Madeleine Wolfe is consistently instructed in cases that are both legally and factually complex and has built up a reputation for successful outcomes.
She defends serious high-profile cases, including attempted murder, organised violence, drugs, serious sexual allegations, and firearms. She is also a RASSO approved grade 4 CPS prosecutor.
Madeleine has an easy going and friendly approach with clients that allows her to connect with even the most anxious outside the courtroom. In court she uses intelligence, charm and humour to win over the jury; a strategic, persistent and robust approach in cross-examination; hard work and intellect to win an argument and is not known to back down from any tribunal. All of this is underpinned by legal acumen, a meticulous knowledge of the case detail and her fearless court presence.
As her years in practice have encompassed a wide range of offences, experience allows Madeleine to adapt and modify her approach on a case-by-case basis. She recognises where sexual allegations are made clients and witnesses can be vulnerable and require careful handling to achieve results. However, equally, there are cases when a robust and persistent approach is required. To achieve the best outcome possible, she works with her clients to identify and deploy the most beneficial tactical approach to her case.
Madeleine is also very practised at dealing with expert evidence. She has instructed, called and cross-examined the country’s finest expert witnesses in areas such as neuropsychiatry, psychology, pathology, DNA analysis, blood spatter analysis, fatal road traffic collisions, facial recognition, firearms, digital communication and arson.
Madeleine accepts Direct Access instructions.
Madeleine defends the most serious of allegations. Her recent trials include murder, attempted murder, rape, possession of firearms, armed robbery and child sexual exploitation. She has built up a particular expertise in cross examining the vulnerable, the very young and the recalcitrant.
Her broad experience in serious crime has led to an expertise and an adept handling of forensic, digital and medical evidence.
Her rapport with clients and juries is well earned and born out of hard work and good humour.
Murder
R v C
Junior counsel led by Tim Clarke QC representing a 15 year old who had stabbed 2 young men belonging to a rival gang at a party. He and his 4 co defendants learnt of the rival gang’s whereabouts, armed themselves with zombie knives and machetes, and attacked. They fatally wounded 2 of the gang and seriously harmed others. The case involved complex and sensitive cut throat defences.
R v S
Junior counsel led by Anand Beharrylal QC. S and other members of a gang targeted a lone boy, said belong to a rival county lines drug gang. They tracked him through the streets of Cardiff before cornering him in an alleyway. Here they stabbed him numerous times before fleeing the scene.
Attempted Murder
R v C
Junior counsel representing a 21 year old gang member who had become embroiled in a drug supply street war. He and his co defendants confronted a rival gang on the streets of East London and C almost fatally stabbed the victim to the heart. A vicious cut throat defence was run between the first 3 defendants which meant they had to be separated during the trial.
R v K
Junior counsel representing a young man who attempted to kill in revenge for the murder of his brother. This case involved a large volume of telecommunication evidence and complex medical evidence relating to causation.
Rape
R v K
K was prosecuted for an historic campaign of raping 3 young boys whilst he stayed with their family. He had been housed by the family following his illegal entry into the UK. He was alleged to have isolated each child when aged between 4 and 11, and for a period spanning more than a year, seriously sexually abused them.
R v A
Initially representing A alone, Madeleine appeared in a Rotherham child sexual exploitation case. She successfully argued complex legal points that led to the prosecution dropping the case as against one complainant. Later led by Mr Beharrylal QC, she represented A at trial. This was a disclosure heavy case and her analysis of this material enabled her leader to effectively cross examine the 5 remaining victims.
Madeleine is a grade 4 prosecutor and a member of the Rape and Serious Sexual Assault panel. She is instructed as leading junior counsel, junior to Queen’s Counsel as well as acting alone.
Madeleine’s recent practice includes prosecuting offences of murder, armed robbery, rape, child sexual offences and child cruelty. She is regularly instructed to prosecute cases where the victim is vulnerable, either by reason of a disability, a vulnerability or by virtue of their age. She is known to those who instruct her as a robust, approachable and sensible prosecutor who is able to build an easy rapport with even the most disturbed of witnesses.
She routinely handles sensitive disclosure issues and is experienced in advising on issues relating to third party materials and PII. She has worked closely with the police in a number of large scale operations, advising at every stage of the investigation.
Murder
R v T
Madeleine successfully prosecuted this murder alone. T, having grown increasingly addicted to class A drugs, attacked his dealer at his home address, using a rock to cause appalling damage to the head.
R v K, K & M
Led by Alan Kent QC, Madeleine prosecuted 3 young men accused of murdering a neighbour. She successfully handled the highly complex DNA issues raised in the trial, calling and cross examining expert witnesses opining on discrete areas of DNA makeup.
Sexual Offences
R v V & Ors
Madeleine, instructed as leading counsel, successfully prosecuted 6 defendants for the rape, assault and kidnap of a 16 year old girl. In seeking to prove her case, Madeleine successfully argued the admissibility of expert evidence relating to PTSD as a supporting feature of the Crown’s case.
R v P
As junior alone, Madeleine successfully prosecuted a man who worked in a south London care home in the 1980s for the serious sexual abuse of 2 young boys. This case involved a voluminous amount of disclosure, including the sensitive handling of matters impacting on the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
R v E
Madeleine appeared as junior counsel for the Crown in prosecuting a politician for the sexual assault of 2 women in his employ. This was a high profile case that resulted in an unsuccessful defence appeal against the 2 year term of imprisonment.
Chambers is delighted to announce that Madeleine Wolfe (previously of 23es) has accepted an invitation to…
