Sarah Hopkinson

Year of call: 2016

Sarah completed her pupillage under the supervision of Anthony Dunne, a criminal specialist.

Sarah regularly prosecutes and defends in the Magistrates Court, Youth Court and the Crown Court at all stages of proceedings. Sarah is a grade 1 prosecutor.

Crime

Practice Summary

Sarah has experience in cases involving vulnerable defendants, witnesses and youths as well as expert witnesses.

Recent Cases

R v H (2022): The client admitted breaching a restraining order put in place to protect his ex-partner. Despite this offence placing him in breach of a suspended sentence order, Sarah persuaded the judge to impose a community order and not activate any part of the suspended sentence.

R v C (2022): Sarah successfully prosecuted a case involving an alleged assault occasioning actual bodily harm where ID was in issue, it being a seemingly random attack following an outburst of road rage.

R v M (2022): The client, who suffered from mental health issues, was charged with three offences, one being assaulting an emergency worker. Sarah secured dismissal of the other two charges and persuaded the court to impose a financial penalty for the assault.

R v M, M & M (2022): Sarah represented two clients who were youths at the time the alleged offences were committed. Although they were found guilty of four assaults between them, Sarah persuaded the court to impose conditional discharges.

R v B (2022): Sarah successfully prosecuted a case involving racially aggravated public order offences, after which the Defendant was sentenced to a community order.

R v D (2022): The client, who was a youth, had pleaded guilty to four offences of robbery and possession of a bladed article in a public place. Sarah secured a youth rehabilitation order.

Family

Practice Summary

Sarah is regularly instructed on both public and private family cases, and has experience representing local authorities, parents and the children’s guardian.
In relation to her family practice, Sarah has been described as ‘calm and measured’, ‘confident and eloquent on her feet’ with a ‘very good sense of client empathy’.

Recent Cases

LA v W and Others (2022): Acting for the children’s guardian, Sarah secured Care and Placement Orders at the close of a 3-day final hearing involving issues surrounding drug misuse, home conditions and mental health.

P v P (2022): Sarah acted for the mother in a case where there was an acrimonious history between the parties, involving a child with onerous physical and mental health needs. Sarah successfully argued that the child should remain in the care of the mother.

LA v K and Others (2022): Sarah successfully applied for a Forced Marriage Protection Order, while acting for the local authority in a case where the subject had already been taken overseas.

Police

Practice Summary

Sarah has experience representing police forces at a range of applications on behalf of the police and is keen to grow this area of practice. Sarah also accepts instructions to advise police forces.

Recent Cases

SYP v T (2022): Acting for the police, Sarah was successful in securing a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, despite the respondent not having any relevant convictions since 2011.

WMP v G (2022): Sarah secured an indefinite Notification Order in respect of a respondent who had an overseas conviction for rape.
ity in a case where the subject had already been taken overseas.

Civil

Practice Summary

Sarah has experience dealing with small claims hearings, including cases involving credit hire.

Recent Cases

A v RSA (2022): Sarah secured over £6000 in damages for a claimant following a contested small claims hearing involving a road traffic collision. This case included credit hire as one of the issues.

S v W (2022): Sarah successfully represented a claimant in a small claims hearing involving a road traffic collision, securing over £2000 in damages.

Background

CPS Grade 2 Prosecutor

Education

2015 - University of Huddersfield – Bachelor of Laws and Masters of Law and Practice (2:1)
2016 - BPP Law School – BPTC (Very Competent)

Prizes/Scholarships

2015 - Lincoln’s Inn – Sir Thomas More Bursary
2015 - BPP Law School – Winner of the BPP advocacy competition
2016 - BPP Law School – Pro Bono award

Professional Membership

The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn
The North Eastern Circuit

Experience

Before joining chambers, Sarah spent 5 years working as a Home Office Presenting office, gaining experience within the First-Tier and Upper Tier Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber, where she dealt with appeals relating to asylum, human rights, European law and deportation.

In addition to this, Sarah worked at the University of York as a Problem Based Learning Tutor and at BPP Law School (Leeds) as a Visiting Lecturer, teaching the Asylum, Detention, Deportation and Extradition module.