Homicide

St Pauls boasts a strong team of King’s Counsel and knowledgeable Juniors with vast experience in conducting homicide cases at the highest level.

Homicide embraces a broad spectrum of criminal activity resulting in death, from corporate manslaughter to murder; in the context of gang crime and terrorism, from street stabbings to crimes of passion and infant killings including baby shaking. These widely different forms of homicide often require highly specialised counsel with detailed familiarity of regulations, scientific or medical issues.

Within the team we have counsel with particular interests in areas that require specialist knowledge of both defending and prosecuting cases brought by the Health and Safety Executive in which fatalities have occurred. Equally, our members accept instructions to represent individuals, public bodies and corporations at inquests and public enquiries arising from fatalities. A number of our counsel focus on homicide in the context of gang crime – these cases often involve complex ballistic, DNA, cell site and other scientific issues. In other aspects of homicide, we have expert counsel whose cases involve particularly complex medical issues, such as those which often arise in baby shaking, suffocation, drowning or poisoning; where issues concerning histopathology, neuropathology and ophthalmic pathology are often prominent.

Just as types of homicide can vary widely, so may those who are the subject of homicide prosecutions. We have a breadth of experience in dealing with particularly vulnerable and neurodiverse individuals, including children and young people with ASD or ADHD, whose communication difficulties may be particularly acute. There is also a considerable body of knowledge within the team when defending and prosecuting cases in which medical and psychiatric defences arise, including insanity and diminished responsibility and cases in which the partial defence of loss of control is the central issue.

Our team of clerks will be happy to provide you with further detail on the experience of our members.