Annelise Haugstad

Annelise has 23 years of experience in criminal law – primarily defends in all manner of serious offences, and for the last 10 years serious sexual offences.

In addition to this Annelise has 6 years of experience as a family mediator, dealing with clients experiencing a particularly difficult time in their lives.

Annelise has an easy manner with vulnerable defendants, and a careful approach to cross examining vulnerable witnesses. She has cross examined children as young as 6 years of age and has been instructed in cases involving defendants giving false confessions. Annelise is often instructed in cases involving clients with learning difficulties and clients with psychiatric conditions. She excels in client care. Annelise continues to defend allegations of sexual offences retained in the Youth Court. Annelise has represented defendants in their 70’s in respect of historical allegations of sexual offences.

Annelise has defended in cases involving the sexual assault of very young children, historical sexual offences. Annelise has appeared in the Court of Appeal in matters of appeal against conviction, sentence and AG References. Annelise has been led in cases of murder and manslaughter, and undertakes the full range of criminal work.

Re: B (Children) (2017) CA (Civ Div) – The Court of Appeal took the rare decision to overturn an interim order and found that the Judge at first instance had not adequately conducted care proceedings when deciding to place a child with her paternal grandmother and had failed to properly engage with the issues relating to the child’s welfare.

R V F – rage case involving defendant with a brain injury.

R V S – single punch manslaughter
R V G – murder with hospital order disposal
R V R – murder of a child

R V J – a case involving a false confession and the alleged rape of a child.

R V M – multi handed case involving the gay dating application Grindr and the rape of a 14 year old boy.