The Criminal Defence and Appeals Team based in our Moseley office. It is headed by GORDON PETERS, who qualified as a solicitor in 1990 and was accredited as a Court and Police Station Duty Solicitor a couple of years later. He attends Magistrates Courts and Police Stations on a daily basis. His methodical approach to preparation and calm approach to advocacy guarantee a high quality service. Gordon has a formidable record of victories in magistrates' court trials. He deals with general crime from private motoring matters to murder. After being released from a police station without charge having been arrested for double murder, one client commented, "I DO EXACTLY WHAT GORDON TELLS ME".

MASLEN MERCHANT

Heads our Crown Court and Appeals Team and has almost 20 years of specialist experience in these areas. He is a member of the Criminal Appeal Lawyers Association and has recently joined the steering committee for the Association. Thorough and hardworking with a no nonsense, uncompromising approach, he has been described by barristers he has worked with as "ONE OF THE BEST APPEAL LAWYERS IN ENGLAND", "BRILLIANT" and "IMPRESSIVE". After one successful appeal against conviction, the client described him as "BEYOND COMPARE". He is also an accredited Police Station Representative.

JANE SIDDONS

Is a vibrant member of the department, has a depth of experience as a criminal solicitor dealing with the full range of offences, being one of the first female solicitors to join the Birmingham Duty Solicitor Scheme in the 1980s. She specialises in representing professionals such as teachers, who are accused of assault or sexual misconduct. One teacher said that Jane "Went that extra mile". A Head Master who she successfully defended commented that, "She was enthusiastic and energetic but her greatest asset was her ability to communicate."

OUR EXPERIENCED, QUALIFIED LAWYERS CAN ADVISE AND ASSIST YOU REGARDING THE FOLLOWING CRIMINAL MATTERS:

THE INVESTIGATION

Free Legal Advice Available To Anyone In Police Custody
Arrests / Police Interviews
Identification Procedures
Voluntary Interviews
Benefits Fraud / Jobcentre Interviews / Child Support Agency Interviews

Our lawyers approach the interview and investigation stage of a prosecution as the first line of defence. We are available 24 hours a day to attend clients in custody at police stations, or attending by appointment and to give telephone advice to people in custody at police stations. We aim to ensure that the interview forms a sound basis for the defence of the case from the start. We specialise in helping clients who are particularly vulnerable, such as young people and people with mental health problems and learning difficulties.

THE PROSECUTION / COURT PROCEEDINGS

Representation At Magistrates', Youth And Crown Courts:
Trials / Guilty Pleas / Sentence / Mitigation

We can represent you in connection with all criminal cases in the Magistrates' court, including offences of violence, dishonesty, drugs, sexual offences and motoring matters. Our solicitors represent clients in and around Birmingham on a daily basis. With an uncompromising approach to defence of clients we always aim to achieve the best outcome, whether it be a not guilty verdict or a fair sentence.

In the Crown Court, we maintain a high caseload of serious crime, regularly dealing with homicide (we have dealt with prosecutions involving multiple homicide and serial murder), firearms offences, robbery, violence, drug offences, gang related crime and sex offences as well as offences across the whole range of the criminal law.

Whether in the Magistrates' or Crown Court, we will stand up to the police and prosecution on your behalf and fight your corner, always acting in our clients' best interests. With the stakes so high, we offer an aggressive, proactive approach to our clients' defence coupled with thoroughness and sheer hard work.

We give no nonsense, straightforward advice, which you will understand.

AFTER COURT

We Are One Of The Country's Leading Miscarriage Of Justice Firms And Members Of The Criminal Appeal Lawyers Association.
Appeals Against Conviction
Criminal Cases Review Commission Applications

Criminal Offences Inside Prison
Proceeds Of Crime Act ("Poca") Proceedings
Breaches Of Orders
Asbos / Sopos
Judicial Review

The end of the court case does not mean the end of our expertise and the help that we can offer our clients.

The firm is a member of the Criminal Appeal Lawyers' Association and has regular conduct of matters in the Court of Appeal, representing clients who are already convicted of a wide range of offences including murder, robbery and serious sexual offences, who instruct us after they are wrongly convicted. We work with barristers who are recognised as some of the country's leading miscarriage of justice experts. We regularly receive recommendations and referrals from a number of campaigning organisations including The Miscarriages Of Justice Organisation ("MOJO") and INNOCENT as well as journalists, other firms of solicitors, experts, counsel and existing clients.

We submit a large number of applications to the Criminal Cases Review Commission each year, highlighting a vast number of issues including police corruption, non-disclosure, fresh evidence, new expert opinion and incompetent defence work by the trial lawyers. We recently obtained our sixteenth referral to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

For the client in prison, we can help with parole boards, including revocation of licence, disputes with the probation service and category A representations. On licence, we can help with disputes with the probation service and challenge unfair licence conditions.

Where appropriate we will challenge the decision of a public body (for instance, the police, Probation Service, HM Prison Service, Ministry of Justice and Criminal Cases Review Commission) by way of judicial review to the Administrative Court.

NOTABLE CASES

The end of the court case does not mean the end of our expertise and the help that we can offer our clients.

R v J.M. and R.C.: House of Lords; the clients' convictions for wounding with intent and other offences were quashed, following successful argument concerning whether the trial indictment was lawful.

R v A.R.: Court of Appeal; the client's convictions for manslaughter and assault with intent to rob were quashed. Reported in the Times Law Reports. This remains a leading case on disclosure concerning prosecution witnesses and reward money.

R v D.H.: Court of Appeal; conviction for armed robbery quashed. We uncovered fresh evidence that proved that a police officer had deliberately changed an exhibit reference in order to convict the client, for which she faced disciplinary action after the successful appeal. The case attracted national publicity.

R v P.R.: Court of Appeal following reference by CCRC; conviction for murder quashed. Reported in the Times Law Reports. Fresh expert evidence showed the client was particularly susceptible to provocation at the time of the offence.

R v G.H.: Court of Appeal; the client's conviction for conspiracy to rob was quashed. The client was convicted of being the inside man in a £6.5 million cash in transit robbery [the largest cash in transit robbery ever in the UK]. Fresh expert evidence explained his actions at the scene when faced with the gunman.

R v A.L.: Court of Appeal; the client's convictions for allegedly gang related offences of attempted murder, robbery, firearms offences, kidnapping, blackmail and false imprisonment were quashed. Fresh evidence undermined the reliability of the main prosecution witnesses.

R v G. D.: Crown Court; the client faced four charges of murder and arson with intent to endanger life. The case received national publicity.

R v D.I.: Crown Court; the prosecution alleged that the client was a serial rapist who attacked prostitutes at knifepoint. He was acquitted of eleven charges. The case received national publicity [including The Times Newspaper] when the police took out an ASBO against the client before he was charged.

R v J.D.: Crown Court; the client faced a charge of manslaughter, with five co-defendants. The main issue in the case was cause of death. The client was found not guilty of all charges.

R v C.C.: Crown Court; alleged gangland shootings; the client was charged with two separate attempted murders and firearms offences. Five witnesses named him as the gunman. He was found not guilty of all charges.

B.L. v The National Probation Service, Chief Constable of West Midlands Police and The Secretary of State for Justice: Judicial Review; We successfully challenged a decision to require the client to live in a specific area of Birmingham as a condition of his parole licence. We argued that the decision was a breach of his human rights, including a potential breach of his 'Right to Life' under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

A.L. v The Secretary of State for Justice: Judicial Review; A successful challenge to a decision by HM Prison service to upgrade our client to category A status. We argued that the original decision was wrong and his continued detention as a maximum security prisoner was unlawful.

For more information please call into the Moseley office or email us on crime@hhb-law.co.uk