Tom Wainwright secured a rare acquittal today in a criminal trial arising out of the "London Riots" in 2011. A jury at Wood Green Crown Court found the defendant not guilty of burglary and handling stolen goods.
Had a guilty verdict been reached, Tom’s client would have been facing a lengthy custodial sentence, in accordance with the well-publicised approach of the courts to those convicted of offences occurring during the civil disorder in 2011.
Acquittals in riot-related cases remain very rare, this being only the third example we are aware of, following cases in July 2012 and April 2012.
Tom Wainwright is a member of the Garden Court Crime Team.