News for: Thomas Acworth

Nate Lara successful in sentence reduction in the Court of Appeal

31st October 2025

3PB criminal law barrister Nate Lara (pictured here) has been successful in the Court of Appeal, arguing that the original sentence imposed in the Crown Court was manifestly excessive and wrong in principle. The defendant received a sentence of imprisonment of 30 months. Nate argued that despite the aggravating features the sentence was excessive, going outside the range in the relevant sentencing guidelines, without sufficient justification for doing so. Nate also argued that the court...

Tom Acworth obtains seven year sentence reduction at Court of Appeal

30th October 2025

3PB's criminal law barrister Tom Acworth, who is instructed in general crime, regulatory crime and police law, acted for FBD at first instance and in this Court of Appeal hearing. FBD had been convicted of 13 sexual offences, which were committed against five children in the late 1990s. He was sentenced to 32 years’ imprisonment. The Court of Appeal agreed with Tom’s submissions that the sentence was manifestly excessive and reduced the overall term of...

3PB Barristers is delighted to confirm another strong set of results for its Crime and Regulatory Crime team in Chambers and Partners’ 2026 edition published today. While the team retains its Band 1 ranking for Crime in the Western Circuit, with 9 of its practitioners ranked in this area of law; and maintains its 3 individual rankings for Health and Safety in the same Circuit, it welcomes a new ranking for Financial Crime in the...

3PB is delighted to confirm that its Crime and Regulatory Crime team remains top tier ranked in the latest Legal 500 edition for Crime (General and Fraud) in the Western Circuit with a total of 13 rankings. The crime group retains its tier 2 ranking for Business and Regulatory Crime (incl. Health and Safety) in Western. Crime clients regard 3PB as ‘a massive set with a solid stable of highly competent, persuasive and talented advocates...

Thomas Acworth’s client acquitted of multiple historical sexual offences

25th October 2024

3PB's crime barrister Thomas Acworth (pictured here) acted for JP, a 60-year-old man of previous good character, who was accused of serious sexual offences said to have taken place from the late 1970s to the mid 1980s. He was tried before HHJ Feest KC at Winchester Crown Court. The indictment included 22 incidents of what would now be charged as rape of a child under 13. The litigation involved considerable arguments over disclosure, which were...

3PB Barristers congratulates its first-class Criminal and Regulatory Law team for another strong result in Chambers and Partners’ 2025 edition. Not only has the team retained its Band 1 ranking for Crime in the Western Circuit, with 10 of its practitioners ranked in this area of law, it has also added 2 new rankings for Health and Safety in Western, now totalling 3 ranked barristers. While our barristers are praised for their forensic analyses, strategic...

3PB’s Criminal Law team has retained its top tier ranking in the Legal 500 for Crime (General and Fraud) in the Western Circuit and welcomes three new rankings: 14 of its 28 practitioners are now ranked by the Legal 500. In our clients’ words, “3PB is ‘a strong set with barristers of every level and specialism’ and continues to handle cases across a wide spectrum of serious criminal cases, spanning murders, large-scale drug conspiracies, sexual...

Crime and regulatory law newsletter out now

13th June 2024

Welcome to our third crime and regulatory law newsletter edited by Oliver Hirsch, featuring our conference on 13 September as well as crime news and analysis from Oliver Hirsch, Kate Davies, Jo Martin KC, Gemma White, Tom Acworth, Berenice Mulvanny, Sunyana Sharma, Rebecca McKnight and Holly Fagan.

Thomas Acworth acts for vulnerable defendant in arms dealing conspiracy

6th March 2024

3PB crime barrister Thomas Acworth represented DB, a vulnerable man with serious health issues, who was charged with conspiracy to transfer prohibited weapons and conspiracy to transfer ammunition. Together with others, DB was said to have converted legal, blank-firing pistols into operational, lethal handguns. The handguns were then supplied to other organised criminal groups around the country. Some were used in gangland shootings. At sentence, HHJ Real accepted Thomas’ ‘focused and realistic’ submissions about DB’s role...

Crime law newsletter - out now!

7th November 2023

Welcome to 3PB's crime law newsletter, bringing you news and analysis from our team. Oliver Hirsch analyses the case of R v AFU [2023] EWCA Crim 23; Holly Fagan reviews the latest sentencing guidelines; Rebecca McKnight considers the origins, injuries, and challenges of non-fatal strangulation; and Jonathan Underhill sets out a sentencing guide for intentional non-fatal strangulation cases.

Thomas Acworth and Thomas Evans successfully defend clients charged with drugs offences after Operation Eternal

7th August 2023

Two of 3PB's crime and regulatory barristers Thomas Acworth and Thomas Evans (picture left to right) successfully represented two people arrested whilst fleeing their North London property along with a third male. In excess of 11kg of cocaine and more than £40,000 in cash was seized at the house. The execution of the search warrant of their property was part of the Metropolitan Police's Operation Eternal, a major operation launched in April 2020 to target...

Thomas Acworth's client acquitted of rape

19th April 2023

3PB criminal barrister Thomas Acworth (pictured) saw his client, X, acquitted of rape. X was accused of raping another student after they had been clubbing together.  Following the production of text message and telephone evidence, which undermined the complainant’s credibility, the Crown decided to offer no evidence against X on the first day of his trial. Thomas was instructed by Paige Schooley of Tang, Bentley & Jackson. To instruct Thomas, please email his clerk, Practice...