Client Found Not Guilty Of Attempted Murder Mid-Trial At The Old Bailey

Jessica Murray, Associate Solicitor with the Criminal Defence team at Hodge Jones & Allen Solicitors, instructed barristers Stella Harris and Letitia Duffus – both of Garden Court Chambers- to represent a young man accused in a multi-handed allegation of attempted murder arising from a double shooting at two separate locations.

The Crown’s case was that this was a highly organised and targeted incident, involving multiple participants both on the ground and in coordinating the attack via telephone and lookouts.

It was alleged that the client was a principal participant in the crime, and had been collected from the first scene and transported by bike to the second to continue the attack.

The trial required meticulous scrutiny of CCTV footage, alongside detailed analysis of mobile phone and cell-site data, as well as the whereabouts of potential alternative suspects. This was a team effort between counsel and solicitors, combining technical evidence with strategic advocacy.

Following Stella Harris’s cross-examination of the CCTV and identification officer, the Crown conceded that the identification of the client was so inherently weak that they could not proceed. The prosecution offered no evidence, and the client was formally acquitted. The client had been remanded for a year whilst awaiting trial and faced a lengthy sentence.

Jessica Murray, said, “It is of public concern when a young man is separated from his family and imprisoned for a year due to a clear failure of the police to properly consider CCTV when identifying a suspect. By analysis we were able to show he was not their suspect. Although pleased by the outcome, this case is marred by our client’s loss of liberty which was totally unnecessary.”