Defence Barrister Podcast

In this episode as we continue with appeals, we hear about how people who have had their case heard in the magistrates’ court can appeal against their conviction and sentence and what actually happens during the process, which you’ll be pleased to hear is far simpler than appealing against a conviction or sentence in the Crown Court.  And we also go into the detail about perhaps the most complex t...

Content warning. This episode contains details (relevant to the legal issues being considered) of a case concerning the murder of a young woman in terrible circumstances which may cause distress to listeners. In the vast majority of cases, once you have been sentenced, the prosecution are not entitled to appeal against that sentence, except where the sentence is within a relatively small category...

Withdrawing a guilty plea and appeals following a plea of guilty. What do you do if you have pleaded guilty to a criminal offence, but now realise you were not in fact guilty? In this episode we find out how the courts deal with applications to withdraw or vacate guilty pleas, and on what grounds you can appeal against your conviction based on your own plea of guilty. I hope you enjoy this episode...

Is there such a thing as an appeal against a verdict of Not Guilty? In this episode we look at the law on what is commonly known as double jeopardy, the idea (entrenched in law for many hundreds of years) that once you have been lawfully tried for an offence and a verdict entered, that is the end of it, even if you are acquitted. In this series I have looked at numerous examples of when people are...

In this episode we go to the Court of Appeal Criminal Division to hear the appeal of Aidan Johnson against his conviction for the murder of Daniel Clarke. Seeking to overturn the conviction on the grounds of fresh evidence and material non-disclosure, Gabriella Hadden - Aidan’s barrister - is confident in her approach, but sometimes hearings in the Court of Appeal can be less straightforward than...

In this episode, we take a deep dive into disclosure, that is how disclosure in criminal cases should actually work and why it is of vital importance in every criminal trial.  What do the rules actually require of the prosecution? And can the defence ever be satisfied that disclosure has actually been carried out correctly?  What can the defence do to ensure (as best they can) that full disclosure...

Identification, science and non-disclosure as grounds of appeal in criminal cases Warning : this episode contains a criminal appeal case in which limited reference is made to sexual violence. Listener discretion is advised. In Episode 5 of Series 2 of the Defence Barrister Podcast, we move on to another case which depended considerably on eyewitness evidence, and how the Court of Appeal dealt with...

Today we turn to grounds of appeal, i.e. the reasons why it is said that the jury's verdict is unsafe. And we look at a number of common grounds of appeal and the cases where they have been considered. We cover judicial bias, lawyers’ incompetence, the admissibility of evidence, the rules on producing fresh evidence in support of your appeal, appeals based on the refusal of a submissions of no...

How do appeals against conviction from the Crown Court really work? In episode 3 of Series 2 of the Defence Barrister Podcast, we delve into the appeal process and exactly how you can seek to turn around a wrongful Crown Court conviction.  As we’ll find out, there is no automatic right to appeal against a Crown Court conviction, so what is the process of getting permission to appeal, and then if s...

Aidan Johnson is sentenced for the murder of Daniel Clarke. DESCRIPTION In episode 2 of Series 2 of the Defence Barrister Podcast, Aidan Johnson is sentenced for the murder of Daniel Clarke. From discovering the ins and outs of life sentences for murder and other crimes in Episode 1 of this series, we now join the sentencing hearing for the one and only defendant to be convicted of the murder of D...

When do judges impose life sentences, how do they decide on the minimum term, and when does life really mean life? DESCRIPTION Please note: in this episode some of the content contains descriptions of cases of murder and other forms of serious violence, so listener discretion is advised . Today, in the first episode of Series 2 of the Defence Barrister Podcast, Aidan Johnson faces sentencing for t...

Before Series 2 commences on Wednesday 28 August 2024, here is a recap of what happened in Series 1, both as a reminder for everyone that has listened to all previous 14 episodes in Series 1 and also as a help to new listeners who may be short on time. What will follow in Series 2? In Series 2 , Aidan is sentenced and we will delve into the sentencing process. How does sentencing really work? What...

In the last episode of Series 1 of the Defence Barrister Podcast, the jury delivers its verdicts in the murder trial of R v Aidan Johnson and Conor Williams. A Not Guilty verdict will lead to freedom, a Guilty verdict will lead to a sentence of life imprisonment, the mandatory sentence for murder. Of course, the nature of jury trials in England & Wales is that we never get to hear exactly what hap...

In Episode 13, we hear the final closing speech from Ivy Jewell on behalf of Conor Williams, and then the judge sums-up the case to the jury. As the judge explains, the judge is ‘the judge of the law’ and the jury are ‘the judges of the facts’, their task being to evaluate the evidence and apply the law as they are directed to do. And as we will find out, even to trained lawyers, directions on law...

The murder trial of Aidan Johnson & Conor Williams continues. We have now reached the penultimate stage of the trial - closing speeches by the prosecution and the defence - where each advocate will pull together the strands of the evidence and seek to put together a compelling argument with the intention of finally persuading the jury to reach what they say is the correct verdict. As we will disco...

The murder trial continues, and we hear the defence cases on behalf of Aidan Johnson and Conor Williams. And now there are just two defendants left in our case, Bianca Jones having been acquitted on the direction of the judge following a successful submission of no case to answer by her barrister Henry Irwin. Having been formally found Not Guilty, it means that Bianca has left the case and moved o...

In Episode 10, we move through the remainder of the prosecution case against our three defendants, Aidan Johnson, Bianca Jones & Conor Williams, all of whom are accused of murdering 23 year old Daniel Clarke outside Bradley's Nightclub in the early hours one Saturday morning in late January. The prosecution are still to call the next main prosecution witness, Ethan Green, but - the last we knew -...

The murder trial continues, with the prosecution witness Finn Hawkins facing cross-examination by barristers Gabriella Hadden (for Aidan Johnson), Henry Irwin (for Bianca Jones) and Ivy Jewell (for Conor Williams). In Episode 8 we looked in detail at the first stage of questioning a witness - examination-in-chief - which is the process of eliciting from a witness their account of what took place....

As the trial gets underway, the prosecution calls Finn Hawkins to give evidence, the first witness in the case against our three defendants, Aidan Johnson, Bianca Jones & Conor Williams, all of whom are accused of murdering 23 year old Daniel Clarke outside Bradley's Nightclub in the early hours of Saturday morning in late January. In this episode we follow the questioning by the prosecution of Fi...

The trial begins. Today Aidan, Bianca and Conor face trial in the Crown Court on a single count of murder. After the end of Episode 6, Ethan Green - a vital prosecution witness - is now in a bit of bother himself, which causes more than a few problems for our prosecution barrister - Keith Lowe - in deciding how to proceed. But Ethan Green will soon be facing even greater problems himself. Join our...

As Aidan, Bianca and Conor head for trial at the Crown Court on a charge of murder, the prosecution and defence are preparing their cases. In this episode, we focus on evidence, and the potential problems with evidence when putting a case together. How does the prosecution prove a case to the criminal standard of proof, and how do they go about building a case which is strong enough to convince a...

Barristers and solicitors are the principal criminal lawyers in the criminal justice system. How do they work together and individually, what are the similarities and what sets them apart? As Aidan, Bianca and Conor arrive at the Crown Court, they meet their barristers Gabriella Hadden for Aidan, Henry Irwin for Bianca, and Ivy Jewell for Conor. It’s now time for the bail application in the Crown...

In Episode 4 we follow the defendants Aidan, Bianca and Conor - now charged with murder - to the magistrates’ court for their first court appearance. Introducing the magistrates’ court and the Crown Court, what types (or classifications) of offences do they deal with? What is a summary offence, an either-way offence and an indictable-only offence? Who are the judges in the magistrates’ court and C...

Episode 3 - Murder In Episode 3 we continue on our journey through the criminal justice system in England & Wales, with our suspects Aidan, Bianca and Conor no longer facing an allegation of Wounding with Intent, but instead facing a charge of murder, which upon conviction carries a mandatory life sentence. The definition of murder is the unlawful killing with malice aforethought by a sane person...

What does the offence of wounding with intent really mean in law, and how do lawyers analyse the actus reus (guilty act) and the mens rea (guilty mind) of an offence? How are the prosecution able to rely on a law that came into existence over 150 years ago? You may be surprised! What is meant by Joint Enterprise? How do the prosecution seek to impose blame on suspects who were not those who actual...