News

Ricky Morgan was today jailed for a minimum of 16 years for the unprovoked attack on a stranger in July 2021.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-62878541

2 KBW Chambers is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we join the nation in mourning.

2kbw.com

Chambers are delighted to announce that Matthew Farmer & Russell Pyne have succeeded Sally Howes QC as new joint Heads of Chambers.

We would like to thank Sally for her leadership, support and guidance during her period as Head of Chambers. Sally remains a busy, leading Queen’s Counsel in her fields of expertise.

Led by our accomplished Senior Clerk, Daren Milton over the past decade, 2 KBW’s reputation and rise to prominence means we enjoy a surfeit of high-quality work.

We are now looking to recruit high calibre barristers, including QC’s, to our busy teams across all of our practice areas.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF JUST 14%

For 5 years our tenants have enjoyed among the lowest contributions of any set nationwide, with no additional rent.

INTERESTED?

Please contact [email protected] or 07941 822883 in strictest confidence.

Chambers are committed to equality & diversity and consider all applications on an equal opportunity basis

2kbw New Heads of Chambers

The 31 year old, Fazal Sidiqkhil has been jailed after sexually abusing 4 young boys aged between 11 and 16. Sidiqkhil would give money to the young boys to gain their trust before performing sexual acts on them. On the 24th January 2021, Sidiqkhil was charged with over 30 offences, including rape, after one of the young boys came forward and contacted West Midlands Police. After pleading not guilty, Sidiqkhil’s case was then heard at Birmingham Crown Court for a 5 week trial, prosecuted by Grace Ong leading Alex Kettle-Williams. A jury found Sidiqkhil guilty and he was sentenced on the 14th July to just under 30 years. Detective Sargent Crossfield said: “I cannot underestimate the bravery and resilience of these young boys in coming forward and reliving what they went through. Sidiqkhil denied all the charges so they also had to go through the ordeal of a trial.”

https://west-midlands.police.uk/news/birmingham-man-jailed-child-sex-offences-1

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/paedophile-who-groomed-four-boys-24493696

Matthew and Russell are both extremely experienced practitioners, in London and on the Western Circuit, who continue to be in demand in their traditional heartland and in the West Midlands, Chambers has grown. They take over from Sally Howes QC.

In a letter to all barrister and staff at 2KBW, Matthew and Russell said: –

“We would like to thank Sally Howes QC for her leadership of Chambers. She became Head on William Mousley QC’s elevation to the Circuit Bench, and at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic…she has provided great guidance and support both during the unsettling times of lockdowns and thereafter. As a Senior Queen’s Counsel, and a recognised leader in her fields, we can all be very grateful that she took the helm at such a difficult time. She has decided now to stand down as Head of Chambers, but remains firmly committed to supporting the leadership, and Members of Chambers, wherever she can. She will remain a busy leading practitioner in her fields of expertise. We are most grateful to her.”

The letter also stressed Matthew and Russell’s commitment to 2KBW’s common law roots – balancing the criminal work it is renowned for both prosecuting and defending with its extensive civil, family, immigration and other work.

Originally a London, and Western Circuit based chambers, 2KBW, which has an annexe in Portsmouth, now sends its 74 barristers to a wide range of locations in England. It merged with 1 Inner Temple Lane in 2017, to offer a wide range of specialities.

Matthew and Russell both specialise in criminal law, appearing in cases involving homicide, drugs, kidnapping, serious fraud, serious sexual offences and violence.

Daren & Simon took Bobby Forrest out for a glass (or two) on 15^th June to wish him safe travels as he heads to Australia for a year with his family.

The diary is already filling up for August & September 2023 Bobby – So don’t forget to come back!

Bon voyage.

Daren & Simon joined former clerk-turn-client of Chambers Scott Heptinstall for the Captains Golf Day at Romford Golf Club on Friday 10^th June in aid of St. Francis Hospice  https://www.sfh.org.uk/ only to be confronted by 2 KBW’s  former Senior Clerk Roger Plager.

71 years young and as interested in Chambers as ever.

We wish him well …

Finishing last out of over 30 teams, we did ourselves & Chambers proud, in the bar afterwards!

A cracking day.

Please donate to this worthwhile cause (St Francis’ Hospice not the clerk’s beer fund…)

Kwaku Achampong was charged with blackmail and fraud after sending manipulative and threatening texts, phone calls and letters to two victims. The defendant demanded large sums of money on numerous occasions resulting in him fraudulently gaining a sum of £160,000. Prosecuted by  Miss Leigh Hart, the defendant was sentenced  on Tuesday at Newport Isle of Wight Crown Court to 6 years imprisonment following earlier guilty pleas.  Isle of Wight police investigating team said, “Achampong travelled across the country to pursue these wicked deeds, and he will now pay the price for his involvement in this.”

https://onthewight.com/blackmailer-who-demanded-100000-from-bembridge-man-jailed/

R v PC [2022] EWCA Crim 542

Instructed for the Appellant, Court of Appeal, Criminal Division, reported as follows:

This appeal against sentence raises the question of whether or not an extended sentence under s. 279 SA 2020 can be passed on an offence that is specified for the purpose of s. 306 in circumstances where the four-year term condition prescribed in s. 280 is met only by taking into account offending on associated offences that are not so specified. It is an issue on which there appears to be conflicting appellate authority. The point is one of real significance. Many cases involve offending arising out of a combination of specified and unspecified offences. Judges need to know what offences can and cannot be taken into account for the purpose of identifying whether or not the appropriate custodial term would be at least four years long.

Held: In so far as Casbolt is to be understood as suggesting that a court, when passing a sentence on a specified offence, cannot take into account by way of aggregation an associated (though unspecified) offence for the purpose of identifying the appropriate custodial term in s. 280, it is wrong. Pinnell/Joyce remains good law. The court when arriving at the appropriate custodial term can aggregate with a specified offence non-specified associated offences so as to reflect the defendant’s overall offending, subject always to the custodial term imposed on the specified offence not exceeding the statutory maximum and not infringing the principle of totality.