Cambridge man found guilty of the murder of his former flatmate. Charlie Myatt leading Gordana Turudija-Austin for the Prosecution

Prosecution team obtains conviction for murder

Prosecuting team, Charlie Myatt leading Gordana Turudija-Austin, successfully present the prosecution’s case to the jury during the 4-week trial at Huntingdon Law Courts.

Defendant assaulted and strangled victim in his own home

The two men had been flatmates but had fallen out over a missing passport. During the argument the defendant knocked the victim, who had cancer, to the floor and assaulted him repeatedly to the head before strangling him with his hands. The cause of death was given as compression of the neck and Coronary Artery Disease; the latter, according to the pathology, causing a cardiac event brought on by the extreme stress of the assault and strangulation.

Legal proceedings

The defence relied upon a number of strands which needed to be carefully considered and dealt with by the Prosecution: challenging the forensic evidence to suggest that causation was in doubt; questioning whether the defendant had the necessary intent; and seeking to rely upon the defences of self-defence and loss of control. After detailed legal arguments submitted by both the Prosecution and Defence at the conclusion of the evidence, HH Farrell KC ruled that there was insufficient evidence of loss of control and so he withdrew this defence from the jury. By their verdict, the jury clearly rejected all other defences.

Verdict

The jury unanimously convicted the defendant after 12 hours of deliberations. Sentence has been adjourned until June 2025.

Press coverage

BBC News

About the Barristers

Charlie Myatt was called to the Bar in 1993. He prosecutes and defends. Charlie is instructed in cases of a serious and often complex nature including homicide, serious sexual offences and large drugs conspiracies. Within the last 12 months he has been instructed as sole counsel and as leading counsel in cases of murder.

Gordana Turudija-Austin was called to the Bar in 2006. She is often instructed in cases of a particularly serious nature, including murder, violence, large scale drugs supply, sexual offences and modern slavery.

To instruct Charlie or Gordana, please contact their clerks, Steve McCarthy, Ryan Bartlett or Amie Harris on 020 7404 1881.