Pupil barrister Alex Shanks obtains unanimous acquittals in first jury trial

Case Overview

In his first jury trial, Drystone Chambers pupil, Alex Shanks, achieved the perfect outcome for his client by obtaining unanimous acquittals at Southwark Crown Court.

Alex’s client, the first defendant, faced two counts of Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm (ABH) and Affray.  The prosecution alleged that the defendant, who was jointly charged with her mother, visited the complainants’ home uninvited and assaulted them. The Crown’s case relied heavily on the complainants’ evidence to establish guilt.

Defence Strategy

The case involved extensive and detailed cross examination of the two complainants, exposing key inconsistencies within their accounts. These inconsistencies were crucial in undermining the credibility of the Crown’s case. This helped in presenting an alternative narrative to the jury, namely that it was the complainants who were the aggressors and that the defendants were acting in self-defence.

Jury Deliberation and Verdict

Following a four-day trial, the jury deliberated for less than three hours before returning with unanimous verdicts of not guilty on all counts. This brought the end to proceedings for Alex’s lay client who is of good character.

Professional Collaboration

Alex Shanks was instructed by Jack Ward of Tank Jowett Solicitors, and together their collaborative efforts were instrumental in achieving acquittals for their client, highlighting the advantages of having a well-prepared and dynamic defence team.