Success for Nick Johnson QC in dual cause homicide case

February 1, 2017

Exchange Chambers’ Nick Johnson QC has successfully led the prosecution of a child, three teenagers and a driver for events which led to the death of a man in Ashton under Lyne. The deceased, Bradley Moore, was seen on CCTV being bullied by the four youngsters outside a McDonalds in the town centre. While the events then moved off camera and there was no other direct evidence, Nick and his team built a circumstantial case that one of the four must have then punched Mr Moore who fell into the road, leaving him there incapable or unconscious until, 3 minutes later, the defendant Carter drove over him and left the scene. The four youths accepted they caused an affray but Nick successfully resisted an application to dismiss and a submission of no case to answer before going on to secure convictions for manslaughter and death by careless driving.

Commenting on the case, Nick said: “this was an unusual case in that two strangers independently contributed to death and it required the jury to consider complex issues of circumstantial evidence and the tensions between the alleged causes of death. It was a pleasure working with such a dedicated team.”

You can read more about Nick’s case here.