Talitha Purcell Gilpin

Solicitor

Criminal Defence

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About Talitha Purcell Gilpin

Talitha grew up in Zimbabwe before relocating to the UK to work, study and pursue a career in law. She completed the Bar Vocational Course and qualified as a non-practicing barrister in 2006, subsequently working as a criminal paralegal. In 2010, she joined Birds Solicitors working as a police station accredited representative and a paralegal specializing in Crime, Prison Law and Inquests, where she represented bereaved families. She cross-qualified and was admitted as a solicitor in 2013.

Talitha maintains a busy criminal practice with a client base that extends throughout England with a particular focus on representing vulnerable defendants, including those with mental or physical difficulties. She is committed to ensuring her clients are understood and their circumstances properly acknowledged by the courts. Recognizing that many defendants are themselves victims in certain situations, she advocates for justice that considers the full context of each case. Talitha is experienced in working alongside counsel, intermediaries, and a range of experts to support clients effectively throughout the trial process.

Her extensive criminal defence experience encompasses allegations of murder, perverting the course of justice, attempted murder, assaults of all levels, dangerous driving (including death by dangerous driving), sexual offences, controlling and coercive behaviour, armed robbery, kidnap, blackmail, burglary, drug offences, firearm offences, and public order offences such as riot, violent disorder and affray.

Additionally, Talitha has expertise in fraud and confiscation proceedings arising from proceeds of crime post-conviction. She provides advice on appeals against conviction and sentence, as well as other post-conviction and stand-alone orders.

Talitha has represented bereaved families at Article 2 inquests, where questions arise regarding failures in duty of care by state institutions. She has assisted families in preparing for inquests, aiming to uncover facts and highlight any institutional failings. Her background in criminal law, prison law, and inquests is particularly valuable in cases involving deaths in custody.

She completed specialized training with AMICUS and was offered a placement working on appeal cases for individuals facing the death penalty in the United States.

Notable Cases

• R v C (2025) – Defendant acquitted of multiple rape allegations. Crown’s evidence was effectively undermined by forensic medical expert evidence commenting on injuries, expert evidence from a urologist and multiple defence witnesses.

• R v S (2025) – Negotiated basis of plea for D in relation to conspiracy to supply class A drugs which related to a murder that occurred during the drug deal.

• R v L (2024) –Defendant charged with conspiracy to steal high value vehicles to order, one of which was used in a drive by, gang related shooting.

• R v W (2024) – Multiple rape allegations involving chem sex parties.

• R v J (2024) – Suspended sentence order for vulnerable, autistic defendant originally charged with PWITS and Supply class A and B of £10 000 worth of drugs.

• R v Q (2024) – successfully applied to reopen guilty pleas to fraud offences following transfer of representation on basis Q had not been appropriately advised on modern slavery defence. Crown ultimately persuaded to offer no evidence.

• R v S (2023) – S had an IQ of 59 and was suffering from PTSD. S was indicted facing allegations of kidnap with intent to commit a sexual offence and knife point robbery. The Crown offered no evidence at trial following legal arguments supported by multiple defence experts’ evidence.

• R v B (2023) – B instructed Talitha privately in relation to sentence for GBH section 18. B had been charged with attempted murder following a knifepoint attack in which the victim sustained a severed artery and life changing injuries. Talitha advised on the basis of plea regarding the lesser offence. Sentence of 15 years 8 months (minimum term to serve of 11years 8 months – extended license for 4 years) avoiding a life term despite significant previous including rape.

• R v B (2022) – Represented B on s18 GBH in prison. Basis of plea to lesser offence of ABH accepted resulting in release a week later. B had hearing difficulties and several mental health conditions.

• R v J (2022) – Represented J with various medical and mental health conditions including cerebral palsy, J was non-verbal, and wheelchair bound. After obtaining several expert reports, representations were made successfully persuading the Crown Prosecution that it was not in the public interest to prosecute J for offences of incitement to rape u6 and possession and distribution of indecent images.

• Akrofi-Daniels [2022] EWCA Crim 589 Appeal against sentence – 1 st case before the Court of Appeal to clarify the use of algorithms to determine the quantity of drugs supplied in Supply of Class A cases.

• First extradition hearing under the new post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement – Talitha’s client was arrested at Court on a European Arrest Warrant issued in April 2020. Pursuant to Article LAW.SURR.112 of the agreement EAWs issued but not executed prior to 31st Dec 2020 are to be treated as ‘arrest warrants’; under the new scheme. Thus, the case became the first extradition hearing under the post-Brexit ‘Surrender Arrangements’. Judgment was adjourned.

• R v O (2021) – Represented O charged with GBH. O was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was sectioned at the time of the offence. Talitha obtained psychiatric reports ascertaining fitness to plead. As O was not fit to stand trial and the Crown determined it was in the public interest to pursue the matter, the legal aid order was discharged and Talitha and counsel represented O under a court appointee-ship order.

• 2018-2021 – Represented a defendant in relation to a violent disorder which featured on BBC, Sky news and 24 Hours in Police Custody (Violent Chicken Shop Wars). It was widely reported in the press due to the impact the incident and linked incidents had on Bedfordshire police resources.

• R v a child (2020) – Represented child initially arrested on suspected terrorism offences leading to an area of South London being evacuated. He was later charged with numerous drugs offences including importation Class A. Following expert reports, a basis of plea to a reduced number of charges was submitted and a non-custodial sentence secured.

• Giles Lee [2019] EWCA Crim 2115 – Successful appeal against sentence. Sentence for fraud, burglary, possession of bladed article and driving offences clarified and total sentence length reduced by 6 months.

• R v O (2018) – Acquitted of murder and violent disorder on multi-handed indictment as part of an incident involving more than 30 individuals outside a boxing event. O was alleged to have been the person who stabbed the victim. Defence obtained expert pathologist, forensics and digital forensics expert reports. O was acquitted at trial of all charges.

• Stuart Wigley [2019] EWCA Crim 1347 – Armed Robbery of a Mayfair Casino 6 years imprisonment (18 months concurrent for the imitation firearm).

• R v V – Represented a semi-professional boxer charged with GBH and ABH. Successfully negotiated a basis of plea on which V received a suspended sentence, thereby allowing him to continue his professional career.

• R v O’Bryan (Danny) & Anr [2012] EWCA Crim 2661 – Successfully appealed to the Court of Appeal a sentence of 9 years for conspiracy to rob a jewellers. Sentence reduced to 7½ years.

Talitha has worked on a number of cases involving “smash and grab”; style robberies widely reported as targeting jewellery, electrical and designer goods stores within London and the Southeast of England.

• R v A – Defended a child charged with conspiracy to steal and robbery involving more than 35 separate offences.

• WDW (2015) – In the West London Coroners Court represented the family in relation to a death in prison custody at HMP Wormwood Scrubs.

• R v W (2014) – Represented defendant charged with firearms offences. Re-trial ordered following successful legal argument. Case dismissed prior to re-trial following service of further defence expert evidence relating to cell site analysis and other telephone evidence.

• C.K-B (2013) – In the Westminster Coroners Court represented family in the publicised inquest of a 13-year-old girl C K-B whose death was described by the Coroner as a ”ghastly accident”;, saying she did not intend to kill herself when she plunged 60ft from her bedroom window. She was subjected to what the coroner described as ‘sophisticated type of bullying where she was provoked into reacting and, thereby, got herself into trouble’. The coroner described her death as an unusual case which “slipped through the net” and exposed a hole in the otherwise good practices at the school and social services, rather than there being deep-seated and systemic failures.

**This case features in a training DVD for professionals launched in March 2015 by Scotland Yard in association with Barnardos and the NWG as part of Operation MakeSafe. Evans Amoah-Nyamekye of Birds instructed as advocate.

• R v D and others – Represented the 13-year-old girlfriend of a male described in the press as “a Fagin styled criminal” who was charged in a large multi-hander with armed robbery and possession of an imitation firearm (among other charges including robbery and assault). She was first on an indictment of nineteen defendants, majority of whom were adults also facing numerous charges. D was successfully acquitted at trial of the most serious charges, with mixed pleas having been entered in relation to numerous other counts across several cases.

• R v H – Assisted in case work analysis to establish the role of H following implication in multiple cash in transit robberies. Reported widely in the press as the Chandlers Ford Armed Robber’s gang.

• R v Y – Worked as part of a team of paralegals responsible for compiling a detailed case map analysis of the evidence and trial transcripts in a case which had been a VHCC, 7-month trial for Class A drugs supply. The Case related to one of London’s biggest heroin traffickers and received significant media attention.

Education:

Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test, 2011

University of Cardiff – Police Station Accreditation, 2010

AMICUS Training to represent those on death row in America, 2009

Inns of Court School of Law – BVC with optional module in Advanced
Criminal Litigation, 2006

Kent University – LLB Hons (electives in Punishment and the Penal System; Policing; Evidence and Human Rights, 2005. Talitha also completed the Clinical Option which included pro-bono casework and successfully representing a client before the Employment Tribunal.