Poppy Cleary, instructed by Karen Todner and assisted by Alice Niederer, secured an acquittal for a Defendant charged with possession of a bladed article in a public place following a three-day trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court. Poppy represented the Defendant at the PTPH and throughout the trial.
The Defendant accepted possession of a breadknife on the street outside their home, but advanced a defence of good reason, namely self-defence.
On the morning of the incident, the Defendant had received threatening messages from another individual, which were reported to the police. Shortly afterwards, that individual attended the Defendant’s home address and threatened them with a brick. Fearing immediate harm to themselves and their family, the Defendant panicked, grabbed a breadknife, and frightened the individual away.
Plain-clothes officers attended the scene and arrested the Defendant, allowing the other individual to leave. That individual did not provide a statement and did not cooperate with either the police or the prosecution.
Poppy relied on agreed evidence, including text messages, police logs, mapping evidence, body-worn footage, and the Defendant’s interview, to demonstrate that the other individual was the aggressor. The Defendant gave evidence, emphasising that they had acted in panic, making a split-second decision in the heat of the moment.
The jury returned unanimous not guilty verdicts in under an hour.
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