Mark Robinson, of the Garden Court Criminal Defence Team, was instructed by Ms Christina Barath of Dobsons Solicitors.
Mark’s client was acquitted of a possession of a firearm after a four-day trial at Woolwich Crown Court. The defendant, of good character, was charged back in 2021, and advanced the defence of duress, stating that he was forced to look after a converted starter pistol in his house, after he was threatened by a notorious member of a well-known Brixton gang.
The first two trials were ineffective and the third trial, in 2024, concluded with a hung jury. After Mark observed the defendant struggling to give evidence in the first trial, he provided advice for two psychologist reports that concluded that the defendant had Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with traits of autism, and was highly suggestible. The prosecution did not accept the expert evidence and instructed their own expert, who not only agreed with the two previous defence experts, but went even further.
However, despite the prosecution report supporting the defence of duress, the prosecution still sought to proceed with a retrial.
All of the evidence was reduced into admissions, including all three clinical psychologist reports. Mark, in his closing speech to the jury, submitted that all the experts were in agreement and there was no challenge to the evidence from the prosecution. The jury returned a unanimous not guilty verdict in under three hours.
