Claire Robinson and Alex Monaghan secure an acquittal for their 19-year-old client after a 5-week trial.

Claire and Alex’s client was charged with possession of a firearm which had been found after the Notting Hill Carnival. The client’s DNA was identified on a part of the gun, which the Crown suggested was internal. It was alleged that his DNA was likely to have been deposited by handling the firearm.

Careful analysis of the evidence and cross-examination of the DNA and firearms experts demonstrated that a combined DNA swab had been taken from two components, one of which was not always internal but was partially exposed when the slide was racked. The DNA could have been left either by indirect transfer or by direct handling of the gun. The scientific findings alone were inconclusive in respect of how the DNA was deposited.

Claire and Alexandra were instructed by Ria Kudrati of Bark & Co.