Richard Wright QC & Craig Hassall successfully prosecute 50-year-old murderer

Richard Wright QC and Craig Hassall have obtained a conviction for murder in relation to the death of a baby on Teesside in 1968. David Dearlove, the stepfather of Paul Booth evaded prosecution in the 1960s by suggesting that the child had sustained the fatal head injury by falling out of bed. In 2015, 47 years after the event, Peter Booth disclosed to the police that, aged 3, he had seen the fatal blow delivered by Dearlove. Contemporary medical experts concluded that it was highly improbable that the fatal injury was sustained as Dearlove described and that Peter Booth’s recollection as a three-year-old was entirely consistent with the injuries observed at the original post-mortem examination.

Dearlove was convicted following a three-week trial before Males J at Teesside Crown Court. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 13 years.

Richard Wright QC is a criminal advocate who has defended or prosecuted many of the highest-profile cases in the North of England. Craig Hassall’s criminal practice covers the full spectrum of offences, but he specialises in fraud and other serious and organised crime.

Read the full article on BBC News

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