Profile
Hannah has a strong and varied criminal practice, with experience as Leading, Led and Junior alone.
She specialises in serious sexual and violent offences; being known for her ability to sensitively deal with both young and vulnerable witnesses and defendants alike.
Education
2012: BPP: BPTC (Very Competent)
2010: University of Sussex: Common Professional Examination – Graduate Diploma in Law (Distinction).
• Ranked Top Student of the Year 2010; Law Faculty Prize awarded.
2006: University of St Andrews: MA (Hons) in Modern History (First Class).
With modular studies in English Literature, Philosophy and Classics.
• Ranked in top one per cent of the 2006 graduation year.
Memberships
Inner Temple, Criminal Bar Association, South Eastern Circuit and the Sussex Bar Mess
Further Professional Information
Scholarships & Prizes
• CPE/GDL Prize – DMH Stallard Prize for Best Overall Performance on the CPE 2009-2010
• Inner Temple Major Scholarship 2010
• Inner Temple Major Scholarship 2009
Practice Areas
Cases
Serious Violence
R v S [June 2016] Successful Appeal Against Sentence on Offensive Weapon Sentence. The Court of Appeal.
R v DD & Ors [July 2017]: Led junior on a 5-week, multi-handed, Murder (stabbing). Central Criminal Court.
R v H [October 2018]: s.18, involving bladed article. Under 18, dangerousness, extended sentence applied.
R v C [April 2019]: Defending female domestic s.18 GBH (stabbing). Lewes Crown Court sitting in Brighton.
R v O [July 2019]: Led junior in single defendant Murder (stabbing). Central Criminal Court.
R v C [December 2019]: Successful Appeal Against Conviction. s.18 conviction quashed on basis of legal argument against judicial directions following trial. Court of Appeal Criminal Division.
R v S [March 2021]: Multi-handed s.18 with vulnerable complainant. Winchester Crown Court.
R v R [March 2023]: Multi-handed s.18 and Violent Disorder. Kingston Crown Court. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10457927/Asda-pranksters-court-assault-Fancy-dress-superheroes-say-innocent-fun.html
R v N&N [April 2023]: Successful Appeal Against Conviction. s.18 conviction quashed on basis of legal argument against judicial directions following trial. Court of Appeal Criminal Division.
R v C [August 2023]: s.18 acquittal where the issue was excessive self-defence (repeated use of a machete) towards an apparently intoxicated home intruder who forcibly and repeatedly attempted/gained entry into a home in the middle of the night, whilst bleeding from his face, chanting in Arabic, howling and threatening violence.
Serious Sexual Offences
R v T [March and July 2016]: Hung jury and full acquittal at subsequent trial. Sexual Assault on a Child under 10. Lewes Crown Court.
R v C [July 2016]: Acquittal. Rape and Assault by Penetration. Lewes Crown Court.
R v S [May 2019]: 28 Count Rape, Assault by Penetration, Sexual Assault and Indecent Images. Under 16 and under 13. Mixed: hung and majority verdicts. Lewes Crown Court.
R v S [June 2019]: 18 Count Rape, Sexual Activity with, and Assault by Penetration of children aged 12-14. Indecent Images and Extreme Pornography. Hung jury on substantive offences. Lewes Crown Court
R v D [August 2019]: 19 Count Indecent Images, Sexual Communication with a Child and Voyeurism. Within a school, position of trust, including sexual fetish. Guildford Crown Court.
R v L [November 2020]: Rape acquittal. Guildford Crown Court.
R v M [January 2021]: Sexual Activity with a Child. Teacher/Student. Salisbury Crown Court.
R v D [April 2021]: Sexual Assault on a Child under 13. Lewes Crown Court.
R V H [May 2021]: Historical Rape of Child. Wood Green Crown Court.
R v D [May 2021]: Sexual Activity with a Child, leading to pregnancy. Guildford Crown Court.
R v T [November 2021]: Sexual Activity with a Child and Grooming offences. Chichester Crown Court.
R v M [October 2022]: 7 Counts of Sexual Activity with a Child and Attempting to Obtain Sexual Services of a Child by Payment. Winchester Crown Court.
R v S [February 2023]: Multi-count rape acquittal. Hove Crown Court.
R v C [April 2023]: Multi-count rape acquittal. Hove Crown Court.
Other
R v G [October 2018]: Supply Class A Drugs where death caused, in part, by supplied drugs the same evening at D’s address. Hove Crown Court.
R v C [November 2020]: Fraud. Defendant dishonestly spent £78,000 of his elderly mother’s money on drugs and escorts whilst acting as her power of attorney. Winchester Crown Court.
R v M [March 2021]: Led Junior in multi-handed Conspiracy to Supply Class A Drugs involving several Organised Crime Groups and overlapping a number of police investigations. Liverpool Crown Court.
R v T [April-May 2021]: Perverting the Course of Justice. Led Junior in 6-week trial with vulnerable defendant where the offence linked to a double murder by arson. Brighton Crown Court.
R v A (and others) [February-March 2022]: Leading Junior in multi-handed Conspiracy to Supply Class A Drugs. Kingston Crown Court.
R v F [December 2022]: Robbery. Acquittal at retrial, in which defence relied heavily on alleged corruption of Police Officers within a MET Police operation.