Shanice represents those charged with drugs, violence, weapons, dishonesty, public order, road traffic and sexual offences and accepts both private and public instructions. She also acts in a broad range of civil matters including SHPO, DVPO and CBO proceedings, and has been instructed in both Fare Evasion interviews and Closure Order applications.
Shanice has a keen interest in advocating for young and vulnerable defendants and is unfailing in her efforts to ensure that all of her clients are comprehensively guided through the criminal justice process. She instils confidence in all those she represents and is unwavering in her ambition to achieve the best outcome.
Criminal Defence
Overview
Shanice specialises in criminal defence and defends in cases across the entire spectrum of criminal law, including those charged with drugs, violence, weapons, dishonesty, public order, road traffic and sexual offences. Shanice accepts both private and public instructions and has built a reputation as a strong-willed, approachable and determined advocate who has represented clients from all walks of life.
Shanice also acts in a broad range of civil matters including SHPO, DVPO and CBO proceedings, and has been instructed in both Fare Evasion interviews and Closure Order applications. Shanice has appeared in Criminal Courts at all levels from the Youth Court to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division).
Shanice has a keen interest in advocating for young and vulnerable individuals and is unfailing in her efforts to ensure that all of her clients are comprehensively guided through the criminal justice process. She instils confidence in all those she represents and is unwavering in her ambition to achieve the best outcome in every single case she is instructed in.
Notable Cases
Serious Violence
R v KA – Wood Green Crown Court [2025] – Acquittal
Led junior for KA, who had been charged with attempted murder and s. 18 GBH, along with a number of weapons offences, in the context of a vicious brawl at a packed North London nightclub. Allegations made by three complainants, whom had each sustained various stab injuries. Considerable legal submissions throughout this four-week trial, including a complex abuse of process argument in respect of disclosure failings. KA was acquitted of s. 18 GBH.
R v BM – Guildford Crown Court [2025] – Acquittal
Seven-handed violent disorder, wherein all Defendants had been captured on CCTV at a ‘day party’ in Surrey, engaging in serious violence after one defendant had pulled the hair of another. The eruption of violence culminated in one defendant sustaining multiple stab wounds. BM had been captured on CCTV hurling glass bottles at the aforementioned defendant, she was the only defendant acquitted after trial.
R v ES (Operation Avidcast) – Central Criminal Court [2024] – Acquittal
Led junior for ES, who had been charged with being in possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, threatening with a bladed article, being in possession of a bladed article and affray. ES’ co-defendant, JA, had been charged additionally with the murder of a mother, at her own front door, and the attempted murders of two other men, all by shooting at close range, in the context of East London gang rivalry. During the eight-week trial, JA accused ES of the murder and two attempted murders, counts which JA alone faced and was subsequently convicted of, along with all of the offences they had been jointly tried for. ES was unanimously acquitted of all offences.
R v DJH – Central Criminal Court [2024] – Acquittal
Intentional strangulation and ABH. The complainant was DJH’s eldest daughter. DJH was unanimously acquitted of both counts after a seven-day trial, which involved extensive cross examination of two of the Defendant’s daughters and his mother.
R v MF – Southwark Crown Court [2023]
MF pleaded guilty to the intentional strangulation of his wife and assaults upon his two young children. Received a sentence commensurate with the time he had spent remanded in custody (four and a half months’ imprisonment).
R v DR – Snaresbrook Crown Court [2022]
Represented DR in a six-day finding of fact hearing on charges of robbery and s. 18 GBH whilst the conventional trial of his co-defendant, and brother, took place simultaneously.
R v TP (Operation Hartford) – Ipswich Crown Court [2022] – Acquittal
Six-Week trial, as led junior for TP who was charged with armed robbery, aggravated burglary, kidnapping, blackmail and two counts of false imprisonment. The offending was said to have occurred within three separate incidents over a two-week period, beginning with the armed burglary of a family home. TP was acquitted of kidnapping, and both counts of false imprisonment.
R v DP – Southwark Crown Court [2022] – Acquittal
Two-week, two-handed robbery trial, where it was alleged that both defendants had robbed an expensive Rolex watch from an undercover police officer. DP was unanimously acquitted.
R v OJ – Wood Green Crown Court [2021] – Acquittal
Secured the unanimous acquittal of OJ on two counts of attempted robbery and one of robbery, wherein the three complainants were all youths.
Sexual Offences
R v TM – Worcester Crown Court [2026] – Acquittal
TM charged with the alleged habitual rape of his former wife, whom he had been married to for 10 years. It was alleged that TM had justified such conduct with recourse to his cultural and religious beliefs. The two-week trial involved the consideration of a large volume of audio recordings, served midway through the trial, most of which were recordings of people speaking in Urdu. The case also encompassed issues of honour-based violence, requiring careful and sensitive cross examination of the complainant. The trial was prosecuted by senior King’s Counsel. Shanice acted unled and the jury returned their unanimous not guilty verdict after just two hours of deliberations.
R v ZW – Croydon Crown Court [2025] – Acquittal
Trial spanning just shy of five weeks in which ZW was charged with four counts of rape in the context of a ‘casual’ relationship with his landlady. Despite extensive audio and video evidence adduced by the Crown, purporting to include ZW’s confessions to the offences, along with the admission of ZW’s entire antecedent history, the jury took just under three hours to unanimously acquit him on all counts.
R v SC – Winchester Crown Court [2024]
SC charged with a string of very serious sexual offences against his neighbour, a child at the index time, who had made additional allegations against another male. The trial involved delicate consideration of those additional allegations, culminating in a complex s. 41 application.
R v CM – Derby Crown Court [2023] – Acquittal
CM was charged with three counts of serious sexual assault, two against his step-daughter and one against another young female. All incidents said to have happened whilst both were asleep. CM was acquitted of one count after a two-week trial.
R v AO – Wood Green Crown Court [2023]
AO, diagnosed with enduring paranoid schizophrenia, alleged to have sexually assaulted a stranger in broad daylight on a busy North London street. AO was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
General Crime
R v KJ – Luton Crown Court [2026]
KJ charged with stalking involving fear of violence, ultimately sentenced to a community order with a single requirement of rehabilitation activity requirement, after a plea to the simple offence was accepted.
R v NC – Bristol Crown Court [2024]
On the first day of trial, NC pleaded guilty to being in possession with intent to supply (PWITS) class A and B drugs and aggravated vehicle taking. NC, who had numerous previous convictions for dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified and PWITS, was sentenced to a 21-month suspended sentence order after it was established he fell within the Modern Slavery Act provisions.
R v CR – Isleworth Crown Court [2024]
Led junior for CR, after an application for two counsel was granted on the second day of trial. CR was jointly charged with SK with conspiracy to do an act to facilitate the commission of a breach of EU immigration law by a non-EU person, emanating from the carrying of multiple individuals in the back of a lorry from Brussels to Dover.
R v MA – Hull Crown Court [2023] – Acquittal
MA charged with money laundering offences along with four others. Three-day legal argument in which it was established that primary disclosure had not been complied with, leading to the prosecution offering no evidence in respect of MA.
R v CO – St Albans Crown Court [2023]
Representing CO, charged in a multi-handed affray in the context of a large-scale street fight. On the first day of trial, and after representations were made as to his youth, naivety and remorse, CO was handed a bind-over.
R v DT – Inner London Crown Court [2022] – Acquittal
After detailed representations were made to review the case, the prosecution offered no evidence in respect of DT who had been captured on CCTV in a physical altercation with the complainant on a busy train, using a knife to defend himself.
R v LC – Norwich Crown Court [2019]
Successfully argued exceptional hardship on appeal, resulting in LC’s driving disqualification being quashed.
R v TH – Central Criminal Court [2019] – Acquittal
TH working as a tour manager, representing a number of grime music artists, was stopped by police whilst driving to begin the first leg of a high-profile UK tour. TH was found to have had a knife secreted in the centre console of his car. TH was unanimously acquitted of being in possession of a knife after running a successful defence of reasonable excuse.
Contact Shanice
Drug Offences
Overview
R v SLT – Croydon Crown Court [2024] – Acquittal
Importation of class A drugs from Kingston, Jamaica into Heathrow Airport, wherein 30kg of cocaine was found in the suitcases of SLT and her co-defendant. The prosecution offered no evidence upon reviewing the defence’s persuasive representations regarding forensic evidence.
R v NC – Bristol Crown Court [2024]
On the first day of trial, NC pleaded guilty to being in possession with intent to supply (PWITS) class A and B drugs and aggravated vehicle taking. NC, who had numerous previous convictions for dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified and PWITS, was sentenced to a 21-month suspended sentence order after it was established he fell within the Modern Slavery Act provisions.
R v KW – Isleworth Crown Court [2023] – Acquittal
Perverting the course of justice and possession of criminal property. Defending KW, charged with two others, who was alleged to have been in possession of significant proceeds of drug dealing. After two days of representations inviting a review of the entire case, the prosecution offered no evidence against KW.
R v LD – Isleworth Crown Court [2021]
LD was charged with possession with intent to supply cannabis, after a bag full of skunk and a ‘burner’ phone was found in his car, having been stopped by police. The prosecution offered no evidence against LD after reviewing his defence statement and he was sentenced to a financial penalty for simple possession of cannabis.
