Criminal Defence Solicitors: Expert Legal Defence Nationwide

Our criminal defence practice covers a defined set of offences. We have chosen to focus on the areas where we have the deepest experience and the strongest track record, rather than spreading across every category of criminal law.

Assault

Assault charges in England and Wales fall into distinct categories, each carrying different maximum sentences. We defend all levels of assault from common assault through to grievous bodily harm.

The difference between charges often comes down to the level of injury and whether the prosecution can prove intent. A split lip might be charged as ABH, but the same injury could be charged as common assault if the evidence of lasting harm is thin. We examine medical evidence, CCTV footage, witness statements and police body-worn camera recordings to challenge the charge level.

Self-defence is the most common defence in assault cases. Under Section 76 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, you can use reasonable force to defend yourself, another person, or your property. What counts as “reasonable” depends on the circumstances, and building that argument properly is where experienced representation matters. Our Manchester criminal defence team handles a high volume of assault cases from across Greater Manchester.

Harassment and stalking

The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 created two tiers of harassment offences. Section 2 covers basic harassment (a course of conduct causing alarm or distress), while Section 4 covers putting someone in fear of violence. Stalking was added as a separate offence under Sections 2A and 4A in 2012.

Harassment charges often arise from situations that have a back story: neighbour disputes, workplace disagreements, relationship breakdowns. The prosecution may present a pattern of contact that looks damaging when stripped of context. We build the context back in: why the contact happened, whether it was genuinely threatening, and whether it amounts to a “course of conduct” as the law defines it. Sometimes what the police label as harassment is a civil matter, not a criminal one, and should never have been charged.

Restraining orders are frequently sought alongside harassment cases. Even if you are acquitted of the harassment charge itself, the court can still impose a restraining order under Section 5A of the Protection from Harassment Act. We represent clients at restraining order hearings and challenge orders that are disproportionate to the actual risk.

Public disorder and affray

Public order offences under the Public Order Act 1986 range from Section 5 (causing harassment, alarm or distress) to Section 1 (riot). The charge you face depends on how serious the prosecution considers the behaviour:

Section 5 charges are among the most overused in criminal law. Police officers sometimes charge Section 5 after minor verbal exchanges that would not meet the legal threshold of causing genuine “harassment, alarm or distress” to a reasonable person. We challenge weak Section 5 charges regularly and achieve a high success rate across these cases.

Affray is more serious. The prosecution must prove that you used or threatened unlawful violence and that a reasonable person present at the scene would have feared for their safety. Pub and nightclub incidents often attract affray charges. We represent clients accused of affray at both the magistrates’ court and Crown Court, and we often argue cases down from affray to a lesser Section 5 offence, which carries a fine rather than custody.

Possession of offensive weapons

Carrying an offensive weapon in a public place is an either-way offence under Section 1 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953. The maximum sentence at the Crown Court is 4 years. For knives specifically, Section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 makes it an offence to carry a bladed or sharply pointed article in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse.

The defence usually turns on whether you had a reasonable excuse for carrying the item. A work tool in your bag on the way to a job site is different from the same item carried at 2 am in a town centre. We argue for lawful authority, reasonable excuse, and the circumstances of the stop and search. If the police search was unlawful (carried out without reasonable grounds under PACE Code A), the evidence may be excluded entirely.

Criminal damage

Criminal damage under the Criminal Damage Act 1971 covers destroying or damaging property belonging to another person. The charge is summary-only when the value of the damage is under £5,000 (heard at the magistrates’ court, maximum fine of £2,500) and either-way when the value exceeds £5,000 (maximum 10 years at the Crown Court).

Arson (criminal damage by fire) is always treated as an indictable offence regardless of the value of damage, carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. We represent clients facing criminal damage charges from minor property disputes through to serious arson allegations.

The defences include honest belief that the property owner would have consented, acting to protect other property, and challenging the prosecution’s valuation of the damage.

Dangerous and careless driving (serious injury cases)

Driving offences that cause serious injury or death fall within our criminal defence scope as well as our motoring law practice. Causing serious injury by dangerous driving under Section 1A of the Road Traffic Act 1988 carries a maximum of 5 years at the Crown Court. Causing death by dangerous driving carries a maximum of life imprisonment following the 2022 sentencing changes.

These cases overlap with our dangerous driving defence work and our careless driving practice. Where a driving offence results in criminal charges and a Crown Court trial, our criminal defence team and motoring law solicitors work together on the case.