Nina Grahame

"focuses on human rights and civil liberties cases"

UK Legal 500 2012

"...a conscientious, capable and committed defender." ...[whose] "preparation work is most comprehensive."

UK Legal 500 2010 & 2011

"...a first class advocate and takes time with the client to listen and fully understand the client's position..."

Instructing solicitor 2008

"conscientious and ahead of the game"

UK Legal 500 2007

Practice

Criminal law
Nina is a leading criminal defence practitioner of considerable experience. She has been instructed in numerous murder cases, 2 of which featured in the 2005 BBC television documentary series “Murder Blue”. She is frequently instructed as leading and sole counsel in cases of manslaughter, fraud, serious drug offences, allegations of serious violence and serious sexual offences. She has substantial Court of Appeal experience and has been instructed to appear in CCRC referred cases.

She recently appeared before the Court of Appeal and subsequently in the Supreme Court, in the case of R v Gnango (2010 and 2011). In February 2013, Nina delivered a guest lecture to St Catharine's Law Society (Cambridge University) on Gnango and other recent caselaw entitled "Recent Statutory and Common Law Developments Relating to Criminal Culpability for Murder" more

She has extensive experience in criminal cases involving human rights and civil liberties issues and a particular interest in issues arising from the prosecution and detention of young people and those with learning or mental health difficulties or otherwise seen as vulnerable.

Nina has also defended in numerous cases involving children as alleged victims and/or witnesses, including prosecutions under the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 (causing/allowing the death of a child). She has extensive experience in the complex issues relating to concurrent High Court family proceedings, including Hague Convention proceedings (abduction).

Nina has significant experience of criminal offences involving allegations of computer or internet crime (“cyber crime”) and has been instructed, including as leading junior, in cases involving hactivist and DarkMarket activities.

Nina is also frequently briefed to defend where allegations arise in the course of the defendant's professional life, including instructions by solicitors approved by the National Union of Teachers to defend their members. Such cases have included one of the earliest prosecutions for religiously aggravated assault, where a senior teacher was acquitted of assaulting a female pupil. > read BBC news item

Supreme Court cases:

• R v Gnango [2011] UKSC 59 - Prosecution granted leave to appeal to the Supreme Court following the judgment in the Court of Appeal in 2010 quashing Gnango's conviction for murder in the "crossfire shooting" case. > news story / judgment

Recent Court of Appeal cases:

• R v Gnango [2010] EWCA Crim 1691 (2010) – Murder conviction quashed in crossfire shooting appeal > news story and judgment
• R v XXXX (2010) - Convictions for historical sexual offences quashed where bad character evidence of a separate untried historical sexual allegation wrongly admitted.
• R v France (2009) - Conviction quashed in a CCRC referral to the Court of Appeal relating to a historical rape allegation > news story
• R v Nasuna [2009] EWCA Crim 880 (out of time appeal of extended licence period) > news story and judgment

Recent Crown Court cases:

• R v Ashley Rhodes & ors (2013) One of four defendants accused of distributed denial of service (DDoS) internet offences carried out by Anonymous activists > read Guardian news item
• R v F (2012) Leading junior for first defendant in multi handed case of large scale drugs conspiracy and money laundering.
• R v Robinson (2012) Care home worker prosecuted for ill treatment of disabled resident.
• R v Mitchell (2012) Defendant, a professional boxer, acquitted of murder of student by punching. Led by Mark George QC .
• R v Clark (2011) - Deputy Divisional Commander of North Wales Police acquitted of fraud charges relating to allegedly inflated overtime claims.
• R v Morris (2011) - Defendant acquitted of s.18 assault in Manchester club.
• R v Coupe (2011) - Defendant acquitted of historical sexual allegations dating back over 30 years.
• R v Perkins (2011) - Male acquitted in relation to allegations of sexual assault against a young female relative where botht he complainant and eye witness were aged only 5 and 6 years old.
• R v McHugh (2010) - Leading junior counsel for defendant in fraud prosecution alleging involvement with the notorious “Darkmarket” fraudsters website, eventually closed after infiltration by undercover FBI agents.
• R v Johnson (2010) - Represented a defendant acquitted of allegations of serious violence with a knife and hammer inflicted on 2 brothers in their home.
• R v Odu (2010) - Defendant acquitted of the rape of an abducted teenage girl.
• R v Brahms (2010) - mortgage and eBay frauds over 8 years.
• R v Inman (2009) - Represented a young mother jointly indicted with her partner for the murder of their 6 week old baby and for causing/allowing the child’s death in the alternative. The mother alone was eventually acquitted of murder after retrial. Some 20 expert witnesses provided complex evidence on a broad range of diverse medical and psychiatric issues, including battered women’s syndrome.
• R v Mohamed (2009) - Murder. One of 3 Class A drug dealers accused of the revenge murder of one of a rival group of dealers.
• R v Calik (2009) - Defendant convicted of manslaughter after trial for the murder of a teenager. This case led directly to the issue of knife detectors to every school in Southampton, the first UK city to adopt such a practice. > read BBC news item
• R v S (2007) leading junior - fraud case
• R v Cole (2005) featured on "Murder Blue"
• R v Martin & others (2005) featured on "Murder Blue" - Appeared as leading junior

Undertakes Judicial Review work, in particular that arising out of criminal proceedings, prison and ASBO proceedings.

Recommendations

Leading junior in crime: Northern (2012) "... focuses on human rights and civil liberties cases" UK Legal 500 2012 edition more

Leading junior in crime : Northern (2011) is recommended as a criminal practitioner whose ‘preparation work is most comprehensive’ UK Legal 500 2011 edition more

Leading junior in crime : Northern (2010) described as " a conscientious, capable and committed defender". UK Legal 500 2010 edition more

Leading junior in crime (2007) described as " conscientious and ahead of the game" UK Legal 500 2007 edition.

Articles, media comment and speaking engagements

• 8/2/13 "Recent Statutory and Common Law Developments Relating to Criminal Culpability for Murder" - guest lecture for St Catharine's Law Society, Cambridge University
• 3/5/11 Advocacy: How to Handle Vulnerable Witnesses - LexisNexis Current Awareness

Other activities

Has undertaken specialist training in the use of intermediaries for witnesses in criminal trials.