Area of Practice
• Crime
Stephen specialises in criminal law. He is a member of the British Academy of Forensic Sciences. He has special expertise in firearms and ballistics and published a paper on handguns which was presented at a joint British/South African conference.
His practice predominantly includes cases involving complex scientific and medical issues. These largely arise in homicide, serious assaults, rape and child abuse cases. He is instructed on behalf of the defence as leading counsel and as single counsel in grave and weighty cases.
In October 2007 Stephen was appointed by The International Criminal Court as Foreign Defence Counsel to the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia.
Cases of Note
• instructed as leading counsel for the defence in multi-handed 3 week murder trial. Extremely complex issues regarding cause of death - head injury and brain pathology. Huge media and public interest followed case as the deceased was the father of a sports celebrity
• instructed as leading counsel for the defence in 4 handed murder trial. Unusually large volume of material
• Instructed to defend mentally disturbed woman who had smothered her 4 month-old son. Complex legal issues regarding infanticide, manslaughter and murder
• instructed to defend in case involving allegations of rape and indecent assault over a twenty-five year period of three daughters and three step daughters
• instructed to defend woman charged with poisoning her husband. Technical issues arose as to dose rates and composition of active ingredients. Case attracted media and public interest
• instructed to defend schizophrenic charged with the murder of a fellow ex-serviceman for whom he was carer. The victim was terminally ill with cancer. Pleas’ to assisted suicide were put to the Crown. The manner of assisted suicide was point blank shotgun injury to the left temple. Stephen attended the second post mortem and by virtue of his previous experience, was able to agree with the Home Office pathologist the distance from which the shotgun had been discharged
Other cases include serious violence including attempted murder, mutilation and torture, rape and sexual offences, armed robbery and firearms offences in general and fraud.
Stephen is known for his expertise and skill in defending drivers charged with death by dangerous driving and dangerous driving. Cases include:
• R -v- Stow [2008] 1 CRIM APP (s) 603 (102) C.A. This case involved an inexperienced lorry driver. Although he eventually pleaded guilty there was complex investigation into defences of mechanical failure involving phosphor bronze braking and load sensing devises and high temperature metal based lubricants
• He successfully defended a businessman charged with causing death by dangerous driving who, whilst overtaking an articulated lorry at night, collided with an oncoming vehicle
• He successfully argued hypoglaecemic attack in the case of a diabetic who had driven his car at 115 mph into a vehicle with three elderly passengers – seriously injuring two of them
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