Crucible counsel achieve affray acquittals .

Clea Topolski and Libby Anderson represented two members of a family, Mr G and Mr D, who were said to have engaged in a violent street brawl in which wooden planks were used as weapons. Both men were charged with affray and Clea’s client, a young man of good character, was also charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The brawl took place following a dispute at a local pub between Mr D and the complainant, whose families had been engaged in a feud for 25 years.

Mr G’s case was that anything he did was in reasonable defence of another member of his group. Mr D, although he accepted presence, denied that he had taken part in the affray at all and maintained that he had only been there as a peacemaker with the intention of putting the feud to rest.

Careful cross-examination of the complainant and two other eye-witnesses elicited inconsistencies between their evidence and video footage of the altercation, and undermined the credibility of the eye-witnesses who seemed to have attempted to conceal the true extent of their role in what occurred.

Both Mr G and Mr D were unanimously acquitted by the jury after a 6 day trial.

Clea and Libby were instructed by Katie Cooper of Reeds Solicitors.