Daniella Adeluwoye successfully advanced a defence of duress following a police pursuit

Following a three-day trial at Guildford Crown Court, Daniella secured a unanimous acquittal for her client in just over an hour of jury deliberations. 

Her client faced a charge of dangerous driving, arising from a high-speed police pursuit, in which he contravened a red light, drove around a mini roundabout the wrong way and almost collided with another vehicle. Eventually, the police aborted their pursuit because they considered that the manner of the defendant’s driving was becoming too dangerous to continue. At a voluntary police interview, the defendant responded with no comment to all questions. 

It was successfully argued that the defendant was under duress when he drove dangerously because he believed that he was at risk of death or serious physical injury because of his ongoing feud with a local travelling family. The jury heard that, at the time, the defendant did not believe that the marked police vehicle was genuine. 

The complexities of the case involved a bad character application and a Threat to Life Warning Notice issued almost four years prior to the offence, which the defendant had refused. 

Daniella was instructed by Fiona Taylor at Taylors Solicitors.