Benjamin Newton

Overview

Benjamin Newton is a criminal defence and appeal advocate.

He is consistently instructed to defend in jury trials for serious offences, his experience including grievous bodily harm, robbery, aggravated burglary, sexual assault, blackmail, importation of class A drugs, and conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

Benjamin also has expertise in extradition matters (both first instance and on appeal), and has experience appearing before courts martials in England and in Germany.

Recent cases

Benjamin has appeared as led junior in a number of long-running and complex cases. Between January and April 2010 he represented the third defendant in R v Twomey (and others) - allegations of armed robbery at Heathrow Airport in February 2004 resulting in the first judge-only trial on indictment in England and Wales. He also acted in R v Williams (and others), a conspiracy to rob brothels in East London including multiple rape offences against six complainant, and also in R v Shilling (and others), an alleged conspiracy to conceal stolen vehicles and machinery worth over £1m.

Benjamin has particular experience in cases involving civil liberties and human rights, including those arising from direct action and protest. In 2008 he was led for five months on behalf of the second of six animal rights protestors in R v Kirtley (and others) - the first effective trial under s145 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 - and subsequently represented other animal rights protestors for trial in related cases. He is currently instructed in relation to an alleged conspiracy to commit criminal damage in connection with the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty campaign. He also frequently appears for environmental activists, including the February 2008 Palace of Westminster roof-top protest against the third runway at Heathrow Airport, matters arising from Climate Camp 2008, and protestors charged with aggravated trespass at Stansted Airport in December 2008. He is currently representing 10 of the 114 individuals arrested in a police raid in Nottingham in 2009 whilst allegedly planning the occupation of Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station. He is also regularly instructed at trials arising from protests in London, and in October 2009 successfully applied for a prosecution for violent disorder arising out of the protest at George W Bush's 2008 visit to Downing Street to be stayed for abuse of process at the Central Criminal Court.

In addition to first instance cases, Benjamin has a rapidly developing appellate practice in the High Court and Court of Appeal. Cases include R v T [2009] 2 Crim. App. R. 25 and R v Jennison [2009] EWCA Crim 312 (the quashing of a sentence of detention for public protection originally imposed in October 2005). He also accepts instructions in Privy Council matters, having gained experience of capital appeals whilst working at the Public Interest Litigation Clinic in Kansas City, Missouri during 2003.

Publications

Benjamin writes a quarterly column, Life in Crime, in the Solicitors' Journal (click links to read recent articles: May 2008 Aug 2008 Nov 2008 Feb 2009 May 2009 Aug 2009 Nov2009) and was a contributing author to Human Rights in the Investigation and Prosecution of Crime, edited by Jonathan Cooper OBE and Madeleine Colvin (OUP 2009). He is currently drafting a number of chapters for the forthcoming second edition of Taylor on Appeals, edited by Paul Taylor (OUP).

Other

Benjamin is a member of Lawyers for Liberty, Amnesty International, Friends of the Earth, the Criminal Bar Association, the Criminal Appeal Lawyers Association and the Extradition Lawyers Association.

Year of Call

2004

Education

BA (Oxon), PgDL (City)

Email Address

b.newton@doughtystreet.co.uk

Click for contact details

Specialist Teams

Member :

• Courts Martial
• Criminal Law
• Extradition
• Human Rights