Barrister Profile

Main Areas of Practice

Criminal Law
Extradition
Human Rights
Immigration

Biography

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Qualifications

1997; LL.B Queen’s University, Belfast

Experience

Public Inquiries 2000 - 2004; Junior Counsel for 3 families in the Bloody Sunday Inquiry

2007 - 2011; Junior Counsel for Rosemary Nelson’s family in the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry

Violent Crime R v Hann successfully defended a man charged with Grievous Bodily Harm: Date 2009

R v Ferguson 2012 (attempted murder case)

R v T McCrory 2012 (attempted murder case)

R v T Crossey 2013 (attempted GBH case)

R v Grimason 2012 (conspiracy to burgle case)

R v Crawford 2010 (violent armed robbery)

R v Thompson 2007 (series of robberies)

R v Briers 2012 (successfully defended a man charged with a number of robberies)

R v Shannon AG’s reference 2012 (Robbery)

R v Keenan 2006 (Robbery)

R v Hunter 2010 (murder appeal)

R v Kvietkauskis 2011 (possession of firearms)

R v Davidson 2013 (assault occasioning actual bodily harm)

R v Simkus 2011 (GBH and false imprisonment)

R v Olchov 2010 (GBH)

R v Clarke 2012 (Arson) Sexual offences

R v D 2013 (child sexual offences)

R v I 2012 (child sexual offences)

R v McConnell 2005 (successfully defended a man charged with rape and indecent assault)

R v B 2001 (represented a Christian Brother charged with series of sexual offences against a family)

PPS v Duffy 2013 (allegations of indecent behaviour in the presence of children)

PPS v Rooney 2010 (child abduction case) Terrorism

R v Lavelle 2005 (successful defence of charges of conspiracy to cause explosions, and possession of items of use to terrorists) R v Caldwell and O’Carroll 2010 (both men successfully appealed convictions for false imprisonment where it was alleged that they had been part of an IRA unit who had held a man prisoner and interrogated him)

R v Cherry 2001 (represented a member of a loyalist gang who participated in a robbery of a Post Office)

Evasion of duty

State of the Republic of Ireland v Wall 2002 (defence of the Captain of a ship charged with smuggling 80 million cigarettes, the largest haul ever seized in Ireland)

Fraud

R v Nurse, Alan George [2010] NICC 3 (defended a solicitor charged with a substantial fraud and a series of regulatory offences)

R v Watson 2009 (successfully represented a Bank Official charged with lodging a stolen cheque)

R v Ng 2013 (defended a businessman charged with a significant role in a highly organised sham marriage scheme and important role in assisting others to avoid immigration law)

PPS v Wilson 2011 (benefit fraud)

Regulatory Offences

PPS v McKenna 2011 (successfully represented of a man charged with breaches of the Gaming Lotteries and Amusements Order 1985)

Belfast City Council v Law and Law 2013 (successfully represented a partnership charged with selling cigarettes to a minor)

Dungannon Council v Lukjanskis 2011 (successfully represented a man charged with ownership of a dangerous pitbull type dog)

Drugs

R v Yin 2013 (substantial drugs case involving a significant amount of cannabis)

Miscellaneous Crime

PPS v Storey 2006 (successfully defended a leading republican in an offence of assault)

PPS v Harpur 2011 (successfully defended a man charged with assaulting a child and holding a knife to her throat)

PPS V Clelland 2011 (successfully defended a youth charged with criminal damage)

PPS v Clelland 2012 (successfully defended a youth charged with assault and possession of an offensive weapon)

PPS v Adair 2013 (successfully defended a soldier charged with assault and criminal damag)

PPS v Barber 2012 (successfully defended a female charged with an assault occasioning actual bodily harm)

PPS v Collins 2013 (successfully defended a taxi driver charged with possession of an offensive weapon)

PPS v Carson 2005 (successfully defended a man charged with assaulting a nurse, relied on defence of non insane automatism)

PPS v Davidson 2010 (successfully defended of a man charged with assault and criminal damage)

PPS v Walker 2007 (successfully defended in a case of assault in an allegation of “road rage”)

PPS v Craig 2010 (represented a man charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm were the allegation was that he struck someone with a wheel brace. Successfully avoided an immediate custodial sentence after matter was fully contested)

PPS v Lee 2011 (successfully defended a man charged with a sectarian assault occasioning actual bodily harm)

PPS v McClean 2013 ( represented a man charged with driving into the complainant’s car then striking him with a hammer and then deliberately driving into the complainant. Successfully avoided an immediate custodial sentence after the matter was fully contested)

PPS v Dawson 2010 (secured an acquittal of an architect on appeal in an breach of a non molestation where the lower court had imposed a jail sentence due to the very sinister circumstances)

PPS v Maddison 2011 (secured the acquittal of a youth on appeal in a criminal damage case)

PPS v Toal 2011 (secured the acquittal of a doorman on appeal in an allegation of assault on a female in a nightclub)

PPS v Brown 2010 (successfully defended a journalist accused of a domestic assault. Allegation that he had assaulted his wife and threatened her with a knife. Matter fully contested)

PPS v Irvine 2012 (successfully defended an allegation of a breach of a non molestation order)

Driving Matters

R v Good 2009 (represented a man charged with Grievous Bodily Injury by Careless driving with excess)

R v Fee 2009 (a charge of Grievous Bodily Injury by Dangerous Driving resulting in an non custodial sentence)

R v Morrison 2007 (causing death and GBI by Dangerous Driving. Date 2007

R v Stewart 2011 GBI by Dangerous Driving)

PPS v Mercer 2012 (dangerous driving where defendant struck a child on a pedestrian crossing resulting in a non custodial sentence)

PPS v Darragh 2013 (successfully defended a case of allowing to be carried)

PPS v Loughran 2013 (successfully defended an allegation of driving with excess alcohol)

PPS v Green 2010 (successfully defended an allegation of driving whilst disqualified)

Immigration

Home Secretary v Olchov 2013 (successfully challenged the decision of the Home Secretary to remove the respondent at the Lower Tribunal. The matter was appealed by the Home Secretary and Mr Olchov succeeded in the Upper Tribunal as well)

Home Secretary v Kuznecovas 2010 (successfully appealed the decision of the Home Secretary to remov)

Extradition

State of Republic of Ireland v Cousins 2010 (extradition case fought over two years)

State of Lithuania v Mockevicius 2013

State of Lithuania v Ramanuskas 2012