Sexual Offences

Nick Barraclough has extensive experience of dealing with these sensitive cases. He regularly defends in rape and serious sexual assault cases. Historically, he was one of the few barristers selected to be a Rape Specialist List prosecutor, but then concentrated on his defence practice and is now respected as an experienced defence barrister with a good understanding of these sensitive cases.

Radio 4, Nick Barraclough gave expert comment on the BBC Radio current affairs programme More Or Less http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/more_or_less/8213670.stm

• R v Oketcho Secured the acquittal of a member of the garage band ‘Ruff Sqwad’ who was accused of raping a 15 year old schoolgirl having just performed a gig at the Prince’s Trust Urban Music Festival at Earls Court. The co-defendant was convicted. Article from the Mirror ‘Girl,15, in Gig Rape



• R v Palmer Nick Barraclough secured the acquittal at the Old Bailey of the defendant who was charged with violently and repeatedly raping of his wife in what was said to be a marriage of convenience. The defendant chose to be represented by Nick Barraclough when subsequently charged with murder (see ‘Murder’).



• R v Flourentzou Control of prostitutes in a string of London ‘saunas’. The defendant admitted part of the allegations and Nick Barraclough negotiated a basis of plea that kept the defendant out of prison. Nick Barraclough subsequently represented the defendant in a 4-month drugs trial.



• R v Mullings A case in which the defendant was said to be armed with an imitation firearm, a bottle of whisky and a Staffordshire Bull-terrier when he burst into the victim’s flat at 3 a.m. and raped her. Earlier that evening he had slashed the face of the father of the victim’s child.



• R v R Successfully proved this Sikh defendant raped and beat his wife whom he met on Shaddi.com, the Asian marriage website. The marriage turned abusive on the honeymoon, but his wife felt trapped by the defendant, and unable to leave the marriage due to religious sensitivities and the shame it would bring upon her and her family. The case was essentially the complainant’s word against that of the family of the defendant with whom she had lived, but the defence case faltered during Nick Barraclough’s cross-examination of the defendant.



• R v Bovell A month long trial of a drug-dealer alleged to have held his victims prisoner in a flat on the Charing Cross Road from which he dispensed drugs. It was alleged he drugged, beat and raped his victims over the course of many hours, in one case filming himself having sex. Two of his victims admitted previously providing sexual favours to the defendant in return for cocaine.



• R v King A case involving the abduction and knife-point rape of an 18 year old homeless male.



• R v Morris Instructed in the trial of a man who systematically abused numerous boys in his care at a Barnardo’s home, and did so again when warden of a boys hostel. The case dated back to the 1970s and involved issues of fitness to plead and abuse of process due to delay.