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Richard Wood
Year of Call: 2001
Education
BSc (Hons) 2:1 History and Philosophy of Science (UCL)
Diploma in Law (College of Law)
BVC (College of Law)
Area of work
Richard specialises in criminal law. He defends and prosecutes in the Crown Court. He is authorised to accept work directly from the public (i.e. without a solicitor) under the Public Access Rules.
Defending
Richard’s work for defence solicitors includes Crown Court jury trials (such as fraud, robbery and sexual assault), and successfully appealing against a sentence in the Court of Appeal.
Recent cases include:
- R v Blake (Court of Appeal). Sentences totalling 27 months reduced to 15 months (enabling client’s immediate release), for affray and assault with intent to resist arrest. The client was a karate black belt who attacked a couple in their home, in front of their young children, and then assaulted two police officers.
- R v McRaye (Woolwich Crown Court). Defended in a bladed article trial where a police officer observed the client with a knife in his hand; client arrested and knife recovered at the scene; jury told about his 37 previous convictions (including violence and dishonesty). The client’s case was that he never had the knife, and he was found not guilty.
- R v Lavan (Kingston Crown Court). Client acquitted of burglary, although his fingerprints were found inside the window which was used to enter the premises, and his previous conviction for another burglary committed in similar circumstances was admitted in evidence.
- R v Izranovas (Wood Green Crown Court). Client tried in his absence for theft and handling stolen goods; stolen property found in client’s pocket; client acquitted.
- R v Wallace (Woolwich Crown Court). Jury foreman was a serving police officer. Jury unanimously found client not guilty of sexual assault.
- R v Cross (Southend Crown Court). Two-week trial of a conspiracy to obtain property by deception from 12 firms (£200,000 of building materials and a fork-lift truck). Appeared alone against two prosecution barristers.
- R v Hassan (Snaresbrook Crown Court). Persuaded the judge in a burglary trial to permit the defendant to rely on defences of duress and non-participation at the same time.
Prosecuting
Richard’s work for the CPS includes many jury trials, including ones with multiple defendants. Cases include historic sexual abuse of a child by a family member (which involved examining over videolink a vulnerable child witness with learning difficulties), knifepoint robbery, section 18 grievous bodily harm with intent, possession of class A drugs with intent to supply, and false imprisonment. He has also prosecuted a defendant who was found unfit to plead.
Richard also accepts instructions in prosecutions on behalf of local authorities and the Department of Work and Pensions.
Background and interests
Richard graduated in BSc. History and Philosophy of Science from University College London before qualifying as a barrister at the College of Law. He worked for a London firm of defence solicitors as an outdoor clerk for six months. He spent two months in Ohio gaining work experience with defence lawyers dealing with capital murder cases before returning to England to commence his pupillage in 2002. He joined 9 King’s Bench Walk in 2007, where he is the Secretary to the Tenancy & Pupillage Committee.
Richard enjoys skiing, walking and films.
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Chambers of A M Azhar
9 King's Bench Walk
Temple
London
EC4Y 7DX
Tel : 020 7353 9564
Fax: 020 7353 7943
Out of hours:
07940491479
07775333053
DX: 118 Chancery Lane
Senior Clerk:
Christine Eadie
e-mail now
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