A successful outcome has been reached for a young client who faced a charge of grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent. After a four-day trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of Not Guilty, taking less than 18 minutes to reach their decision.

Background to the GBH with intent case

The incident occurred two years ago, when our client, then aged 17 and living in semi-independent accommodation, became involved in an altercation with another resident. Following an argument, the other resident contacted a local gang member to “sort him out”. The gang member arrived and punched our client in the face three times. In fear and distress, our client responded by stabbing the man once before running away. The injured male was airlifted to hospital in a serious condition but survived.

Our client immediately contacted Gavin Kendall, arranged to surrender himself to the police, and was subsequently remanded in custody. Bail was later granted following our application.

Preparing the defence

As we took our client’s instructions, it became evident that he had endured a deeply traumatic childhood. He had grown up in a household marked by severe domestic violence, had been exposed to frightening levels of gang activity from a young age, and had experienced the profound shock of finding his mother deceased before school one morning. 

It was clear that these events had left him with long-standing PTSD that shaped his perceptions of fear and threat.

We secured funding for an expert psychological assessment. The instructed expert prepared a report and gave evidence at trial.  The report concluded that as a consequence of the trauma the accused had experienced as a child and his exposure to gang violence,  he had developed PTSD and was hyper-sensitive to threats of violence. His perception of the threat posed to him by others was, therefore, considerably heightened as compared to the average person.

The trial

Under the skilful advocacy of Redmond Traynor of 2 Hare Court, the defence set out the impact of our client’s past trauma and how it influenced his split-second response to the sudden assault he faced. The jury accepted that, in the context of his experiences and the violent attack upon him, his actions amounted to a lawful and reasonable act of self-defence.

After nearly two years on bail, this verdict brings long-awaited closure for our client.

Our commitment to specialist criminal defence

This case reflects the importance of careful, trauma-informed defence work and the value of ensuring that vulnerable young people are fully heard within the criminal justice system. As specialists in criminal defence MK Law remains committed to providing robust representation to those facing the most serious allegations and to ensuring that every client’s circumstances are presented clearly and compassionately.