Nina Grahame

“conscientious and ahead of the game” UK Legal 500 2007 edition.

Practice

Criminal law

Nina is a criminal defence practitioner of considerable experience. As junior counsel she has appeared in numerous murder cases. As leading junior counsel, she has been instructed in manslaughter, drugs, fraud and cases involving allegations of serious violence and sexual impropriety. She has extensive Court of Appeal experience.

She has 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 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

Cases in 2007 & 2008 have included:

• R v Armel Gnago (2008) crossfire murder > read BBC news item
• 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
• Represented defendants in 2 separate murder trials relating to the killing of their wives. These cases gave rise to sensitive issues of disclosure, particularly in relation to liaison between family members and the police. > read BBC news item / Times article
• Represented 1 of 2 Household Cavalry officers acquitted of the multiple rapes of a teenager.
• Represented the father accused of causing multiple injuries to his 6 week old daughter resulting in serious permanent brain damage.
• Historical paedophile case involving 3 male complainants under 16.
• Represented a young teenager acquitted of the attempted murder of a police officer shot and wounded following a car chase in South London

Military law

Court Martial experience

Recommendations

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

Other activities

Regular attendance on specialist seminars relating to sexual offences.

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