Lucy Brown defends and prosecutes. She is a Grade 3 prosecutor and receives instructions to defend in a broad range of cases including those involving serious allegations of violence and sexual offences.
Lucy provides excellent client care to both lay and professional clients, ensuring that they receive the best possible service. She appreciates the importance of making sure all lay clients feel at ease and have the utmost confidence in their representation. She prides herself on her ability to give straightforward and realistic advice.
Lucy is experienced in dealing with vulnerable clients, including youths and those with mental health issues. She has recently been instructed as assigned counsel in serious and complex Youth Court cases.
Lucy’s practice includes dealing with proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act, including confiscation and re-determination.
Lucy has extensive experience in dealing with motoring offences, including dangerous and careless driving, excess alcohol and cases where Special Reasons and Exceptional Hardship arguments are advanced.
Lucy has an interest in Court Martial proceedings. Most notably, Lucy represented one of the defendants in a trial of 10 army instructors alleged to have systematically abused teenage recruits on a training exercise. All defendants were acquitted. The case attracted significant media attention.
In addition to her practice, Lucy is keen to support those interested in pursuing a career in law. She has previously mentored BPTC students and taught on both the LPC and BPTC. She became a trained Pupil Supervisor in 2022.
Notable Cases
- R v L [2023] – Bradford Crown Court – Prosecution junior to Catherine Silverton in a case of causing grievous bodily harm to a 3 month old baby
- R v Phan [2022] – Bradford Crown Court – acquittal at trial for a defendant who was the victim of modern slavery and faced an allegation of cannabis production
- R v Afsar & others [2022] – defence junior to Glenn Parsons in a case involving allegations of money laundering and fraud
- R v Mahmood [2022] – secured acquittal after trial for a security guard alleged to have assaulted a vulnerable patient in hospital
- R v B [2022] – Leeds Youth Court – instructed as assigned counsel to represent a youth facing multiple allegations including a number of knife point robberies. The case involved dealing with the issue of Child Criminal Exploitation and psychological evidence
- Operation Fallstoke [2021] – Leeds Crown Court – Prosecution junior in a multi handed prosecution for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. 3 of the 4 defendants were convicted.
- R v Smith [2021] – Leeds Crown Court – Instructed by the CPS Complex Case Unit to prosecute allegations of perverting the course of justice. Defendant pleaded guilty during the course of the trial.
- R v M [2021] – Doncaster Youth Court – assigned counsel representing a youth facing an allegation of sexual activity with a child.
- R v Johnson [2021] – Leeds Crown Court – successful submission of no case to answer on behalf of a defendant who was unfit to plead.
- R v Truong [2021] – Bradford Crown Court – successfully defending an allegation of cannabis production at trial. The defendant raised the statutory defence under the Modern Slavery Act.
- R v MM [2020] – Bradford Crown Court – defence junior to Kitty Colley in a case of child cruelty with substantial unused material and complex expert evidence.
- R v Awan [2019] EWCA Crim 1456 – Court of Appeal – Successful appeal against a Restraining Order. The case was reported https://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/format.cgi?doc=/ew/cases/EWCA/Crim/2019/1456.html&query=(awan) and featured in CrimeLine Updater 65
- R v Battensby [2019] – Leeds Crown Court – defence junior to Robin Frieze in a trial involving allegations of sexual abuse against 5 complainants over three decades.
- R v Thompson [2019] – Leeds Crown Court – successfully defending an allegation of sexual assault at trial.
- R v Kerin [2018] – Bradford Crown Court – Junior to Gillian Batts, defending in a case involving 24 counts of historical sexual abuse by a single defendant, against 7 complainants over a period of 30 years. The defendant was acquitted of all counts.
- R v M Irons & others [2018] – Sheffield Crown Court – defending in a multi-handed conspiracy to defraud in relation to the repair and sale of vehicles with false histories and identities. The case involved a large volume of evidence including cell site analysis.
- Hillsborough Disaster prosecutions [2017] – instructed to assist with the disclosure review for the prosecutions arising out of the Hillsborough disaster
- R v Fisher [2016] – Sheffield Crown Court – successfully defended in a multi handed violent disorder trial arising out of clashes between far right and anti-fascist protestors. Issues arose in relation to media coverage of a related trial.
Court Martial Cases
- R v Warren [2018] Catterick Military Court – representing a military police officer who faced an allegation of dishonesty, the case was discontinued on the day of trial as a result of representations made to the Service Prosecuting Authority.
- R v Thomas and others [2018] Bulford Military Court – defending at trial one of 10 army instructors alleged to have abused teenage recruits during a bayonet training exercise. Cpl Thomas was acquitted before the conclusion of the trial when the Crown reviewed the evidence against him. Link to media coverage: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-43458416
Lucy draws on her extensive experience in criminal matters to enable her to act in a range of regulatory proceedings including:
- Licensing matters including appeals against Firearms licensing decisions
- Proceedings in relating to behavior orders such as Sexual Harm Prevention Orders, Violent Offender Orders, Serious Crime Prevention Orders, Closure Orders.
- Disciplinary proceedings before the Farrier’s Registration Council & HCPTS;
- Enforcement proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act;
- Proceedings in the Magistrates’ Court on behalf of agencies including the Food Standards Agency and DVLA;
- Appearing before the Traffic Commissioner
Notable Cases
- HCPTS v Ahmed [2022] – application for restoration to the register for a healthcare professional
- Traffic Commissioner v TMS Barriers [2021] – representing a transport operator in a public enquiry in respect of their operator’s licence.
- Humberside Police v Barker [2021] – successfully resisting a firearms licencing appeal
- Griffiths v FRC [2016] – represented a farrier who admitted gross professional misconduct following a criminal conviction which resulted in a prison sentence. He avoided suspension or termination of his registration