Following a three day trial at Isleworth Crown Court the Jury unanimously found the defendant not guilty of GBH. Briefly, the Crown alleged that the defendant was the aggressor in a neighbour dispute over loud music. The Crown alleged that the defendant had brought “knives to a punch up” and had stabbed the complainant in the hand. Mr Waller advanced on the defendants behalf that this was total fabrication and that it was the complainant who had produced three knives, kicked down the defendants fence, attacked him in his own home and that the defendant used reasonable self defence at all times. The Crown’s case was supported by an independent witness who Mr Waller successfully cross examined which cast significant doubt on the Crowns case. Finally, the Crown relied on the defendants own 999 call in which he made several threats of serious violence towards the complainant and seemingly confirmed that he had a knife in his hand which he would use. Mr Waller dealt with this aspect of the evidence in his closing suggesting that the Crown were “cherry picking” lines that supported their case without looking at the tape in its entirety. From the unanimous verdict it would appear the Jury agreed with Mr Waller’s submissions.
If convicted the defendant faced a lengthy custodial sentence and activation of a Suspended Sentence Order. Mr Waller was instructed by Martin Murray and Associates.
