Ellie has a rapidly growing Crown Court practice, appearing for both the prosecution and defence.
Ellie is a CPS Grade 2 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.
Ellie also has experience in dealing with youth matters and has an interest in this area.
Notable cases
- R v W (Leeds Crown Court) – 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 (Sheffield Crown Court) – Ellie prosecuted the sentence of a man charged with attempted GBH who had poured petrol over his own daughter and attempted to set her alight.
- R v L (Leeds Crown Court) – successfully prosecuted the trial of a Vietnamese national charged with possession with intent to supply cannabis.
- R v L (Sheffield Crown Court) – in her first jury trial, Ellie secured an acquittal for a young Defendant charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
- R v D (Bradford Crown Court) – 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.
- R v M (Leeds Crown Court) – Ellie secured a community order for a Defendant who had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving in the context of a Police chase.
- R v R (Kirklees Magistrates’ Court) – Ellie 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 (Grimsby Magistrates’ Court) – 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 (Kirklees Magistrates’ Court) – Ellie prosecuted 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 (York Magistrates’ Court) – Ellie represented a Defendant charged with sexual assault against a 14-year-old girl. This case involved cross-examination of two child witnesses where cross-examination questions were drafted in advance and approved at a ground rules hearing.
- R v G (Leeds Magistrates’ Court) – possession of a bladed article case involving a Modern Slavery Act defence.
- R v B (Leeds Youth Court) – Ellie 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 S (York Magistrates’ Court) – Ellie represented a Defendant who was convicted of being drunk in charge of a vehicle. The Defendant was a ‘new driver’ and would have had their licence revoked if they had received an 11 point endorsement. Ellie successfully contended for a short disqualification as an alternative to allow the Defendant to keep their licence.
- R v R (Leeds Magistrates’ Court) – Ellie represented a Defendant charged with wasting Police time for a false report of a rape. This case involved a large amount of CCTV and other evidence, and Ellie liaised with the prosecutor to reduce as much of the case as possible into agreed facts to streamline the process and focus on the key issues.
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
- 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 has also worked with them 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.