Great James Street Chambers is delighted to highlight Kate Riekstina‘s appearance in the High Court in Rex v Riviere and Others [2026] EWHC 1858 (KB).
Kate represented the First Defendant, instructed by Payton’s Solicitors, in a significant High Court application for a Voluntary Bill of Indictment following the dismissal of an aggravated burglary charge in the Crown Court approximately two years earlier.
The judgment provides important guidance on the principles governing applications to revive criminal proceedings where charges have previously been dismissed. In considering whether it was in the interests of justice to grant the application, the High Court examined the significance of fresh evidence, the effect of prosecutorial delay, assertions of abuse of process, and the approach to determining whether criminal proceedings should be reinstated following a successful application to dismiss.
This decision is an important authority for criminal practitioners dealing with Voluntary Bills of Indictment and demonstrates the careful balancing exercise undertaken by the High Court when considering whether serious criminal proceedings should be revived after new evidence has emerged.
Congratulations to Kate on her involvement in this significant case.
Kate’s full profile: https://greatjames.co.uk/members/kate-riekstina/