Kate regularly represents requested persons at first instance and in appeals before the High Court under Part 1 and Part 2 of the Extradition Act 2003. Recent instructions include an American extradition request of ‘hacker’ Nathan Wyatt, who was previously arrested in the UK in relation to hacking the iCloud account of Pippa Middleton (for coverage see here.)

Kate has acted in a number of significant cases, including Brown & others v Government of Rwanda [2017] EWHC 1912 (Admin) where she represented one of five men whose extradition was sought by the Government of Rwanda in relation to the 1994 genocide. Kate also acted for the lead appellant in Celinski and Others [2015] EWHC 1274 (Admin), now the leading case in relation to the High Court’s appellate review of Article 8 determinations.  

Other cases include:

• Germany v Parkes [2021] EWHC 1655 (Admin)

• Curi v Czech Republic [2021] EWHC 867 (Admin)

• Wyatt v United States [2019] EWHC 2978 (Admin)

• Szatkowski v Poland [2019] EWHC 883 (Admin)  

• Amadu Ture v. Portugal [2017] EWHC 1613 (Admin)

• Jerzy Borkowski [2014] EWHC 3583 (Admin)

• Nowak v Poland [2014] EWHC 3466 (Admin)

Kate's recent instructions include matters of fraud, terrorism, murder and gross negligence manslaughter. She regularly advises in ‘joint enterprise’ murder appeals based on the judgment of the Supreme Court in the case of R v Jogee [2016] UKSC 8. Kate also acts in criminal appeals before the Privy Council, and is currently acting for an Amicus Curiae in a death penalty case before the African Commission. Notable trials and appeals include:

• R v KK (2023) – led junior in allegation of murder of a child based on a historic s.18 conviction of ‘baby shaking’. 

• FCA v NH (2023) – junior alone acting for former broker of cryptocurrency products, accused of conspiracy to commit fraud and to breach the general prohibition imposed by s.19 FSMA 2000

• R v AB (2023) – junior alone acting for former employee of a bank accused of high-value theft and money laundering 

• R v KD (2022) – ‘joint enterprise’ multi-defendant murder tried at the Central Criminal Court. Leave to appeal sentence granted by Court of Appeal. 

• R v YO (ongoing) – led junior acting for a defendant in an alleged fraud concerning a Libyan Sovereign Wealth fund under the Ghaddafi regime.

• R v DJ (2022) – junior alone acting for a defendant accused of attempted murder

• R v SG (2021) – junior alone acting for a former IFA accused of fraud by abuse of position over an 18-year period

• R v Cutter (2020) – led junior for a female defendant in an allegation of membership of proscribed organisation, National Action.

• R v Adrian Hoare (2019) - led junior for female accused of gross negligence manslaughter. The defendant had placed her three-year old child in the footwell of a car, who was subsequently crushed to death beneath the front passenger seat.

• R v Hamasalih (2017)– led junior in the first contested ISIS membership trial at the CCC. The case involved expert evidence relating to the political and religious backdrop of Iraqi Kurdistan and the operations of the Peshmerga in northern Iraq.

• R v JC (2018) – led junior representing a teenage boy in a s.5 allegation and related charges under the Explosives Act 1985.

• R v X (2017)– junior alone representing a woman accused of downloading Al-Qaeda publications.

• R v ZS (2018) – junior alone representing a Kurdish national accused of disseminating terrorist publications.

• R v Choudary (2016) - Criminal trial of controversial Islamic preacher which attracted worldwide press coverage. The trial was the first major test case under s.12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in relation to religious ‘support’ for the caliphate declared by ISIS.

• R v Alamgir and others (2016) - Parallel s.12 prosecution to that of Choudary and based on the covert infiltration of a ‘cell’ of Al-Muhajiroun in Luton.

• R v Thorne and others [2016] - led junior in gross negligence manslaughter trial at the Central Criminal Court. The case involved the use of restraint by SIA approved door supervisors.

• The Queen v Timothy Hunte and Shazad Khan [2015] UKPC 33; Times, July 23, 2015 – appeals against conviction and mandatory sentence of death upheld by Court of Appeal in Trinidad for offence of murder in 2003. Issues included whether the Privy Council should reopen its previous ruling in Ramdeen v The Queen [2014] UKPC 7 regarding the power to substitute a sentence of death for one of life imprisonment on constitutional grounds.

• R v Onur Simsek [2015] EWCA Crim 1268 - appeal in relation to the transitional provisions pertaining to Criminal Behaviour Orders

• R v Kelvin Merritt [2014] EWCA Crim 2384 – successful appeal against combined sentence of £5000 costs and 21 months' imprisonment for possession of indecent images. Court of Appeal quashed the order for costs and substituted a sentence of 16 months' imprisonment, accepting that the appellant had exceptional mitigation.

• R v Mohammed Ali [2014] EWCA Crim 2170 – successful appeal against the activation of a suspended sentence in full where the appellant was sectioned under the Mental Health Act during the operational period, and the sentencing judge had exceeded his sentencing powers. Sentence reduced from 17 to 12 months' imprisonment.

Kate is an experienced public lawyer in cases before the High Court and Judicial Committee of the Privy Council which involve criminal justice issues – in particular, cases which involve criminal procedure, constitutional law and children’s rights:

• Suraj and Maharaj v Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago [2022] UKPC 26

• Griffiths v. Tickle [2021] EWCA Civ 1882

• Commissioner of Prisons v. Seepersad [2021] UKPC 13

• R (on application of DPP) v Woolwich Crown Court [2021] 1 W.L.R. 938)

• R (on application of M) v. Hammersmith Youth Court [2017] EWHC 1359 (Admin)

• R (on application of Charles v. Criminal Cases Review Commission) [2017] EWHC 1219 (Admin) 

• Secretary of State for Home Department v. LF [2017] EWHC 2685 (Admin).

• Hunte v Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago [2015] UKPC 33

Kate is currently advising a number of individuals and organisations in public law challenges, spanning migrants’ rights, prisoners’ rights, Article 2 breaches, and police/CPS charging decisions.

Kate was part of the legal team acting for Just for Kids Law in strategic litigation regarding the use of overnight police detention for 17-year-olds (‘Still a Child at 17’). Following months of pre-action correspondence and a nationwide campaign in which the Claimant challenged the compatibility of s.38 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Government agreed to amend the provisions of PACE to afford 17 year olds the same protections as 16 year olds in overnight police detention: (Read More).

Kate is regularly instructed by claimants in cases involving wrongful arrest and the alleged negligence of police officers in relation to their detention and treatment in custody. Kate has a particular interest in Article 2 ECHR claims pertaining to women affected by domestic violence and claims which involve ineffective investigations by police officers. Owing to her involvement in the Post Office criminal appeals, Kate also has experience in advising on claims in malicious prosecution. Ongoing and recent instructions include:

• Advising in relation to a proposed action against the police relating to their failure to secure medical treatment for a detainee and for conducting an unlawful strip search in custody.

• Acts for deceased’s estate and family in case involving police’s failure to conduct an effective investigation into the deceased’s killer

• Acts for deceased’s estate and seven claimants in case involving police’s failure to prevent a domestic homicide

Acts for deceased’s estate and family members in relation to police’s failure to assess risk of domestic homicide