19th March, 2024

Phil Barnes in successful murder prosecution of three defendants

Two men and a teenage boy have been convicted of the murder of a 17-year-old, and the serious wounding of another teenager, after an eight-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.

The three caused criminal damage at the home of Callum Riley before retreating to another house and laying in wait to ambush Riley and his friend when they responded to the damage.  Riley was fatally stabbed through the leg and his friend stabbed in the abdomen. Phil Barnes, led by Nick de la Poer KC of New Park Court Chambers in Leeds, acted for the prosecution from the giving of pre-charge advice to the conclusion of the trial this week, resulting in convictions for murder and wounding with intent, as well as a fourth defendant being convicted of assisting an offender for cleaning the murder scene before the police arrived. 

The case explored complex issues of shared intention in joint enterprise, and the deployment of the modified "householder" version of self-defence.

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