GT Stewart represented a child aged 15 who, over a period of less than one year, was charged with 50 criminal offences including: Assault Emergency Worker (S.39 Criminal Justice Act 1988 and S.1 of the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018); Racially Aggravated Assault (S.29(1)(c) and (3) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998); Assault by beating (S.39 Criminal Justice Act 1988); Criminal Damage (S.1 Criminal Damage Act 1971); Sending a Malicious Communications (SS.127(1) and 127(2) Communications Act 2003).
Our client has been in the care system for many years and experienced significant challenges which were detailed in an expert report prepared by both a child & adolescent psychiatrist and psychologist whom confirmed that our client was extremely vulnerable, she had suffered childhood neglect and that she suffered from an unsocialised conduct disorder which impacted significantly on her behaviour at the time of the offences.
On the day of the sentence hearing, we discussed the Pre-Sentence Report with our client using language she could understand, as well as the court process and the approach likely to taken by the court when considering an appropriate sentence. A positive report prepared by the Youth Justice Service supported mitigation we put forward on behalf of our client. The court was persuaded to impose a 2 year Youth Rehabilitation Order rather than a Detention & Training Order.
Our client was represented by Hasan Khan, a solicitor in our Leeds Office, and at the police station by senior solicitors Patricia Walker, Ed Youlton and Michelle Stewart.
