Sexual offences News

Gemma White acted for the second defendant, aged 16 at the time of the alleged offences, who faced multiple charges of rape and possession of indecent images of a child along with three other co-accused. The trial lasted several weeks and involved complex matters of law as well as forensic evidence and young and vulnerable witnesses who required careful and sensitive cross examination. A number of the charges were dismissed at the close of the prosecution case and the...

Jane Rowley was Lead Defence Counsel for one of 5 men accused of trafficking for sexual exploitation, sexual activity with a child, conspiracy to facilitate the prostitution of children and the supply of drugs, in R v Asad and others (Operation Wren) Newcastle Crown Court 2017. The trial arose as a result of Operation Sanctuary/Wren which was one of the largest police investigations into the sexual exploitation of vulnerable girls/women ever mounted in the UK. The...

Jane Rowley has been instructed as Leading Counsel for a Defendant facing Serious Sexual Assault charges in Newcastle Crown Court. The trial commenced on 21st August and is expected to conclude early October. The case arises from a series of complex investigations conducted by Northumbria Police, into alleged sex rings operating in the North East by a network of males sexually abusing young women and girls. Operation Sanctuary/Operation Wren.