Lucinda Nicholls

On Friday, following a second hung jury, a client represented by Nick Jones (led by @TECQC of @23EssexStreet and instructed by @LuNicholls and Bhavna Kerai of Nicholls & Nicholls) was formally found not guilty of murder and manslaughter at Inner London Crown Court. The case centred on a stabbing in a flat in East London. The Defence maintained that another occupant of the flat — a prosecution witness — was in fact responsible for inflicting the fatal wound. The case involved extensive CCTV, telephone, DNA, and blood evidence. In both trials, the Defendant made the difficult decision not to give evidence, a strategy that focused attention on the weaknesses in the prosecution’s case. This was an unusual case, with no direct witnesses to the incident and only a closed pool of possible suspects. Through a careful analysis of phone data, the Defence demonstrated that the Defendant was unlikely to have made a series of contested calls to the emergency services. Ultimately, the forensic evidence proved neutral as to who had inflicted the fatal injury, and the Crown was unable to satisfy the jury so that they were sure of the Defendant’s guilt. To find out more, please click here: bit.ly/3KPfPcY #CriminalLaw #Acquittal #Defence