Need representation for assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)

Notable cases:

R v W

W, a young man on a night out was charged with causing GBH, namely a fractured and displaced skull.  The complainant was struck from behind, so the evidence came from largely circumstantial evidence and direct evidence before and after the punch.  One of the key pieces of evidence was that the complainant heard another witness say to the defendant ‘you just whacked my boy.’ Will lodged a skeleton argument that this statement was hearsay (s.114 and s.115 CJA 2003) and therefore inadmissible following the guidance in the leading case of Twist [2011].  This was opposed by the crown raising arguments of original evidence and the purported purpose of the statement.  The judge ruled the statement inadmissible. Will’s strong case management strategies and ability to identify, raise and tackle legal argument resulted in the defendant being acquitted unanimously.

R v M

Conspiracy to blackmail and cause GBH in a prison.  The complainant was serving 20 years for firearms offences, however the judge ruled this would not be disclosed to the jury.  This became a cut-throat case resulting in all the other defendants having successful bad character applications made against them for attacking the character of other witnesses (s.101 (1) (g) CJA 2003) or creating false impressions (gateway f).  Even though Will’s client wanted to attack the complainant’s credibility, he was able to advise him to remain calm, tell his story and retain his shield.  This was key in securing a hung jury and subsequent offer of no evidence by the crown prior to the retrial.