Rabah Kherbane, leading in six-week trial: unanimous acquittal of client for assisting an offender offence after murder of local 21-year-old

Rabah Kherbane, leading Soraya Bauwens (1MCB), represented LM a 24-year-old University of Bristol graduate at trial at Reading Crown Court. LM was charged with an offence of assisting an offender, having allegedly assisted his younger brother in evading arrest and prosecution after the stabbing and murder of a local 21-year-old in Slough. After a six-week trial, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of Not Guilty for LM.

LM’s younger brother had been involved in the stabbing and murder of a young man in the local area, and later pleaded Guilty to murder. This murder transpired in the context of six years of ‘tit-for-tat’ violence. Past incidents included serious stabbings where victims were found in ‘pools of their own blood’, or were targeted whilst in public in broad daylight. The prosecution alleged that following the murder, LM had provided his younger brother with transport and a safe house to avoid arrest, and then provided him with cash and a mobile phone. The prosecution further alleged LM had purchased a flight ticket to Somalia for his younger brother to flee the jurisdiction, and drove him to the airport.

LM denied knowledge his brother was involved in the local killing at the time. The Defence case involved examination of substantial served and unused material, including CCTV, call data records / sequencing, cell site, and financial evidence. The Defence case further included expert analysis of digital and social media evidence, corroborating defence material, and issues concerning police trust within the local community. Legal arguments were pursued on non-defendant bad character evidence, including of the deceased, and disclosure. LM gave evidence over the course of two days.

Rabah Kherbane and Soraya Bauwens were instructed by Amer Ahmed at JD Spicer Zeb.