Crime News

Criminal barrister Nicola Talbot-Hadley appointed as a Circuit Judge

5th September 2022

We are delighted to announce that the Queen has appointed 3PB’s criminal barrister Nicola Talbot-Hadley (pictured here) to be a Circuit Judge with effect from 12 September 2022. Called to the Bar in 2007, Nicola was appointed as Chairman of Valuation Tribunal for England in 2017, as a Tribunal Judge in 2019 and as a Recorder in 2022,  Her Honour Judge Talbot-Hadley will now sit on the South-Eastern Circuit, based at Ipswich Crown Court. Nicola...

Yesterday, 80% of the members of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) voted to go on an indefinite, uninterrupted strike in England and Wales from 5 September. This overwhelming vote to escalate the action - started in April - will see criminal barristers refusing to take on publicly funded criminal defence cases. It is clear that the Government’s response remains insufficient to deal with the current crisis in the criminal justice system. This view is endorsed...

Tom Evans successful in reducing sentence in Court of Appeal

5th August 2022

3PB criminal barrister Tom Evans, pictured here, was successful in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) yesterday after the Court allowed an appeal in the case of R v Birol. Tom's client entered a guilty plea to falsely imprisoning his daughter on the second day of his trial. In the summer of 2021, he had travelled with his wife and elder daughter to Bournemouth where they collectively enticed their younger daughter into their car and...

Jonathan Underhill secures acquittal in case concerning multiple allegations of same sex sexual assault

2nd August 2022

3PB criminal barrister Jonathan Underhill (pictured here) has secured acquittal for his client in a case concerned with multiple allegations of same sex sexual assault. Jonathan’s client, a young woman of good character, was acquitted after a fully contested trial of four charges of Sexual assault. The offences were alleged to have taken place in a small bedroom in sight of an independent eyewitness. Further, the offences were said to have taken place against the...

Gemma White and Thomas Acworth secure extended sentences for youths convicted of causing GBH with intent

11th July 2022

In May, 3PB criminal law barristers Gemma White and Thomas Acworth (pictured here) secured the convictions of three youths who used a log to inflict extremely serious, life threatening and life changing injuries upon a care worker.  The care worker had challenged the youths for bullying another child.  They were sentenced on 30 June 2022. The two ringleaders (brothers, aged 14 and 16) were found to be dangerous offenders.  The youths were sentenced each to...

Gemma White, leading Thomas Acworth, secure convictions in multi-handed youth trial for causing GBH

13th May 2022

3PB barrister Gemma White, pictured here, leading Thomas Acworth, also pictured, secured convictions in multi-handed youth trial for causing GBH. On Thursday 12th May 2022 a jury at Hove Crown Court returned guilty verdicts against three young defendants following a complex and sensitive three week trial, arising out of a sustained and frenzied assault on a 46 year old care worker in a park in Worthing on Easter Sunday 2021. Two teenage boys, aged 14...

Pupil Success  - Oliver Hirsch obtains suspended sentence in serious knife case

9th May 2022

3PB barrister Oliver Hirsch (pictured here), a second six pupil coming to the end of his first month on his feet, has obtained a suspended sentence for a client charged with extremely serious allegations involving a bladed article. Our client, who suffered from several mental health issues, pleaded guilty and due the severity of the charges was facing a starting point of 18 months in custody, even though this was his first offence. Oliver was...

At the end of last year, Sir Christopher Bellamy’s review of criminal legal aid recommended a number of actions which urgently needed to be taken in order to stop and reverse the decades long decline of the publicly funded bar due to under investment.  His proposals were well-considered and based upon a multitude of evidence he had obtained from a wide variety of sources. In recent weeks, members of the Criminal Bar Association have voted...

Christopher Pix’s client acquitted of resisting arrest and assault

5th April 2022

3PB specialist criminal barrister Christopher Pix (pictured here), successfully represented a client charged with assaulting an emergency worker and resisting arrest. The American citizen faced potentially damning evidence from a PC and PCSO, together with Body Worn Video. The client was an overstayer. He had been due to return to the US, but had been unable to do so. The Crown’s case was that he resisted lawful arrest and in doing so assaulted an emergency...

Jodie Mittell represented taxi driver who had numerous rape allegations dropped

5th April 2022

3PB criminal barrister, Jodie Mittell, (pictured here) was instructed to represent a man from the Isle of Wight who was accused of raping six women over a period of 10 years. The 26 year old man of previous good character had been due to stand trial at Portsmouth Crown Court and his trial had been scheduled to last for four weeks from 4th April 2022. As part of his defence, Miss Mittell made a number...

Berenice Mulvanny secures a rare Bind Over for a client charged with assaulting an emergency work

31st March 2022

3PB specialist criminal barrister Berenice Mulvanny, pictured here, successfully represented a client charged with assaulting an emergency worker, securing a rare Bind Over at Bournemouth Crown Court after the Prosecution agreed to offer no evidence in exchange for the defendant agreeing to be bound over in the sum of £400 for 12-months. A 47-year-old woman of good character was alleged to have assaulted a police officer in Bournemouth on 22nd August 2021. Once fairly common...

Thomas Acworth’s client acquitted of causing death by careless driving

21st March 2022

3PB’s specialist crime barrister Thomas Acworth, pictured here, recently acted for a lorry driver, who was accused of killing an elderly motorist in road traffic collision. The driver was reversing his flat-bed lorry into a building site when the deceased’s vehicle collided with him.  The Crown alleged that he had not checked his mirrors prior to carrying out the manoeuvre.   The deceased suffered two brain haemorrhages. Having analysed the medical evidence in detail, Thomas decided...