attend the trial, and from two Irish nationals to whom the defendant’s mother confessed both her own and the defendant’s involvement in Thomas Groome’s killing several years after the event, despite the defendant’s mother (who was also called to give evidence) denying having made the confessions.
The case also involved liaison with police forces in Portugal (where the deceased had moved shortly before his death) and Ireland, and the Crown Prosecution Service worked closely with the Irish authorities under the mutual assistance regime to ensure, inter alia, that five witnesses resident in Ireland could give evidence using a live video-link from a courtroom in Dublin rather than travel to the UK. Stephen Littlewood acted as disclosure junior.
Appellate work
Appeared before the Court of Appeal Criminal Division, inter alia, in the cases of R v Tyers [2012] EWCA Crim 581 (a successful appeal against sentence in relation to a night time dwelling burglary which involved a confrontation with the householder), R v Dunkova [2011] 1 Cr. App. R. (S.) 40 (a successful appeal against sentence in a human trafficking case where leave to appeal was refused by the single judge).
Publications
- Practical problems with suspended sentences under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 [Criminal Bar Quarterly Issue 4, October 2008, page 6]
- Putting it to them: Adducing Evidence of Non-defendant's bad character under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 [Justice of the Peace Journal Vol 170, Number 38, page 729]
Professional Memberships
- North Eastern Circuit (Circuit Secretary November 2011 – 2019)
- Criminal Bar Association
- Proceeds of Crime Lawyers' Association
- Human Rights Lawyers' Association
- Inner Temple Mentoring Scheme