Practice Profile
John has been practising serious crime for over 20 years. Both as an independent member of the Bar and as the manager of an in-house Crown Court team he has an approachable but persuasive style. He spent many years in the airline industry before choosing to read law and coming to the Bar. He has a no nonsense approach coupled with an easy style particularly liked by juries.
When defending his successful acquittals in even the most serious cases have given rise to a respected reputation amongst professional and lay clients. His sensitive handling of cases involving children, the vulnerable and persons with mental health difficulties has garnered repeated praise from Judges.
Testimonials
Work Undertaken
- Homicide and crimes of violence
- Drugs trafficking including “County Lines”
- Serious sexual offences
- Fraud and financial crime
- Firearms offences
- Courts Martial
Notable Cases
Operation Income, R v. BM & others (2023 Oxford)
Murder. Defending. Multi-handed trial in what was known as “The Jericho Murder”. Complex issues on the facts and interpretation of joint enterprise relating to defendants’ actions immediately after a fatal blow. Acquitted.
R v. A (2022/23, Swindon)
Child Cruelty. Defending. s.28 cross-examination of 2 child witnesses and subsequent trial alleging cruelty over may years ultimately causing the children to flee the family home. Acquitted.
R v. MP (2023, Oxford)
Rape. Defending. Knifepoint rape of a vulnerable 60 year old woman with learning difficulties.
R v. PJ (2023, Northampton)
Rapes. Defending. Historic inter-marital rape allegations with numerous tranches of complaint evidence. Acquitted.
R v. EB (2023, Winchester)
Rapes. Defending. D of low cognitive ability coerced young man into his flat at night and raped him in various ways while semi-conscious through drink or drugs.
R v. RR (2023, Reading)
Attempted Rape & Sexual Assault. Defending. D, aged 59, alleged to have sexually assaulted and attempted to rape an 18 year old care home worker at night. Acquitted.
R v. NP (2022, Reading)
Rapes, kidnap, slavery, s.18. Defending. Multi-handed. Child held as a slave and repeatedly sexually abused. Escaped but was subsequently kidnapped to return to the abusive family.
R v. KC & others (2022, Reading)
Murder. Defending. Multi-handed gang related attack involving 1 fatality. Complex analysis of cell-site and CCTV evidence as well as issues of joint enterprise.
R v. SE (2021, Central Criminal Court)
Terrorism. Defending. D gathering and disseminating articles to contacts in the Middle East used for bomb making and propaganda.
Recent Published Work
August 2023 – Criminal Law Review Crim.L.R. 2023, 8, 512-529
Co-author : Crossing the Rubicon : Implications of s.75A of the Serious Crime Act 2015 for Consent and Reasonable Belief in Consent in Sexual Offences Act 2003 Offences.
A paper examining the implications – possibly unintended - of s.75A SCA 2015 as amended by the DAA 2021, which both places an evidential burden on a defendant running consent to a charge of intentional strangulation, and appears to rule out any belief in consent defence unless that belief in consent is firmly allied to evidence of actual consent. The Act arguably provides grist to the mill of the victims’ and women’s groups calling for the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to be amended to require ‘affirmative consent’.