Ellie has a busy Crown Court practice, appearing for both the prosecution and defence. She is a persuasive advocate and provides sound and well-reasoned advice.
Ellie is a CPS Grade 3 Prosecutor and regularly prosecutes cases involving offences of dishonesty, drugs, public disorder and violence. She deals sensitively and empathetically with vulnerable complainants where there are allegations of domestic or sexual abuse.
Ellie is alive to legal issues that may arise before and during the trial process, and frequently has success in making or responding to applications involving bad character and hearsay. In her defence work, Ellie has made a number of successful submissions of no case to answer.
Prior to pupillage, Ellie provided education on criminal law to youth offenders as a volunteer with the StreetLaw scheme, which aims to provide legal education to those who might otherwise lack access to it.
Ellie prides herself on her calm manner and ability to relate to clients and witnesses from all walks of life. As a result of her background in Psychology, she is well equipped to deal effectively with clients with mental health issues and to understand the particular issues they may face. She is committed to ensuring that her clients achieve the best result possible and to providing a high standard of client care.
Notable cases
- R v S – currently instructed as prosecution Counsel on a s.18 matter committed in prison in which the Complainant is the Finsbury Park mosque terrorist.
- R v T – prosecution junior on a murder re-trial where the Defendant was alleged to have stabbed his wife at least 68 times. The Defendant, whose defence was loss of control, was unanimously convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years.
- Op. Yodel – prosecution junior on a large-scale conspiracy to convey listed articles into prison.
- R v H & H – successfully prosecuted the trial of a mother and daughter (both of whom worked in healthcare at the time) who assaulted a woman suffering with a brain tumour.
- R v X – disclosure junior for the prosecution on a murder case.
- R v W – defence junior on a Newton hearing, representing a Defendant involved in a large-scale conspiracy to supply Class A drugs alleged to have generated hundreds of thousands of pounds in profit.
- R v B – prosecuted the sentence of a man charged with attempted GBH who had poured petrol over his own daughter and attempted to set her alight. The sentence was 9 years 6 months.
- R v M – secured a 2-year suspended sentence for a Defendant who had pleaded guilty to serious offences of threats to kill and intentional strangulation in a domestic context. Ellie successfully argued that the circumstances of this particular case were exceptional and warranted a departure from immediate custody.
- R v R – represented a female Defendant charged with controlling and coercive behaviour. The Complainant’s evidence did not reflect the allegations contained within his witness statement. Ellie made a successful submission of no case to answer, resulting in the case against the Defendant being dismissed.
- R v S – possession of an offensive weapon case where the alleged weapon was a baseball bat. Ellie made a submission of no case to answer on the basis that the weapon was not offensive per se, nor was it adapted for use for causing injury, and the Crown had not proved that the Defendant had the intention to cause injury with it. The submission was successful.
- R v K – successful prosecution of a man accused of headbutting his teenage son during the course of an argument, resulting in a conviction. This case involved two child witnesses, both of whom were the Defendant’s sons.
- R v H – represented a Defendant charged with sexual assault against a 14-year-old girl. This case involved cross-examination of two child witnesses on sensitive subject matter.
- R v L – in her first jury trial, Ellie secured an acquittal for a young Defendant charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
- R v B – secured a conditional discharge for a youth Defendant charged with theft of a safe thought to contain items to a value in excess of £10,000.
- R v D – in an appeal against conviction relating to an offence under s.172 of the Road Traffic Act, Ellie successfully argued that the issue of whether the Defendant had further information within his power to give was an element of the offence that the Crown had to prove, and that the burden was therefore not reversed to the Defendant to prove otherwise. The Crown could not prove this ingredient of the offence, and the appeal was therefore allowed.
Prior to commencing pupillage, Ellie worked as a paralegal in the Catastrophic Personal Injury team at DWF. She regularly assisted with drafting pleadings and letters of advice to insurer clients on complex and high value cases. She therefore has a strong understanding of key concepts in personal injury litigation.
Ellie frequently acts for both Claimants and Defendants in Fast Track and small claims hearings, Stage 3 hearings and interim applications. She is happy to work on conditional fee agreements in appropriate cases.
Ellie has a wealth of experience in credit hire litigation, assisted by a thorough understanding of the case law in this area.
Ellie accepts instructions to draft pleadings and advices on liability and quantum, and can assist at all stages of a claim’s life cycle. She can work to a short deadline if required.
Notable Cases
- Johnson v North Yorkshire County Council and Yorkshire Water Services (2023) – successfully defended in a multi-track trial.
- Clark v Yorkshire Water Services (2022) – successfully defended a personal injury claim arising from an injury that occurred when the Claimant fell down a defective manhole cover.
- Dyson v Hood (2022) – represented the Claimant in an RTA personal injury matter involving late notification. The claim was successful and the Claimant recovered their costs in full.
- Acheampong v Sellars (2021) – represented the Claimant in a Fast Track RTA matter. The Claimant beat their Part 36 offer and was awarded costs of over £12,600.
Ellie is keen to expand her regulatory and public law practice. She has experience of both prosecuting and defending in the criminal courts and is adept at dealing with vulnerable witnesses.
Ellie frequently acts for Yorkshire Water in private prosecutions relating to Water Industry Act offences. She has previously acted for the Complainant in a private prosecution for statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act. The Complainant received compensation and, following a costs argument, recovered over £9,000 in costs.
Ellie has enjoyed success in the Mental Health Tribunal, securing the release of an inpatient detained under the Mental Health Act during her pupillage. Owing to her background in Psychology, which she studied at degree level before converting to law, Ellie has thorough knowledge and understanding of the issues in such proceedings.
Ellie routinely represents South Yorkshire and Humberside Police, appearing on their behalf in applications for Sexual Harm Prevention Orders, Closure Orders, Stalking Protection Orders and more. She frequently advises the Police on a range of matters and has drafted defences in respect of false imprisonment claims made against them. She has also worked with South Yorkshire and Humberside Police on secondment, providing advice on the prosecution of fixed penalty notices issued for breaches of Covid regulations.
Ellie has carried out work for the Government Legal Department’s Exam Procedures Review Service, reviewing pupils’ appeals to Ofqual against Teacher Assessed Grades awarded during Covid.
Ellie also has some experience in dealing with inquests and is keen to expand her practice in this area.
Contact Ellie’s Regulatory & Public Law clerks on 0113 213 5218
Madeleine Gray on 0113 202 8603
Patrick Urbina on 0113 213 5250
Jenny Dwan on 0113 213 5213