Barrister Profile

Main Areas of Practice

Administrative Law or Judicial Review
Coroners or Inquests
Criminal Law
Personal Injury

Biography

Mark specialises in crime, both defence and prosecution, public law, and civil litigation.

Mark also has experience acting in inquests - by judge and jury - as well as appearing before the Parole Commissioners for Northern Ireland on behalf of life sentence prisoners seeking release.

Mark is a member of the GSLNI’s ‘C Panel’ of counsel as well as the Public Prosecution Service’s panel of counsel.

Before practice as a barrister, Mark competed internationally as an amateur boxer representing both Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Qualifications

2014: BSc (Hons) Business Studies with First Class Honours, University of Ulster.

2017: Masters in Law, Queen’s University Belfast.

2018: Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Legal Studies at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies, Queen’s University Belfast.

Experience

The following is a sample of the type of cases Mark has acted in:

CRIME

R -v- JPS [2023] NICC: Conspiracy to defraud insurance company - staged hijacking - car destroyed by fire - arson left on books.

R -v- CC [2023] NICC: Possession of Class A, B and C drugs with intent to supply - concerned in supply - circa £100k in revenues - drugs sold across the UK.

R -v- SA [2022] NICC: ‘Operation Concentric’ - Organised Crime Gang - largest ever Northern Ireland anti-fraud operation.

R -v- CW [2020] NICC: ‘Mi5 Newry Bugging case’ - covert Mi5 surveillance -expert voice recognition evidence in issue - directing and preparing for acts of terrorism.

R -v GW [2020] NICC: Multiple counts of violent and sexual assault.

JUDICIAL REVIEW

Re Valdomar Da Conceicao Silva’s Application [2023] NIKB 9: Challenge to decision of a PCNI panel refusing release on license - ‘modern context specific approach to rationality’ arguments raised - sole junior.

Re Hai Chang Zhang’s Application for Judicial Review [2023] NIQB: Challenge to convention compliance of primary and secondary legislation - provisions provides for the early release and deportation of life sentence prisoners who are liable to deportation - Articles 5 and 14 ECHR in issue.

Re Martin Tracey’s Application for Judicial Review [2021] NIQB 104: Challenge to the appointment of an independent contractor - goldmine - planning application - ‘apparent bias’ in issue - article 2 ECHR in issue.

Re Darren Poleon’s Application for Judicial Review [2020] NIQB: Urgent application - Compassionate Temporary Release in issue - terrorist offender -Article 8 ECHR in issue - application ultimately successful.

CIVIL LITIGATION

Mark regularly appears in and advises on personal injury cases as well as general civil litigation. He has experience as sole junior in the High Court both in terms quantum and liability as well as seeking an injunction from the Court.

INQUESTS

Re O’Driscoll [2023] Death in custody - jury inquest - article 2 ECHR inquest - client found not to have contributed to the subject death