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2 Hare Court, Temple, London, EC4Y 7BH
Tel: 020 7353 5324
Fax: 020 7353 0667
2 Hare Court, Temple, London, EC4Y 7BH
Tel: 020 7353 5324
Fax: 020 7353 0667
Sallie Bennett-Jenkins QC
[Her] grasp of detail and client care skills make her a formidable defence advocate 
The Legal 500, 2010
Sallie Bennett-Jenkins QC has been cited on a number of occasions as a leading silk by The Legal 500 and Chambers UK and, prior to taking silk, as a leading junior. She was appointed Queen's Counsel in October 2006 following a period of 8 years as Treasury Counsel, and has since become first choice defence counsel for firms with private clients who demand an incisive advocate with a mastery of detail, and who can instil real confidence in the client. She has been described as having a "thoroughly devastating style of cross examination which is a pleasure to watch”.
In silk, she has encouraged and maintained a diverse defence practice which ranges from murder to fraud and advisory work for multinational corporations in respect of computer crime, Health and Safety and Food and Drugs. Her back catalogue of cases confirms her ability to handle the conduct of multi-handed trials, often involving ‘cut throat' defences, in which the issues range from murder to multi-million pound money laundering.
She has deservedly established a formidable reputation as being an extremely able defence advocate who is exceptional with clients and achieves acquittals in the most difficult of circumstances, particularly in high-profile murder cases. In particular, she has developed specialist expertise in relation to trials involving young offenders, notably in homicide cases.
Equally, she has demonstrated a particular expertise in relation to cases concerning the murder of infants in which an ability to assimilate medical evidence is of key importance. Sallie has recently concluded a number of "baby-shaking” and infant non-accidental injury cases, which have involved extensive cross-examination of medical professionals, and dealing with expert medical evidence before juries.
Sallie has extensive expertise in relation to intelligence led operations, and in relation to offences of terrorism.
She has also defended a number of celebrity clients in relation to allegations of violence and sexual assault (Michael McCartney and Jeremy Guscott). She also represents professionals accused of crime arising from their work.
Sallie is increasingly involved in professional disciplinary work, and regularly appears before the General Medical Council.
| Case name | R v Goncalves & Others (Victoria Train Station stabbing) |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Defence |
| Category | Murder |
| Detail | Secured the acquittal of the client in the murder of 16-year old boy in Victoria Station. The case has attracted large scale publicity due to the numbers of youths charged with murder (20 in total) and the murder having taken place in rush hour at a busy station in front of other numerous member of the public. |
| Case name | R v Gary Vaughan |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Defence |
| Category | Murder and Class A drugs |
| Detail | Secured acquittal for murder and supply of Class A drugs where a block of flats was the subject of deliberate arson arising out of drugs debt, where an innocent party was killed |
| Case name | R v David Harris |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Defence |
| Detail | Secured the acquittal of a successful business man facing allegations of historic sexual abuse of his step daughter. The case required detailed presentation in relation to a specific auto immune disease that the defendant suffered from, with expert evidence on the topic being called. |
| Case name | R v Howden |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Defence |
| Detail | The defendant was acquitted of causing death by dangerous driving; this was the first offence of its kind, where it was alleged that the defendant was using a ‘hands free’ mobile phone headset. The case involved detailed argument as to the admissibility of expert evidence of distraction levels from the Government sponsored Transport Laboratory. |
| Case name | R v Inman and Akinrele |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Defence |
| Detail | The female defendant was acquitted of the murder of 5 week old baby who had sustained 42 fractures and human bite marks. The matter involved a ‘cut throat’ defence between the parents of the child and involved detailed cross examination of a large number of medical experts, specifically in relation to bone disease and disorder. |
| Case name | R v Braithwaite, Alleyene and Kika |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Defence |
| Detail | Multi handed murder of 16 year old Ben Kinsella; this case has attracted a high degree of publicity as the deceased is the brother of Brooke Kinsella who is an actress in a long running soap opera. |
| Case name | R v Philip and Sheehan |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Defence |
| Detail | Murder of 2 women, where their home was burnt down in retribution for a debt owed by a family member. |
| Case name | R v Franks and Jones |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Defence |
| Detail | Murder of 14 year old by 14 and 13 year old defendants, where the murder weapon was left embedded in the head of the deceased. Specialised cross examination of child witnesses via video link. |
| Case name | R v Gnango |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Defence (before a panel of seven Supreme Court Justices) |
| Category | Murder |
| Detail | A nurse walking home and speaking to her sister on the phone was shot in the head, being caught in cross fire between the defendant and another. This has been acknowledged as a matter that deals with an important development of criminal law in that it extends the liability of a defendant as a secondary party to murder in circumstances where there is transferred malice. This matter has now been argued in the Supreme Court before a panel of seven Justices. The outcome, which has significant implications for the law relating to joint enterprise in murder, is awaited. |
| Case name | R v Simon Kennedy |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Responding for the prosecution in the Criminal Cases Review Commission reference before the Lord Chief Justice |
| Category | Manslaughter |
| Detail | The case dealt with the correct legal approach to the line of reasoning of causation that should be applied where the Crown alleged that the heroin injection that had been supplied by the defendant but not injected by him was administered by the deceased with fatal consequences. It involved a substantial review of authorities on the topic and the two lines of reasoning that had developed post the original Court of Appeal hearing |
| Case name | R v Wood & Rehman |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Responding for the prosecution in conjoined appeals before the Lord Chief Justice. |
| Detail | Application of the minimum term of 5 years imprisonment in Firearms Legislation and the compatibility of these provisions with European legislation. |
| Case name | R v Peter McCartney |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Defence |
| Category | Indecent assault |
| Detail | Allegations of indecency against defendant who is a celebrity in his own right and also is the brother of a significant music business celebrity. Case was dismissed. |
| Case name | R v Jeremy Guscott |
|---|---|
| Detail | An allegation of causing grievous bodily harm |
