by Anthony Pettengell | Nov 30, 2023 | News Items, News 2023
Further to Chambers’ IT services being affected from last week, the cyber attack on IT service provider CTS appears to have been far more significant than hoped. Multiple entities (chambers and law firms) across the country have been affected, as has been reported in national media, albeit with a reporting focus on conveyancing firms: link to BBC article.
We are now temporarily shut out of government portals such as the Crown Court Digital Case System. Various team- and case-specific workarounds are being attempted so that we can continue to provide clients with the service they need.
For now please can any contact, whether for future bookings or enquiries about ongoing cases, urgent or otherwise, be made by telephone.
by Anthony Pettengell | Nov 23, 2023 | News Items, News 2023
There has been a cyber attack affecting the technical services provider that Fountain Chambers and some other Chambers around the country use, and our file management system and emails are currently down. This started yesterday (22 November 2023) and we are advised that this may take some time to solve.
If you have emailed Chambers during this period or plan to, and your enquiry is urgent, please call instead. The general clerks phone number is 01642 804040.
We have not been informed of any data breach and, if you have a current case with Fountain Chambers, there is no suggestion that your data has been accessed during the attack.
by Anthony Pettengell | Apr 28, 2023 | News Items, News 2023
The four healthcare workers from Whorlton Hall hospital faced charges of ill-treating patients. They were represented by Rebecca Brown, Robin Patton, Paul Rooney and Johnathan Walker, who are part of Fountain Chambers specialist criminal team.
The evidence against them came from covert footage recorded by the BBC Panorama team, who sent an undercover reporter to the hospital. After an 8-week trial, all four defendants were acquitted of all charges.
The case attracted national attention as it exposed the abuse and mistreatment of vulnerable adults with learning disabilities and autism at Whorlton Hall, a privately-run NHS-funded unit in County Durham. The BBC Panorama programme showed some staff members intimidating, mocking and restraining patients in a culture of “psychological torture”. A police investigation was launched and 16 staff suspended. The hospital was closed down and all the patients were transferred to other services. A Safeguarding Adults Review was also conducted to examine the systemic failures that allowed such abuse to happen.
The defence lawyers argued that the footage was selective and misleading, and that the staff were acting in accordance with their training and policies. They also challenged the credibility and reliability of the undercover reporter and some of the witnesses. They presented evidence of positive interactions between the staff and the patients, and highlighted the complex and challenging nature of the work environment. They claimed that their clients were scapegoats for a wider problem in the sector.
The jury accepted their arguments and found all four defendants not guilty of all charges after deliberating for less than two days. The verdicts were welcomed by the defence team, who said that their clients had been unfairly vilified and had suffered immense stress and anxiety during the investigation and trial.
Rebecca Brown and Robin Patton acted for Darren Lawton and Niall Mellor respectively, instructed by Peter Hamill of Meikles, Solicitors. Paul Rooney acted for Sabah Mahmood, instructed by Amy Hossack. Jonathan Walker acted for the fourth defendant, instructed by Ben Pegman of Hewitts Solicitors.
News articles:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-65385667
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65388035
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/23486020.whorlton-hall-four-former-staff-guilty-ill-treatment/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-65416650
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-65373256
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/08/nine-whorlton-hall-care-workers-accused-of-verbal-abuse-and-neglect
by Anthony Pettengell | Apr 25, 2023 | News Items, News 2023
Phil Morley of Chambers, lead by Mark McKone KC, secured a murder conviction against Leighton Amies. He was 14 years old at the time of the offence (the reporting ban has been lifted) and used a kitchen knife to stab another 14-year-old boy in the chest, killing him almost instantly. After doing it he made the comment to the deceased’s friends, “your boy has been wetted.”
News reports: BBC, The Guardian, The Independent
by Anthony Pettengell | Mar 14, 2023 | News Items, News 2023
Following a seven-year investigation a married couple who invested in property and businesses have been found not guilty of charges under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and other consumer legislation.
The not guilty verdicts followed a series of hearings in which Mr Patton and Mr Rooney challenged the legality of property searches and the admissibility of expert evidence.
On Monday 13 March 2023, the prosecution offered no evidence against the couple.
Robin Patton, instructed by Gerald Armstrong Solicitors, Sunderland, represented the husband and Paul Rooney, instructed by Angus Westgarth Solicitors, Sunderland represented the wife.
