Peter Clark
Peter is a very experienced and highly respected leading junior who deals with wide-ranging cases but specialising in sexual offences and serious violence, including murder.
Exclusively criminal practice, equally balanced between defence and prosecution (Grade 4 CPS)
Published author of textbook on sexual offences – Co-author of Richardson & Clark: Sexual Offences, A Practitioner’s Guide, published by Bloomsbury Professional
Extensively involved in advocacy training
Testimonials
Cases
Criminal Defence
R v G (Worcester) – Leading junior (replacing QC for retrial): Serving police officer acquitted of historic sexual offences
R v Philo-Steele (Kingston) – Leading junior in 10-week trial of multi-victim child sexual abuse over 15 years by a male ‘nanny’: Included pre-recorded video cross-examination of 4 children
R v H (Lewes) – Multiple child rapes: 21-year-old unfit to plead, but fully acquitted on trial of the facts
R v Franklin (Court of Appeal) – Sexual Harm Prevention Order amended on appeal from Chelmsford
R v V (Cambridge) – Aggravated burglary and s18 GBH (hammer attack) on a vulnerable woman: Acquitted
R v C (Chelmsford) – Albanian female asylum-seeker on immigration charges: Acquitted
R v Good (Basildon) – Aggravated arson, with intermediary for vulnerable defendant
R v C (Lewes) – Private client cleared by jury of robbery
R v JE (Blackfriars) – Represented the only defendant to be acquitted in 5-handed multi-victim child sex ring trial
R v G (Basildon) – Law student acquitted at trial of theft of high value watch
R v D (Snaresbrook) – Child rape allegations: acquitted despite alleged confessions and writings apparently supporting paedophilia
R v H (Chichester) – Acquittal of a man accused of penetrative sexual assaults on three children in a care home run by his parents in 1970s
R v K (Exeter) – Represented youth in ‘county lines’ Class A drugs conspiracy
R v Cole (Canterbury) – Solicitor convicted at trial of trying to smuggle Albanian male through the Channel Tunnel: Suspended sentence
R v M (Manchester + Court of Appeal) – Leading junior at retrial for campaign of rape against wife: Convictions overturned on appeal (unfair summing-up) and the Court of Appeal refused a further retrial
Criminal Prosecution
R v Chandler (No.1) (Chelmsford) – Murder (single counsel): Convicted at trial: Minimum term 20 years
R v Chandler (No.2) (Chelmsford) – 24 days into his murder sentence, Chandler repeatedly stabbed a fellow inmate in an attempted murder: Further life sentence, minimum term 30 years
R v Sharpe (Cambridge) – (Junior alone) Murder of one victim and attempted murder of another after the defendant’s partner left him: Minimum term 25 years
R v Margetson (Chelmsford) – Attempted murder trial (junior alone): knife attack on female ex-partner: Life sentence
R v Bissett (Cambridge) – Attempted murder (strangulation) of a baby
R v Rooney (Ipswich) – Attempted rape/sexual assault: defendant unfit to plead: convicted later when declared fit
R v Payne (Chelmsford) – Attempted murder of close friend: Convicted at trial
R v Roberts (Chelmsford) – Attempted murder: meat cleaver attack on woman: Life sentence
R v Clampin, Steingold & others (Chelmsford) – Prosecuted alone a 7-week trial of 6-handed large scale conspiracy to steal lorry cargo
R v Mountain (Chelmsford) – Multi-victim rape/sexual assault: Convicted at trial – appeal refused
R v Whiting (Southend) – Multi-victim child rapes, unfit to plead but ‘did the acts’
R v Fay (Basildon) – 43-year-old raped girl aged 12: Convicted at trial – appeal refused
R v Ryan (Basildon) – Fatal child neglect: baby died when abandoned by alcoholic mother
R v Cessford (Basildon) – Death by dangerous driving: Unlicensed 17-year-old fatally crashed stolen 4×4 car
R v Duff (Chelmsford) – Multiple rapes of a 47-year-old woman in a public place by a teenage stranger
R v Cockle (Basildon) – Sexual assault by coach of 15-year-old female professional footballer
R v Evers (Chelmsford) – Magistrate/Home Office official tied up, blindfolded, beat and raped a male student in a half-hour masked attack: Indeterminate sentence
Fraud & Financial Crime
R v C & another (Chelmsford) – Leading junior in telecommunications fraud with complex technical evidence: Acquitted
R v Long (Basildon & Southwark) – Led by Richard Christie QC instructed by Serious Organised Crime Agency in successful prosecution of high value fraud and arson conspiracy plus confiscation proceedings
Military & Courts Martial
R v G & others – Court-Martial on alleged group sexual offences among Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan: Half-time acquittal
Regulatory Law
Environment Agency v APH – defended skip company on allegations of dumping unlicensed waste: Acquitted at trial
Health & Safety Executive v Strong Clad Ltd & others – Mitigation for company in breach of Work At Height Regulations: Modest fine imposed despite serious incident
Professional Memberships
- Criminal Bar Association
- South Eastern Circuit
- Essex Bar Mess (Bar Mess Junior 2010-2012)
Awards, Qualifications & Other
- Grade 4 CPS Counsel
- CPS Rasso Panel
- Post-Graduate Diploma in Law (University of Northumbria, Newcastle)
- Bar Vocational Course (College of Law, London)
- Master of the Bench, Inner Temple (elected 2018)
- Pupil Supervisor (since 2008)
- Inner Temple Advocacy Trainer (since 2009) and Teacher Trainer (since 2012)
- Co-Director of Inner Temple’s Advocacy & The Vulnerable training programme
- Member of Inner Temple Advocacy Training Committee
- Member of Inner Temple Education & Training Committee
- External Advocacy Assessor for Crown Prosecution Service
- Faculty Member Advanced International Advocacy Course, Keble College, Oxford
- Advocacy Training/Teacher Training for Inns of Court College of Advocacy in Warsaw, Singapore, Wroclaw and Nairobi
- Co-author of Richardson & Clark: Sexual Offences, A Practitioner’s Guide, published by Bloomsbury Professional
Languages
- French