Author: Hannah Wright

2KBW Chambers are delighted to announce that The King has appointed Robin Sellers to be a Circuit Judge on the advice of the Lord Chancellor, the Right Honourable Alex Chalk KC MP and the former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, the Right Honourable The Lord Burnett of Maldon.

The former Lord Chief Justice deployed him to the South Eastern Circuit, based at Guildford Crown Court with effect from 4 December 2023.

He will be sorely missed by his colleagues in Chambers, we wish him every success for his career with the Bench.

Circuit Judge Appointment: Sellers

Under the supervision of Claire Langevad, pupil Lily Hines was called to the Bar on 22nd November 2023.  She will be on her feet in April 2024.

Four members of a Bristol based drug gang have been jailed for a total of 35 years for their part in supplying millions of pounds worth of Class A drugs.

Leader Anes Troudi admitted conspiracy to supply up to 50kg of cocaine with a street value of £5 million and received 17 years imprisonment.  Adnan Malik and Gary Browne both pleaded guilty to their involvement and were sentenced to nine years and 7 years six months respectively.  Carl Powell was given a suspended prison sentence.

Upon the defendants arrests, police recovered jewellery, designer clothes, a Porsche and tens of thousands of pounds in cash.

The investigation was led by the South West Regional Organised Crime UNit (SWROCU) using data led by Operation Venetic – an international investigation targeting EncroChat.

Bristol drugs gang jailed for decades for cocaine supply – BBC News

The trial continues at Bournemouth Crown Court of Dr Alberti Fioletti, who is charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Stephanie Hodgkinson.  The court heard they had a heated argument on 5th May this year when Stephanie kicked him out of their home.  She agreed to meet him a week later to talk and he arrived at her flat with flowers and a card in a bid to save their relationship, before stabbing her seven times after she told him they had no future together.  Paramedics found Stephanie at the scene with non-survivable injuries to her heart, lungs and great vessels, causing catastrophic bleeding.  Fioletti had also stabbed himself in the stomach before calling 999 and telling the operator, “I killed my girlfriend”.

Steven Perian KC, prosecuting, told the court that the defendant had narcissistic personality disorder and had previously had several intense relationships with female colleagues at other veterinary practices, and he used his mental health problems to gain sympathy from former girlfriends.

The defendant has admitted a charge of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but he denies murder. The trial continues.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12757139/Italian-vet-31-arrived-mother-twos-flat-flowers-card-try-save-relationship-stabbed-seven-times-kitchen-insisted-no-future-murder-trial-told.html

 

Our Member of Chambers Gary Venturi is taking part in this years Clipper around the World Yacht Race which set sail on 3rd September from Gunwharf Quays.

After a gruelling 3,500nm crossing of the South Atlantic from Punta del Este, Uruguay, Dare To Lead has arrived in Cape Town, South Africa as the winner of Race 3: TIMEZERO South Atlantic Showdown, a race that really came down to the wire.

Following weeks of grit, determination, tough conditions and tactics, the team crossed the Finish Line at 06:37:10 UTC and was welcomed by a pontoon filled with friends, family and supporters congratulating the team on its victory and second ocean crossing of the Clipper 2023-24 Race. To make victory sweeter, Capetonian Skipper Ryan Gibson and his Race Crew, six of whom are also South African, were cheered in like heroes as they arrived home to the Mother City.

On arrival into V & A Waterfront, the team celebrated with a Champagne style victory spray (but South African sparkling wine of course!)to mark Dare To Lead’s first podium finish of the edition.

Adding to the triumph, Dare To Lead will gain double points on this race, having played the lucrative Joker, in addition to two bonus points scooped on placing second in the Scoring Gate. This catapults Dare To Lead up the Race Standings leader board.

Skipper Ryan Gibson said: “This feels unbelievable. It’s sinking in now, and I am super proud of everyone. To play the joker into my hometown is unbelievable.

“We just wanted to keep fighting and fighting, we learnt from the other legs to just never give up. It’s been a challenging crossing, we had some really high pressure which gave us some good speed, and then this morning ended up in a wind hole. It really has been up and down.

“Everyone is so excited to be here in Cape Town, the South Africans on board have been talking about it so much, so arriving into Table Bay was such a special moment.

“I think as we get off the boat and say hello to our friends and family it’s going to be unbelievable. This is definitely a highlight of my career, and it will be forever.”

South African Circumnavigator on Dare To Lead, Retief Jordaan, said “I am living the dream right now, this feels unbelievable. You couldn’t script it better than a group of South Africans sailing into their home country in first place.”

Founder of Dare To Lead Dirk Van Daele said “Congratulations. What an incredible win, multiplied by your Joker.

“You have fought hard throughout this race resulting in a victory richly deserved. You clearly had a “go big or go home” approach throughout, right down to your final Stealth move.

“The podium has been the aim and this has remained a tight race right down to the finish line.”

Usually famed for its downwind, fast, surfing conditions, Mother Nature had other ideas for Race 3 on this edition. The eleven Clipper Race teams, made up of non-professional crew from all walks of life, faced unseasonable weather patterns serving up tough headwinds and wind holes, rather than the usual consistent downwind spinnaker sailing promised on such a crossing. However, big low-pressure systems, gusts upwards of 50 knots and fast boat speeds were still on the agenda for this exhilarating race, which was closely fought until the final miles, where Dare To Lead was able to clinch the lead after popping out of Stealth Mode and maintaining first place until crossing the Finish Line.

https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.clipperroundtheworld.com%2Fnews%2Farticle%2Fdare-to-win&data=05%7C01%7CHannah%402kbw.com%7Cd671071e34104f0837a208dbe1dd2bc2%7C5c6e2b4cf08846deb4022aecff66ed81%7C0%7C0%7C638352112283245636%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=JoJllQojx595UIMRd7S5gSObMTqedzJHK6fHabQTUkQ%3D&reserved=0

Our Member of Chambers Gary Venturi is taking part in this years Clipper around the World Yacht Race which set sail on 3rd September from Gunwharf Quays.

October saw Dare to Lead reach Cadiz – Puerto Sherry – and Gary had to resupplying the ship with fresh fruit and veg and frozen vacuum packed chicken; a challenge for him in Spanish!  A baking hot whirlwind was over too soon and they set sail on 15/9 having had 48 usable hours ashore and a hot shower was bliss after 9 days at sea.

The push to Punte

The estimated duration for this second race was 27-32 days; the first 10 days punctuated with the interest of passing through the Canary Islands and then on to Cape Verde. Charging for a scoring gate in first place their spinnaker failed, the block 95 feet above the deck broke and came crashing down, dumping the sail in the water. All hands in deck in the middle of the night to haul it out of the sea … no points scored, 3 other yachts raced by as they struggled with repairs.

Then on to the doldrums. HEAT!!  As they neared the equator the temperature rose dramatically. High 30’s on deck with little to no breeze or shade. Marginally cooler below but around 90% humidity. Sleeping was a challenge!

All the boats are allowed to motor for 60 hours to keep the race moving through the doldrums corridor. Then it was back under sail for another 2 weeks to the finish.

Punte del Este, Uruguay

They made good time and came in on the 27th day to a truly amazing reception.  This is a host port and a yacht sponsor with a very proud sailing tradition.

Stay tuned for the next thrilling instalment, from Cape Town by mid November.

The case of Frankie Fitzgerald / Shaye Groves features on ‘Killer in my Village’ which airs on Tuesday 14th November 2023 at 9pm on Sky Crime.

The link to the show can be found here https://vimeo.com/871776722?share=copy  and the password:  Avalonview

The link to the original post can be found here: Serial-killer obsessed woman found guilty of murdering boyfriend – Steven Perian KC leading Richard Hutchings secure conviction – 2 King’s Bench Walk (2kbw.com)

2 KBW Chambers is extremely sad to learn of the news of the death over the weekend of Anthony Donne KC. He was, we believe, 84.

Anthony spent most of his long career with us at 2KBW.  He was called to the Bar in 1973 after a career as a solicitor. He excelled at several branches of law – civil and family as well as crime – and took silk in 1988, also serving as a Deputy High Court Judge from 1995.   He appeared in many – perhaps most – of the Western Circuit’s most serious criminal cases in the 1990s and early 2000s, and also served as Leader of Circuit between 2001 and 2004.

He was also Head of our Chambers for several years.  It was under his Headship that proper democracy and accountability were introduced into our structures, and that steps were taken to make our membership much more diverse than had previously been the case.  He was unassuming and kind, was always encouraging to both barristers and staff, and had a quiet authority that made him a tremendous leader.  He was also, of course, a fabulous advocate.

We send our profound condolences to Anthony’s wife, Her Honour Judge Miranda Robertshaw – also an ex-member of these Chambers – and to his whole family.

The gang coordinated two attacks in February 2020 in Wolverhampton using sledgehammers, crowbars, other weapons and high powered cars.  Upon entering a property in Pensnett Drive which adjoined a house where the cannabis growers lived, the gang were beaten back.  Captured on CCTV, the ensuing battle saw Khuzaimah Douglas and Waseem Ramzan shot dead with crossbows.

The case does not concern the deaths which have already been dealt with by the courts.  The gang are charged with aggravated burglary and burglary and have all pleaded not guilty.  The trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court is expected to last until December 2023.  Robin Sellers leads John Lloyd-Richards in the prosecution of the case.

Gang go on trial for alleged role in botched cannabis factory raid that saw two killed with crossbow | Express & Star (expressandstar.com)

Under the supervision of John Lloyd-Richards, pupil Jackalyn Chan was called to the Bar on 17th October 2023.  She will be on her feet in April 2024.