John Hurlock of 2 Bedford Row, instructed by Paul Cameron of Bark & Co, represented a client in a 14-defendant prosecution involving conspiracy to kidnap, blackmail and false imprisonment. After two weeks of defence submissions on PII, the prosecution offered no evidence against all defendants.
The prosecution case
The Crown alleged that the defendants conspired to abduct a Swedish national and demand a £150,000 ransom. The complainant said he had been held at several locations for about ten days in November 2015. The prosecution relied on extensive CCTV, telephone and cell-site evidence, together with the complainant’s account.
The defence case
The defence argued that the alleged kidnap, blackmail and false imprisonment were not genuine criminal events as the Crown presented them, and that the complainant was himself complicit. A central issue was the role and knowledge of police officers in the surveillance operation, and whether the prosecution had disclosed material relevant to the defence.
Public Interest Immunity proceedings
Through detailed submissions and focused questioning of the observation officer, John drew out matters of significance about the police operation and the material underlying the prosecution case. The defence maintained that these issues went directly to the reliability of the Crown’s account and the defendants’ right to a fair trial.
The hearing involved an extensive examination of the Crown’s disclosure obligations and the use of PII where sensitive material may assist the defence.
The outcome
At the conclusion of the PII proceedings, the prosecution offered no evidence. John’s client and all the other defendants were acquitted.
The case shows the importance of rigorous scrutiny of sensitive police material in serious criminal proceedings and reflects John Hurlock’s experience in complex multi-handed cases involving surveillance, disclosure and PII.
“One of the leading barristers in cases of this kind.”