Our Sam Robinson KC led Shahida Begum of the Garden Court Crime Team, instructed by CS solicitors.
Sam Robinson KC and Shahida Begum were instructed to represent A’ in a case the presiding High Court Judge described as ‘highly complex’.
Following the cross-examination of a neurologist, a neuropathologist, a toxicologist, and a pathologist, the Crown made the decision to offer no evidence. ‘A’ was acquitted on the judge’s direction.
The case centred on the tragic death of PC, who passed away in March 2020, after sustaining catastrophic injuries in 2017.
The prosecution had alleged that A’s actions in 2017 —when he was convicted of having deliberately run over PC — caused the injuries that eventually led to PC’s death in 2020.
The Crown’s case was that PC developed post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) after the incident, and this condition caused his sudden death.
The case presented significant challenges. Not only were counsel challenging A’s conviction for S18, but they also had to tackle issues surrounding causation, including complex medical evidence and disputed expert opinions. All of this required the meticulous review of the underpinning medical records.
During the trial, the defence raised substantial doubts surrounding the findings of the jury in 2017 and whether PC’s death could be definitively attributed to the 2017 injuries.
Factors such as the victim’s drug use leading to a possible arrhythmia, and alcohol abuse, were advanced as viable alternatives.
After over two weeks of expert evidence, the prosecution acknowledged that the evidence, once tested, did not sufficiently establish the required chain of causation.
