Richard Barraclough KC Leads Defence in High-Profile Brompton Barracks Case.

Richard Barraclough KC led the defence in the case of Anthony Esan, who has now been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 7 years and 162 days under a hybrid order pursuant to section 45A of the Mental Health Act 1983.

The case arose from a knife attack on Lt Col Mark Teeton outside Brompton Barracks in July 2024. In evidence before Maidstone Crown Court, Lt Col Teeton described how Esan attempted to kill him “like Lee Rigby”, referencing the 2013 terrorist murder in Woolwich. He told the court it was a “miracle” he survived, having sustained a neck wound and multiple stab wounds to his chest, abdomen, groin, arm and thigh.

The court heard that in the lead-up to the attack, Esan had searched online material relating to terrorist incidents, including posts about an attack in West Africa, TikTok videos depicting knife attacks, and the phrase “Woolwich soldier murdered”.

The sentencing hearing before Mr Justice Picken spanned four days and involved live evidence from three eminent forensic consultant psychiatrists: Professor Nigel Blackwood, Dr Michael Alcock, and Mr Esan’s treating clinician from Broadmoor Hospital, where he remains detained.

Final submissions centred on complex and important issues, including:

• The extent of Mr Esan’s culpability in light of psychiatric evidence
• Whether the court should impose a penal element in addition to a hospital direction
• The comparative release regimes under section 45A (hybrid order) and sections 37/41 of the Mental Health Act 1983
• Issues of long-term risk and public protection

Richard Barraclough KC’s involvement reflects his extensive experience in cases involving serious violence, complex psychiatric evidence, and difficult sentencing decisions at the intersection of criminal law and mental health legislation. The case required careful analysis of expert evidence and detailed submissions on the appropriate statutory framework for sentence.