Southwell and Partners secured a successful appeal against conviction for a victim of human trafficking involved in forced criminality cannabis production.
On 18th May 2023 the Criminal Cases Review Commission referred the appellant’s conviction for producing cannabis under Section 11 of the Criminal Justice Act.
The Commission was of the view that there was a real possibility of the Crown Court concluding that (1) the Appellant had available to him a statutory defence about which he was not advised and which would quite probably have succeeded, (2) that the Respondent lacked clear reasons for departing from a conclusive grounds decision of the Single Competent Authority and (3) that to continue the proceedings would amount to an abuse of the process of the court.
Philippa Southwell has spent 5 years representing this Applicant pursuing a challenge against his conviction. Instructed counsel was Joseph Barlow of Furnival Chambers. Southwell and Partners specialises in modern slavery cases and forced criminality.
