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Murder
Nick Barraclough has defended in numerous murder trials,
amongst which are the following:
- R v Scudder Successfully defended with Michael
Borrelli QC in a ‘missing body murder’: the
victim had been assaulted by the defendant, and was then
last seen walking to meet the defendant. It was alleged
the defendant and another man murdered the victim, and rolled
him in chicken wire and carpet before dumping his body in
the Thames Estuary. On the night of the alleged murder the
defendant hired a fishing boat. When he returned it, the
anchor and chain were missing. Body parts belonging to the
victim were dredged up in the Thames Estuary. The defendant
was acquitted.
- R v Palmer and others A 5-month trial involving
the abduction, torture and execution of two Jamaican Yardie
gang members. An Operation Trident case, the victims were
tied to chairs and tortured. The ‘trigger man’
used a 9mm semi-automatic pistol to kill the victims with
shots to the head. The case was a “Whodunnit”
in which the defendant was implicated by a latex glove found
beside one of the deceased. The interior of the glove contained
the defendant’s DNA and firearms residue was deposited
on its exterior. The jury deliberated for 18 days, thought
to be an Old Bailey record.
- R v Costain Defended Shealagh Costain who was
a business woman who hired a hit-man to kill a business
associate of the defendant over a £50,000 debt. The
police were tipped off and the ‘hit-man’ was
actually an undercover police officer. The defence argued
‘entrapment’. Though the defendant was convicted,
the defence successfully argued that she need not be imprisoned.
The Attornery-General referred the sentence to the Court
of Appeal as being ‘unduly lenient’.
- R v Frost (1998) This murder case was the largest
murder and rape investigation carried out in the West Country
at the time, when an 18 year old girl went missing on Christmas
Day 1995. Her body was found weeks later in a quarry. The
investigation led to 3,500 males providing DNA samples to
the police whilst the defendant studied at University. Ultimately,
the defendant admitted his guilt. It was as a result of
this case that the National DNA database was established.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/54914.stm
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