Crime News

Berenice Mulvanny defends in £200,000 arson case at Winchester Crown Court. Edward Beavis, a man with considerable mental health vulnerabilities, pleaded guilty to setting fire to a temporary school building acting as two classrooms at Avenue Primary School in Warminster in January 2017. He was sentenced to a total of 3 and a half years in prison and avoided an extended sentence. Read the article on BBC news here.

Adam Feest QC and Jodie Mittell represented Lucasz Jarosz who was charged with the attempted murder of a 13 year old school girl. The case had a tragic background as the offence was committed on the day when the defendant’s wife had committed suicide. He then drove his car deliberately towards a railway bridge in an attempt to kill both himself and the girl. When imposing a sentence of 8 years, HHJ Forster QC accepted...

Back in August, Graham Gilbert wrote a short piece about Ms Lavinia Woodward, the Oxford medical student who has gained an unfortunate notoriety following her conviction for stabbing her then-boyfriend in the leg with a bread knife. In part, her “fame” arose because HHJ Pringle, QC, adjourned sentencing until 25th September and indicated that he may see fit to impose a suspended sentence. On 25th September, he did just that, and so it seems to...

Jane Rowley was Lead Defence Counsel for one of 5 men accused of trafficking for sexual exploitation, sexual activity with a child, conspiracy to facilitate the prostitution of children and the supply of drugs, in R v Asad and others (Operation Wren) Newcastle Crown Court 2017. The trial arose as a result of Operation Sanctuary/Wren which was one of the largest police investigations into the sexual exploitation of vulnerable girls/women ever mounted in the UK. The...

Jodie Mittell prosecuted a well organised commercial smuggling operation. The group conveyed mobile phones and steroids into Winchester prison and were involved in laundering money from inmates and their relatives. The leaders of the group were given consecutive terms of imprisonment despite already serving long sentences. For more information about the case please click here.

Criminal Barrister Jodie Mittell prosecuted six men responsible for the supply of 2 kilos crack cocaine and heroin to Southampton users, over a six month period. The gang took their orders through a phone line called ‘The Scouse network’ and then obtained their supplies from Liverpool. Jodie Mittell said that the drugs hotline, which sometimes offered £10 worth of heroin or crack cocaine for the price of £5, had been contacted by more than 1,500...

Criminal barrister Berenice Mulvanny represented the defendant in Hampshire’s first case involving possession of a synthetic cannabinoid spice (legal high) with intend to supply after the new legislation came into force. For more information please click here.

Jane Rowley has been instructed as Leading Counsel for a Defendant facing Serious Sexual Assault charges in Newcastle Crown Court. The trial commenced on 21st August and is expected to conclude early October. The case arises from a series of complex investigations conducted by Northumbria Police, into alleged sex rings operating in the North East by a network of males sexually abusing young women and girls. Operation Sanctuary/Operation Wren.

Adam Feest QC, prosecuting on behalf of the CPS Wessex Complex Casework Unit, successfully prosecuted the case of Kevin Adams at Bristol Crown Court in a trial lasting 8 days in June 2017. This highly unusual and sensitive case involved an allegation of gross negligence manslaughter in the context of extreme consensual homosexual sexual activity.  In a scenario of two men meeting for sex which involved mutual drug taking, the restraint of the deceased by...

Jodie Mittell and Gemma White have successfully prosecuted the main class A drug networks discovered during “Operation Shield” in Southampton. Jodie led Gemma in the prosecution of the eight “Scouse” network defendants bringing drugs from Liverpool. In addition, Jodie prosecuted six defendants in the “Beer” network operating from London whilst Gemma dealt with the “Magic” network based in Southampton.

R v I and others (Operation Doublet/ Rochdale Child Abuse Cases) Manchester Crown Court 2016 Between September-December 2016 at Manchester Crown Court, Jane Rowley successfully defended a client, who had been charged with sexual assault/rape in a multi-handed trial arising from the multi-agency Rochdale Child Abuse Enquiry. The trial involved numerous child complainants alleging systematic abuse by a number of Asian males, all of whom were convicted save for our Defendant.

Stephen Parish successfully prosecuted Dler Mohammed for attempting to kill his brother's partner by stabbing her in the back in a Portsmouth shopping centre. Mohammed was sentenced to 19 years imprisonment at Portsmouth Crown Court. Please click this link to view more information about the case.