Claire Brocklebank

Year of Call: 2014


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Profile

Education

University of York: BA (Hons) in Philosophy (First Class)

College of Law, Manchester: Graduate Diploma in Law

BPP Law School, Manchester: Bar Professional Training Course
  -  York Townswomen’s Prize
  -  Dickinson Dees Mooting Shield
  -  College of Law Gold Award
  -  Sir Thomas More Award (Lincoln’s Inn)
  -  Hardwicke Entrance Award (Lincoln’s Inn)


Professional Memberships

Northern Circuit
Crown Prosecution Service (Level 3)
Crown Prosecution Service Specialist Fraud Panel (Level 3)
Crown Prosecution Service Serious Crime specialist Panel (Level 2)
BSB Independent Decision-making Body (IDB)


Claire appears regularly at the Crown Court prosecuting and defending trials involving robbery, aggravated burglary, drugs, GBH, affray and violent disorder, offensive weapons and road traffic offences.

Claire is a Category 3 prosecution advocate.

She is a member of the Crown Prosecution Service Specialist Fraud Panel and would invite instructions in relation to benefit fraud, Fraud Act offences and strict liability tax offences.

Claire appears regularly for HMRC, the Home Office and NCA in forfeiture proceedings and has appeared for the local authority and Trading Standards at the Magistrates and Crown Court. She has also undertaken advisory work for HMRC.

Claire takes a thorough and forward-thinking approach to cases, seeking to identify and resolve issues as early as possible. She prides herself on her thorough legal research and submissions. She is confident and personable.

Claire was called to the Bar in 2014. Prior to pupillage she worked as a County Court Advocate, representing parties in personal injury and contractual matters including infant settlements, disposal hearings and small claims. Claire completed pupillage in 2016 having been under the supervision of Adam Lodge.

Claire invites instructions in the field of criminal law for both prosecution and defence.

View Notable Cases

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Defence

R v Pedler – defended 4 week trial involving conspiracy to supply 100kg of Class A drugs. Encro-chat and cell site expert evidence. Defendant acquitted.

 

R v Sawyer  – defended. 7 day trial. Robbery and section 18 in prison involving a £12k watch and the victim’s face being cut with an improvised weapon. Convicted but received a 5 year sentence.

 

R v Wood – defended a trial in absence. Affray and possession of an axe. Defendant had been identified by an eye-witness at a VIPER. Defendant was acquitted.

 

R v Das – fraud trial listed for 8 days, defendant was employed by a school and was accused of stealing the dinner money by carrying out false accounting to cover his thefts. Cross-examined prosecution accountant. Combed through thousands of pages of printed material to find evidence that the fraud also occurred when the defendant was off work. Successful half time submission.

 

R v Byfield – defended a 5-day section 18 trial. Defendant was acquitted of section 18, acquitted of possession of an offensive weapon and convicted of section 20.

 

R v Caragiouiu – 5 day stalking trial. Defendant acquitted.

 

R v R – Successfully defended an appeal against conviction in relation to a serious sexual assault.

 

R v White – defendant charged with aggravated burglary, negotiated a plea to simple burglary and possession of a bladed article. The defendant received a suspended sentence.

 

R v Hussain – only counsel to make a half-time submission in a case of Affray. The points raised resulted in acquittals for all three defendants.

 

R v Place – defendant pleaded guilty on day of trial to robbery of his partner’s ex-boyfriend. Following mitigation the court imposed a suspended sentence.

 

R v Gilchrist – defended a section 47 trial involving identification by an acquaintance. The defendant was acquitted.

 

R v S – defended a youth who was charged with being the leader of a prison riot. Agreed a plea to a violent disorder resulting in a 9 month sentence.

 

 

Prosecution

 

R v Mahmood – successfully prosecuted a shopkeeper charged with selling counterfeit cigarettes, supplying cannabis and handling stolen goods. Prosecuted the contested Confiscation proceedings.

 

R v Barber – VAT fraud valued at £140,000 involving a sham business and falsified invoices. Drafted a response to basis of plea. Prosecuted a trial of issue in which the court found in favour of the prosecution. Instructed to prosecute the subsequent confiscation proceedings.

 

R v Cranston – affray and assault. Defence served a ‘defence statement’ which purported to argue that there was no case to answer. Drafted and served a response dealing with the legal matters raised. At the next hearing the defendant pleaded guilty.

 

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