
Public hearings in the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry end...Read more
Kate’s practice encompasses criminal trials and appeals, extradition and public law in the field of criminal justice. She is a versatile practitioner and is dual ranked in Chambers & Partners in the categories of Crime and Extradition.
Within crime and related civil work, Kate has particular expertise in national security, fraud and contempt. She has been involved in multiple internal investigations conducted by companies into fraud and regulatory offences. She has a strong appellate and judicial review practice and regularly appears in the Court of Appeal, Administrative Court, and Privy Council.
Kate has acted in many of the country’s leading criminal appeals in recent years, including the seminal appeals in the ‘Post Office’ miscarriage of justice scandal in which she has represented more than seventy sub-postmasters whose convictions have been quashed: Hamilton & Others [2021] EWCA Crim 577; Ambrose [2021] EWCA Crim 1443; Allen & Ors [2021] EWCA Crim 187; Hawkes [2022] EWCA Crim 1197; Coultas [2023] EWCA Crim 606; Reynolds [2024] EWCA Crim 317.
Kate recently succeeded in obtaining a writ of habeas corpus against the Governor of Wandsworth prison: R (on the application of Kim) v. HMP Wandsworth [2024] 4 W.L.R. 34 and brought a successful appeal against the decision of the Information Commissioner regarding the Home Office’s refusal to release investigative material relating to the trial of the Guildford Four: Logan v Information Commissioner [2024] UKFTT 00476 (GRC).
Kate acted in the landmark ‘small boats’ appeal relating to migrants crossing the English Channel (Bani & Ors [2021] EWCA Crim 1958) and the privacy case Griffiths v Tickle [2021] EWCA Civ 1882, where she acted for former MP, Andrew Griffiths.
Kate acted in the leading case on the impact of Coronavirus on the operation of custody time-limits Regulations (R (on application of DPP) v Woolwich Crown Court [2021] 1 W.L.R. 938) and the case of R v. Shepherd (Jack Sebastian) [2019] 4 W.L.R. 116, an appeal in relation to specialty protection in criminal proceedings. Kate also acted in an important case concerning children’s remand detention in Trinidad and Tobago: Seepersad v. Commissioner of Prisons [2021] 1 W.L.R. 4315, in which the Privy Council held that the appellants had been unlawfully and unconstitutionally detained in an adult prison whilst they were children.
Kate’s practice often has an international dimension and she has advised in criminal, extradition and death penalty cases in Botswana, Kyrgyrzstan, Kazakhstan, Gibraltar, Bulgaria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Trinidad and Tobago, Bermuda and the Bahamas. She acted for one of the five alleged genocidaires in relation to the Rwanda genocide of 1994: Brown & others v Government of Rwanda [2017] EWHC 1912 (Admin). She is a member of the Ukraine Advice Project.
Kate is a member of the Foreign Office Panel of Pro Bono lawyers for British citizens detained abroad, and she has trained lawyers in the applicability of international human rights law to counter-terrorism legislation on behalf of the United Nations.
She is a contributing author to Mason’s Forensic Medicine for Lawyers (Bloomsbury Professional) on the issue of deaths in custody. She is the author of the chapter ‘Arrest and Detention’ in Human Rights and Criminal Law (Bloomsbury Professional, 1st Edition).
Other cases of significance across Kate’s practice areas include:
“Kate thinks outside the box and is dynamic.” - Chambers and Partners 2024
“Kate is an outstanding defence criminal practitioner.” - Chambers and Partners 2024
“She has an encyclopedic knowledge of the law, which is regularly changing. She is a delight to work with and knows everything there is to know.” - Chambers and Partners 2024
"She is very experienced, has great judgement, and is very practical." - Chambers and Partners 2024
"Kate is one of the very best juniors about - she is exceptionally intelligent, a fierce defender of her clients' interests and a pleasure to work with as well. She can be relied on to identify and fight every point that can be taken, fearlessly. She is someone you want in your side." - Legal 500 2024
"A powerhouse junior, who has the ability to take difficult points and carry them well." - Chambers and Partners 2023
"Kate is incredibly clever. Excellent tactical strategy. Superb client care. Brilliant skeleton arguments and ability to navigate complex factual issues, law and admissibility issues." - Legal 500 2023
"An expert in cases with complex legal arguments and technical elements. She is a talented advocate." - Chambers and Partners 2022
"Kate is extremely clever. She is deeply passionate about her cases." - Legal 500 2022
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.
Kate's recent instructions include matters of terrorism, espionage, fraud, and homicide. 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. Recent and notable instructions include:
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:
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 frequently acts for 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, and has experience of successful mediations in such claims. 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: