Criminal Barrister Nick Robinson successful in the Court of Appeal in an appeal against sentence

13th December 2016

On 9 December 2016 Nick Robinson appeared before the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division), namely Elias LJ, Sweeney J and Judge Dean QC in a renewed application for leave to appeal sentence, leave having been refused by the Single Judge Sir Stephen Silber.

Nick successfully persuaded the Full Court to grant leave and subsequently allow the appeal on the basis that the sentence of 12 months’ immediate imprisonment was manifestly excessive and wrong in principle. The defendant aged 64 received two consecutive sentences of 6 months for two indecent assaults against the same complainant some 42 years earlier when aged 21.

The Court held that the terms of 6 months' imprisonment each, on counts 1 and 2, should have been imposed concurrent to one another. Accordingly, the defendant's total sentence was reduced to one of 6 months' imprisonment thereby effecting his immediate release from custody: R v Thompson - [2016] All ER (D) 56 (Dec).