Daniella Adeluwoye’s client acquitted of ABH

Following a four-day jury trial at Croydon Crown Court, Daniella’s client was acquitted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH). 

The defendant accepted that he had punched a stranger outside a restaurant in an incident captured on CCTV. The punch knocked out one of the complainant's teeth, while another cracked and became lodged in the roof of his mouth. The defendant maintained, however, that he had acted in self-defence and in defence of another. 

The Defence’s case was that Daniella’s client was not the aggressor, notwithstanding that the complainant had not made physical contact with him or his then partner. It was alleged that the complainant had made racist remarks directed at him, as well as offensive comments directed at both the defendant and his then partner, and had behaved in a threatening manner.

During cross-examination, Daniella exposed significant issues concerning the reliability and credibility of the Crown’s witnesses, including inconsistencies across their accounts. She drew those inconsistencies together effectively in her closing speech to the jury and undertook a detailed analysis of the CCTV footage in support of the Defence’s case.

At the conclusion of the trial, the Judge praised both Daniella and her opponent, observing that “the focus on the evidence was as clear as I have seen in a long time” and that the questioning had been “proportionate”.

Daniella was instructed by Richard Brown at Baxter Brown McArthur.