Gudrun Young KC

Criminal Defence

Gudrun is a highly specialised and experienced criminal defence advocate with a practice that encompasses the full spectrum of offences including murder, non-fatal violence, sexual offences, organised crime, money-laundering, fraud, confiscation and large-scale drug conspiracies. In recent years she has appeared in a large number of murder and manslaughter cases of the utmost gravity and complexity.

She has considerable expertise in defending serious sexual cases and has successfully represented a number of high-profile individuals charged with offences of this nature, including a music artist, a famous footballer, a TV presenter and a number of international businessmen.

Gudrun is very experienced in complex matters involving children and vulnerable witnesses and cases involving allegations of institutional and historic sexual abuse.

Gudrun has also written about and lectured extensively on the subject of sexual offences, as well as being interviewed on a number of radio and TV programs as an expert in this field.

A large amount of her work involves scientific and expert evidence requiring extensive knowledge and expertise of DNA, fibres, pathology, neuropathology, psychiatric issues and psychology. She has great skill and experience in cases involving mental health issues and expert evidence.

Recent Cases include:

R v SW & Ors (2024)

Multi-handed murder with a firearm at the Central Criminal Court.  Represented the only female defendant who is due to face a re-trial after having been severed from the case following legal argument.

R v JF (2024)

Young man of good character acquitted of an allegation of rape arising from an internet date.

R v Dr M (2024)

A Consultant Gynaecologist who was acquitted of several counts of sexual assault after historic allegations were brought by three former patients upon whom he had performed intimate examinations.

R v CC (2024)

Not guilty verdicts were entered in respect of a man charged with supplying a large amount of Class A drugs when the case was discontinued following legal argument.

R v JG & Ors (2023)

Multi-handed murder and conspiracy to murder at the Central Criminal Court involving a series of gang-related shootings.

R v AW (2023)

High profile murder – young woman charged with murder after running over her boyfriend with her car. The case attracted widescale press attention.

R v SB (2023)

American national working in the City of London acquitted of rape.

R v AO (2023)

Russian banker acquitted of voyeurism.  Reported widely in the press.

R v GR (2023)

The defendant was charged with rape, which was initially stayed as an abuse of process. The prosecution successfully appealed the stay.  The defendant was subsequently acquitted at the trial. The case was reported as Regina v ANP [2022] EWCA Crim 1111 and was the subject of legal commentary and analysis in a variety of publications.

R v DH (2023)

Successfully represented a stepfather accused of sexual offences against his step-daughter at a re-trial.

R v EG (2023)

Defendant who was a German national on holiday in the UK when he was accused of sexual offences after a night out. He was acquitted of all counts.

R v LC (2022)

A young woman charged with attempted murder of her boyfriend, a serving policeman.  Following psychiatric reports being obtained, she eventually pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm and was given a suspended sentence.

R v CA (2022)

Murder – ‘joint enterprise’ stabbing.  Represented the only defendant to be acquitted of all counts.

R v COW

Represented a young man charged with murder and section 18 GBH against two different victims.

R v AKL & Ors (2022)

Multi-handed case involving allegations of attempted murder/conspiracy to murder/possession of firearms against a background of gang-related violence.  One of the allegations included the shooting of an innocent woman who was paralysed from the neck down when a stray bullet hit her during a confrontation in Broadway Market, London. The defendant, first on the indictment, was acquitted of all counts following a 3 month trial at the Central Criminal Court.

R v Imran Khan (2022)

Represented the Conservative MP for Wakefield charged with historic sexual offences in an extremely high-profile case attracting national and international press attention.

R v AF (2022)

Successfully represented a man charged with possession of firearms in a multi-handed case.

R v Dr HA (2021)

Represented a senior Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Norwich Hospital faced allegations of sexual assault against two patients following what were alleged to be inappropriate breast examinations.   One count was dismissed at the close of the prosecution case. Acquitted of all remaining counts by the jury.

R v MH (2021)

A man convicted of a brutal murder and attempted murder following a serious psychotic episode.

R v NC (2021) 

The defendant was acquitted of historic allegations of rape and sexual assault against his stepdaughter in the 1970’s.

R v John Leslie Stott (2020)

Successfully represented John Leslie, former Blue Peter presenter and TV personality who faced a historic accusation of sexual assault. The case was extremely high profile and attracted widespread reporting in the press.

R v AN (2020) 

Proceedings for rape were discontinued against the defendant following defence expert evidence identifying the possibility that the complainant suffered from a rare sleep disorder (a form of sexsomnia enabling her to have sex in her sleep without knowledge or recollection).  The case attracted widespread publicity when the complainant successfully appealed the decision of the CPS to drop the case.  Because a not guilty plea had already been recorded when the police offered no evidence against the defendant, the proceedings could not be re-commenced despite the CPS apologizing to the complainant.  The case featured in a BBC documentary entitled “Sexsomnia: Case Closed?”.

R v SW (2019)

The defendant was acquitted of harassment, attempted section 18 and sexual assault of his wife, having alleged to have subjected her to a campaign of terror and violence for many years.

R v YK (2019)

The defendant was acquitted of an allegation of raping a young girl 20 years ago, having fled the jurisdiction before the original trial could take place.

R v Mark Acklom (2019)

Leading counsel on behalf of “career conman” Mark Acklom, accused of a romance fraud in which he defrauded a woman out of her life savings in 2012. Having fled the country he was placed on the National Crime Agency’s “Top 10 Most Wanted List”. He was extradited from Switzerland to the UK in 2019. The case attracted widespread media attention and the defendant is the subject of an in depth Sky documentary.

R v PC (2019)

Acted on behalf of a defendant who was acquitted of attempted murder.

R v CC (2019)

A multi-handed conspiracy to defraud worth over £1 million.

R v M C-E

Represented a man accused of attempted murder, namely the “mercy killing” of his elderly mother who had suffered a catastrophic stroke 5 years  previously.  The defendant was convicted but his sentence was significantly reduced following an successful application to the Court of Appeal.

R v MY (2019)

Gudrun successfully defended a trans woman in what was described as the UK’s first prosecution for “transgender hate crime”. The Judge ruled that there was no case to answer on the basis that issues of freedom of speech enshrined in Article 10 of the ECHR were engaged.