‘Is this really manslaughter? Really?’
The jury’s finding in the case of Charlie Alliston should serve as a reminder to prosecutors of asking themselves the big question, writes Peter Bowles.
“Is this really manslaughter? Really?”, asked defence counsel in the trial of Charlie Alliston last week (23 August). After three days of deliberations, a majority of the jury found Alliston not guilty of the manslaughter of Kim Briggs, with whom he collided while riding his fixed-wheel track bike in Shoreditch, East London. Alliston was found guilty of the lesser charge of causing injury by wanton and furious driving. Mark Wyeth QC’s question is not simply a flair of advocate’s rhetoric, it needed to be asked.
Access the full article in Solicitors Journal here.