Overview
Piers is a committed defender with an exclusively defence criminal practice. His work covers all aspects of criminal law in Crown Courts across the country as well as appellate work in the Court of Appeal and the Administrative Court.
Crime
Recent briefs have included murder, rape, armed robbery, drugs importations and large scale fraud.
He is regularly instructed in cases involving Trident investigations of gang crime and firearms related violence as well as multi-handed cash in transit robberies. He is currently instructed in two allegedly gang related London murders.
Piers also specialises in criminal work with a civil liberties dimension; with a particular emphasis on freedom of expression and the right to protest. He regularly defends animal rights activists, hunt saboteurs/monitors, environmental and anti-arms trade protestors and was instructed in a large number of the Fathers4Justice cases.
He was Leading counsel in the successful defence of one of the "Sequani Six" defendants, in what has been said to be the longest running animal rights trial in British legal history and the first effective trial under s.145 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.
He was also recently instructed to defend allegations of terrorism offences and soliciting murder in relation to what the Terrorist Squad has termed "domestic terrorism".
Other terrorism related work has included representing a firm of solicitors to secure the return of legally privileged material after successfully arguing that it had been seized unlawfully by the police under the Terrorism Act.
Inquests
Piers also undertakes inquest work, most recently representing the family of the deceased in relation to controversial circumstances in which police negligence was said to have been a contributory factor to the death.
Cases of note
General Crime - R v Sakyi - Murder, firearms
- R v Laguda - Conspiracy to Murder, firearms
- R v Heaton - Soliciting Murder, terrorism offence
- R v Dobson and others - Old Bailey, Murder, firearms
- R v Brooks - Old Bailey - Attempted Murder, firearms
- R v Clarke Grayson and others - Multi handed cash in transit robberies
- R v Gipson and others - Armed robbery and firearms offences
- R v Pusey and others - Firearms with intent to endanger life
- R v McKenna-Bruce and others - Conspiracy to rob and kidnap, firearms
- R v McCourt and others - The largest ever NHS payroll fraud
- R v McKinnon - One punch manslaughter
- R v Williams and others - Conspiracy to import cocaine
- R v Barrie - Rape and s.18 of a 57 year old woman
- R v H - Rape of a vulnerable complainant by a defendant with extreme learning difficulties
- R v S - Kidnap and child abduction
- R v Modeste (A-G's ref No. 93 of 2007) [2007] All ER (D) 418 (Nov), [2007] EWCA Crim 3225) - Aggravated burglary, false imprisonment and sex offences~
Specialised Crime/Civil Liberties/Human Rights - R v Clark and others (The "Sequani Six") - Leading counsel on a Conspiracy under s.145 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005
- R v Mann and Glintenkamp - conspiracy to burgle Wickham Laboratories, the theft/liberation of 600 mice
- R v Kirk [2006] EWCA Crim 725, [2006] Crim LR 850, Archbold 2007 25-353 - anti-vivisection campaigner sending "indecent/obscene" material through the post
- Currie and Cresswell v D.P.P. [2006] All ER (D) 429 (Nov) - criminal damage to badger traps. Crown Immunity and the legality of the DEFRA badger cull. Appeal by way of case stated
- R v Marcham and others - aggravated trespass on the EDO arms factory. Argument on the legality or otherwise of the Iraq War and the use of cluster bombs
- R v Risk, Downes and others - Fathers4Justice, the M4 santas, public nuisance
- R v Gorecki and others - F4J, the Vauxhall santas, endangering the lives of rail users
The Tower Bridge santas - R v Wiffin - F4J, the Manchester Spiderman, public nuisance
- R v Redhead and Risk - Batman and Catwoman, public nuisance and obstruction of the highway
Other
Before being called to the Bar, Piers gained considerable experience running the case preparation section in the criminal department of a solicitors'' firm in the Midlands. He also worked assisting on civil actions against the police and cases involving gypsy rights.
He has travelled extensively around the world, funding his travels with work as a scuba divemaster, English teacher and journalist. In his spare time he renovates residential boats.
|
Year of Call
2001
Education
BA (Hons) Philosophy & Literature (Warwick);
Postgraduate Diploma in Law (Nottingham);
BVC (ICSL)
Email Address
p.marquis@doughtystreet.co.uk
Click for contact details
Specialist Teams
Member :
|
