Operation Hauberk was a three-handed joint enterprise murder. We represented the youngest of the three defendants, who were running cut-throat defences, each alleging that the others had committed the murder and they themselves had not been involved.
On the day of trial the other two defendants both belatedly entered guilty pleas to murder and indicated that they would give evidence for the Crown against our client.
Nevertheless, the defence team held its nerve and a two week Crown Court jury trial followed, during which time we cross-examined the two turncoats. We also successfully undermined the Prosecution CSI/SOCO scientific evidence and showed that it did not prove that our client had been involved in the fatal acts.
At the end of the trial the Jury, after two days of deliberation, were unable to agree whether our client had committed murder, and were discharged.
The following week our client pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and the Prosecution offered no evidence on murder. He received a sentence which would enable him to be released in the very near future.
The other two defendants both received sentences of life imprisonment, with tariff recommendations that they serve a minimum of 16 and 19 years respectively.