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Helen Jones appears daily in the Crown Court for both the Prosecution and the Defence, as a led junior and a junior alone. Helen has a diverse practice and is often instructed in cases of a complex or sensitive nature. She has also appeared before the Court of Appeal both led and as the sole advocate in successful appeals.
Helen has considerable experience in representing young and vulnerable defendants appearing in the Crown Court, Magistrates’ Court and Youth Court. Helen is frequently instructed to defend youths charged with serious offences as well as individuals with mental health and learning difficulties in cases involving psychiatrists, psychologists and intermediaries.
Helen has a wide-ranging defence practice and has represented individuals charged with the full spectrum of criminal offences including serious violence, rape and sexual assault, dishonesty, supply of drugs and possession of weapons.
Helen is a Level 3 CPS prosecutor and conducts trials, appeals and sentencing hearings in the Crown Court. Helen is regularly instructed by the Crown Prosecution Service, as well as other prosecuting agencies such as the National Probation Service and Transport for London.
Helen has prosecuted serious matters as a junior alone such as grievous bodily harm, possession with intent to supply class A drugs, possession of weapons and dishonesty offences. She is frequently instructed to provide written advice. Helen is experienced at addressing disclosure issues and has delivered lectures to police officers on disclosure at the invitation of their force.
Helen worked at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse from January to July 2019, as junior counsel and subsequently as an investigation lawyer. She is well-versed in Inquiry legislation and procedure.
Helen has achieved successful outcomes representing members of the military in Courts Martial cases.
Helen accepts instructions in regulatory matters. She has presented cases on behalf of Nursing and Midwifery Council and acts for the General Dental Council.
Helen is also public access qualified and can therefore accept instructions directly from lay clients.
Helen is experienced in prosecuting and defending cases involving serious violence and drugs, in addition to sexual offences and financial crime (see separate specialisms). She is a member of the CPS Advocate Panel at Level 3.
Led by Craig Rush, Helen represented a male charged with attempted murder of three individuals and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life (R v R and H). Their client was convicted of wounding with intent and two counts of attempted wounding instead of attempted murder (read media coverage here)
Helen practises as a junior alone in a range of matters, including the following examples:
Helen has been instructed by both the Prosecution and the Defence in complex cases involving allegations of serious sexual offending.
Helen appeared on behalf of the defendant at a five-week trial at Maidstone Crown Court (R v H) in 2017, led by Michael Haynes. Their client initially faced a 21-count indictment including rape and sexual assault of five young females, which was reduced to a 13-count indictment at trial. Their client was acquitted by the jury of one attempted rape, three rapes and six sexual assaults against three complainants, and convicted of three rapes against two complainants. He had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child. The case was widely reported in the press (BBC News report). His sentence was reduced following a successful appeal in March 2018.
Helen prosecuted a retired psychiatric nurse for historic sex offences in 2015 at Basildon Crown Court (R v B), led by Allan Compton. Due to the nature of the allegations and the number of complainants involved, there was a vast amount of unused material. The defendant was convicted unanimously on all counts (ITV News report)
Helen also appears as the sole trial advocate on behalf of individuals charged with sexual offences in the Crown Court, and in the Magistrates’ Court and Youth Court under certificates for counsel. Such cases have included securing the acquittal of a scout leader charged with sexual assault (Basildon Crown Court, 2015) and acting under a certificate for counsel for a defendant charged with four offences of sexual assault, who had also previously served a substantial custodial sentence for other allegations of sexual assault (Medway Magistrates’ Court, 2016). In the latter case, Helen made a successful half time submission on all four charges.
Helen has experience in large disclosure reviews, including sensitive third-party material. The West Midlands CPS instructed her as Disclosure Junior from March 2017 in a complex investigation into child sex offences, which culminated in numerous convictions at Birmingham Crown Court in May 2018 (BBC News: Coventry).
Helen has appeared on behalf of clients charged with money laundering and fraud, as a led junior and junior alone. She has also been instructed in confiscation proceedings on behalf of clients involved in fraudulent activity.
From January to March 2018, instructed by Ian Kelcey of Kelcey and Hall and led by Quentin Hunt, Helen represented the second defendant in a ‘boiler room’ fraud trial at Blackfriars Crown Court. Their client was the manager of a company selling millions of pounds of carbon credits to private investors, and the case involved thousands of pages of financial material and accounting evidence. The first and third defendants were convicted but the jury was hung in relation to the second defendant. He was subsequently acquitted following a re-trial in Spring 2019.
In August 2014, instructed by Bark & Co and led by Peter Griffiths QC, Helen represented the head of a Welsh charity, facing allegations in relation to fraudulent use of the charity’s funds at Swansea Crown Court. Their client was acquitted of two counts and the Crown decided against a retrial in relation to the third. (BBC News)
Helen has represented several employees for fraud, such as RP at Peterborough Crown Court, instructed by Simon Caltagirone (Peterborough Telegraph). Helen successfully persuaded the Prosecution against pursuing a second count against her client.
In Summer 2015, Helen assisted a City firm, who were advising an international company in relation to a cartel investigation, with a large-scale disclosure review.
Helen has both prosecuted and defended individuals charged with a range of dishonesty offences, including the following cases:
In addition to appearing in the Crown Court, Helen also appears in the Magistrates’ Court for individuals charged with road traffic offences, including dangerous driving, careless driving, excess alcohol and speeding. She seeks the best possible resolutions for her clients, which has included drafting written representations to the Crown, resulting in discontinuance of all charges.
Helen has made successful wasted costs applications, and advanced exceptional hardship arguments that have resulted in the retention of clients’ driving licences. She has also successfully appealed decisions to the Crown Court.
Helen has an interest in military law and defends in Courts Martial cases. She represents individuals charged with offences under civilian law (such as an Army Officer facing an allegation of rape) and specific military offences under the Armed Forces Act 2006.
In November 2019, Helen represented a Chief Petty Officer who pleaded guilty to conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline, namely posting naked and sexualised photographs of himself on an open twitter profile, alongside tweets that identified him as a member of the Royal Navy. Whilst the pre-sentence report recommended a reduction in rank and the possibility of imprisonment (either suspended or immediate), following Helen’s oral and written submissions in mitigation, her client was instead sentenced to a reprimand.