AREAS OF PRACTICE

Criminal law

Licensing

Professional discipline

Regulatory work

Profile

A former radio and print journalist who is an effective and persuasive advocate, specialising in crime, regulatory work and disciplinary tribunals.

“The mistake I try not to make is in talking down to the clients, rather than across. After all, I am no better than anyone else – I just do a different job. So many people in all walks of life need your help when you do this work. If they think you’re arrogant and unwilling to listen you’ve lost them and you’ll probably lose the support of the tribunal that’s hearing the case, too. When you get to the trial if there’s one thing I learned from radio work it was that painting pictures with words will engage the court, not put it to sleep!”

Criminal law

            In a long and varied career Jeremy has both defended and prosecuted a huge number of different crimes. In recent years defending has been the area where he has been most called upon, whether it is aggravated burglary, assault of all kinds, (including murder, attempted murder and S.18), death by careless and dangerous driving, drugs, (including supply and vast cultivation), harassment, intimidation, large scale dishonesty, perverting the course of justice and wilful neglect. Increasingly, he has defended in all kinds of sexual cases (including burglary with intent to rape, indecent assault, assault by penetration, sexual assault of a child under 13, meeting a child following sexual grooming, sexual activity with a child family member, rape, sexual activity with a child, possession and distribution of child pornography) including allegations going back as far as 43 years ago.

Disciplinary tribunals

            Jeremy has conducted both the defence and the prosecution of internal disciplinary tribunals, including police hearings.

Regulatory offences

            Jeremy has acted on behalf of major manufacturers and retailers in the UK in relation to the retail of their products and prosecutions brought against them for alleged failures to comply with various regulations. He has an enviable record of success when acting on their behalf and a notable victory for a local authority – North East Lincolnshire – when persuading both the lower court and the High Court (on case stated) that a stationery set sold in a well known high street store was capable of being described as a toy and thus falling foul of the legislation for the protection of the public.

Notable cases include:

R v Hanson, Gilmore and Pickstone [2005] EWCA Crim 824 – Court of Appeal. The leading authority on bad character. Hanson was charged with burglary and it was argued that his bad character should not be admitted.

R v Paul Mitchell – Courts Martial Court of Appeal. Male charged with sexual offences against a child on an Army camp in Germany.

Argued that excessive sitting hours – over 11 on the day that the adverse decision was made – placed undue pressure on the decision makers, resulting in an unsafe verdict. Successful appeal against conviction, despite earlier rejections through the Army appeals process and from the single judge. Established the principle that an Army Board can be equated with a civilian jury.

R v Lydia Presley – Bradford Crown Court 2011 – death by careless driving. Successful argument to persuade the Court and the Crown to offer no evidence, based on the accidental nature of the incident and that not every driver’s error amounts to careless driving.

R v Aaron Fleming – Court of Appeal 20    - robbery of a taxi driver. Successful defence of a terminatory ruling in favour of the defence concerning no case to answer, based on a failure to comply with the strict rules in connection with appeals by the Crown.

R v Ralph Dale – Southwark Crown Court – 2000       - defence of a mute male charged with conspiracy to obtain by deception nearly £2million over 13 years.

R v Roy Riggall – Grimsby Crown Court – 2010 – successful defence of a male charged with 28 counts of historic sexual abuse on females 40 years ago.

R v Ian Welbourne – Grimsby Crown Court – 2011  - successful defence of a male charged with 22 counts of indecent assault and indecent assault on a male going back 25 years.

R v John Clipson – Sheffield Crown Court – 2011  - successful defence of a male charged with sexual assault upon two very young children.

R v  Jamie Clay - Grimsby Crown Court – 2011 – successful defence of a male with severe learning difficulties charged with sexual activity with a child. Precedent set for the further questioning of a child on video during the course of the trial when the child was no longer willing to complete cross-examination by television link

R v  Anthony James Thompson – June 2010 - Grimsby Crown Court – male charged with a S.18 grievous bodily harm based on causing a spiral fracture of the femur of a 3 year old. Praised by the judge for the cross-examination of one of the youngest children to give evidence in England and Wales.

R v Graham Sysum – Court of Appeal – 2009 successful appeal against sentence for attempted murder. 16 year term radically reduced.

In addition, Jeremy has had the unusual distinction of having dealt with two trials in the absence of the accused – one affray and serious assaults and one of burglary and theft – which both resulted in acquittals. When the lay clients were arrested both were given short sentences for failing to attend!

He has also been asked to advise a local authority and assist a circuit judge on what, if any, disclosure to make of a substantial quantity of material in an allegation of historic sexual abuse, defeated applications for Sexual Offences Prevention Orders, repeatedly obtained disclosure of highly relevant material in a variety of cases where it was rejected by the Crown and written articles for The Times on criminal law.

Jeremy has appeared in Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Cardiff, Chester, Doncaster, Durham, Grimsby, Hull, Lincoln, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Teesside, Warrington, York and other Crown Courts. He is no stranger to travel!

“My philosophy is that you have to acknowledge that the Bar is changing. If an opportunity arises to do different work I’m not such an old dog that I cannot learn new tricks. If I can be forgiven for mangling something so nobly said by Churchill, ‘Give me the brief and I’ll finish the job’ ”

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

North Eastern Circuit

Criminal Bar Association

Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers