Mr Alan Kent KC > Chambers of Richard Pratt KC > Liverpool, England > Barrister Profile

Mr Alan Kent KC

Career

Call: 1986

Silk: 2009

Practice Areas

Alan has a reputation for sound judgement, thorough preparation, and fearless advocacy. He is a specialist in homicide cases and has conducted hundreds of murder trials. He is well respected by his peers and judges in all the courts he practises in.

Alan has developed an expertise in defending and prosecuting multi handed cases, with a particular emphasis on gang related murder allegations. He has outstanding trial strategy and tactics based on over 35 years of experience in the criminal courts.

He is regularly instructed in cases involving young and vulnerable people and those with mental health issues. His calm and measured approach provides reassurance to all his clients, and he is adept at explaining the law and procedure in a clear and simple way.

He is always ready and willing to listen, provide advice and assistance

Alan builds an excellent rapport with clients, both professional and lay. He is down to earth and very easy to work
with.

Publications

• Blog : One of the Gang
• Blog: Pupillage

Recommendations

2022

Chambers & Partners
Crime: “People listen to him when he talks.”
Ranked: Band 3

Legal 500
Crime: “A very smooth advocate, who is calm under pressure and extremely jury friendly.”
Ranked: Tier 3

2021

Chambers & Partners
Crime: “An excellent jury advocate who is well respected by judges and other counsel. He is especially strong at murder cases.” “An excellent prosecutor.”
Ranked: Band 3

Legal 500
Crime: “His calm, measured and unflappable approach instantly creates confidence.”
Ranked: Tier 3

Expertise 

Crime

Alan specialises in homicide. He had conducted hundreds of murder trials, acting for the Prosecution and the Defence throughout the country. A true, all-round advocate who can always see the ‘other side’.

Alan’s practice comprises of murder cases, ranging from single handers to multiple defendants in gang related cases. He has considerable expertise and is regularly instructed in the most difficult and complex murder cases in the UK. He is a very busy and popular Silk who, as one solicitor clients puts it, has an, “inclusive nature and relentless calmness which is both refreshing and very welcome. We do not see those qualities enough.” [2020]

In October 2020, Alan conducted one of the longest murder trials held in the covid era, defending in an 8-handed murder at Nottingham Crown Court. The case concerned a drug related, revenge murder by a criminal gang on a rival gang.

 

Notable Crime cases

R v DK and 3 others

Old Bailey: Murder
Represented the 1st defendant in a multi handed gang related murder allegation. The defendants were all associated with a gang from Croydon. Whilst in Streatham they were spotted by two members of a rival gang who were in an Uber on their way to Brixton. They stopped their journey and approached the defendants. The two groups were seen talking before the victim’s associate withdrew a sword that he had hidden in his clothing and attacked the 1st defendant. All defendants and the victim then produced machetes and zombie knives and attacked each other. People on both sides were stabbed. The defendants chased the victim and his associate along the road before the 1st defendant stabbed the victim in the chest. The whole incident was captured on CCTV. The defendant claimed that he acted in self-defence, and we applied to adduce evidence of gang affiliation of the deceased and his associate. Following a 6-week trial, all defendants were found not guilty.

R v DW

Reading Crown Court: Murder
Prosecuted a Polish National who killed a former police officer who worked for the Canal and Rivers Trust as an enforcement officer. The defendant and his partner had a recent history of complaints about the canals in general and when the defendant saw the victim putting an enforcement notice on a neighbouring boat, he began an argument with the victim before attacking him. He punched him then held him underwater until he drowned. The defendant ran away but was found by police some 12 hours later, hiding beneath a horsebox in a field. Following his arrest, fingerprint evidence revealed that the defendant was living under an assumed identity and was wanted by Interpol. He had previously been convicted of a double murder in Poland and escaped from prison, 14 years into his sentence. He disputed his identity throughout the proceedings.

R v CL

Isle of Man: Rape and Indecent Assault

Defending: The defendant was accused of multiple allegations of rape and indecent assault of his girlfriend. The evidence centred around coercive control and manipulation leading to submission to sexual intercourse on some occasions and forced sexual intercourse on others. The evidence featured hundreds of messages between the couple as well as recordings that were made.

R v ST

Lewes Crown Court: Murder
Defending: The defendant was an Iranian national who had developed a drug habit. His marriage broke down and he was accused of mistreating his wife. His mental health deteriorated, and he wanted to return to Iran but did not have enough money. He contacted his supplier, and it was alleged that he then attacked and killed him before
ransacking his home and stealing money and drugs. Issues of self-defence and loss of control were raised at the trial which also involved DNA, CCTV and telephone evidence.

R v PB

Croydon Crown Court: Murder
Defending: The defendant suffered from psychosis. He entered a block of flats in South London and attacked the occupants. They did not know each other, and the defendant was a stranger to the area. He beat and stabbed the victim to death, inflicting multiple injuries with a variety of weapons. Psychiatrists gave evidence relating to the issue of whether the psychosis was induced by consumption of illicit drugs.

R v DI

Preston Crown Court: Murder
Prosecuted a man for the murder of a former CPS lawyer from Liverpool. The victim answered the defendant’s advertisement for sexual services. The defendant travelled from London to Liverpool for the sole purpose of committing a murder. He arrived at the victim’s house and immediately attacked him with a hammer before ransacking his home and stealing various items to sell. The defendant was traced to London through a thorough nationwide examination of CCTV evidence from trains, buses and local authority cameras. Telephone evidence enabled investigators to locate the defendant in a hotel in West London where he was arrested and property that belonged to the deceased was recovered. DNA attributable to the defendant was found at the victim’s home and the victim’s DNA was recovered from some of the items found when the defendant was arrested. He pleaded guilty to murder.

R v LP and 2 others

Old Bailey: Murder
Defended a 16-year-old at the Old Bailey who was accused of participating in a revenge, gang related murder. The Prosecution accepted a guilty plea to perverting the course of justice. The defendant was involved with a gang in West London and was initially arrested on suspicion of carrying out a shooting in retaliation for the previous stabbing of a gang member. The defendant was later charged with joint enterprise murder as it was alleged that he supplied a change of clothes to the gunman, that DNA attributed to him was recovered from a shell casing and he later set fire to the car that was used by the killers. The case involved a large and complex telephone schedule as well as CCTV and DNA.

R v C and 7 others

Old Bailey: Murder
Prosecuted multiple defendants in two separate trials at the Old Bailey that involved a drive by shooting of innocent civilians. The murder was gang related activity. The case involved thousands of hours of CCTV and the largest number of telephones seized and examined during a homicide inquiry. The two trials lasted for 6 months.

R v CM

Lewes Crown Court: Attempted Murder.
Defended a man who was accused of attempted murder. The defendant was suffering from psychosis. He believed he was on a training mission with the SAS and attempted to find the helipad at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. He stabbed a health worker multiple time. The incident was thought to be terror related, causing the hospital to shut down for many hours. The defendant was found NG by reason of insanity.

R v M and others

Nottingham Crown Court: Murder
Alan defended the 7th defendant who was alleged to have brought weapons in a drug related retaliation murder. One of the defendants was assaulted by a rival gang in Nottingham who took control of the flat that some of the defendants had been using to supply drugs. The defendants travelled from Birmingham and attacked the occupants of the flat, killing one when he jumped out of the window and tried to run away. He was attacked with at least on machete, which almost severed his foot.

R v D and P

Lewes Crown Court: Murder
Prosecuted two defendants for killing their supplier in a row over drugs in Brighton. It was alleged that they lured him to their flat on the pretext of buying drugs. However, as soon as he arrived, he was attacked and was beaten and stabbed to death

R v D

Reading Crown Court: Murder
Defended a Polish National who kicked and punched a stranger to death. The assault was captured on CCTV. He Pleaded guilty to Manslaughter.

R v SD

Old Bailey: Murder

Prosecuted the remaining defendant at the Old Bailey in a 5 handed murder. The Court of Appeal had quashed his initial conviction. It was a gang murder that led to the convictions of all 5 defendants.

R v JT

Nottingham Crown Court: Murder
Represented a 17-year-old who stabbed his friend to death during an argument.

R v ST

Nottingham Crown Court: Murder
The defendant was a vulnerable young man with mental health issues who was in a secure unit in the months leading up to the trial. He had been bullied over the years and, during a fight, he stabbed his brother to death. It was a difficult and sensitive case for the family, especially their mother as she was called by the Prosecution to give evidence.

R v JC and 1 other

Lewes Crown Court: Murder The defendant was accused of being jointly responsible for the murder of a man who was stabbed to death in Haywards Heath. The co-defendant inflicted fatal stab wounds and it was suggested that the defendant assisted in the killing. He was found Not Guilty following a 3-week trial. The solicitor that instructed Alan said ‘My best decision was to instruct Alan to defend JC.

R v D and 1 other

Sheffield Crown Court: Murder
Defended a 72-year-old woman at Sheffield Crown Court who was jointly accused with her son of murdering a man following a long-standing dispute between them. Issues were lack of involvement and joint enterprise. R v Scott and Carol Dawson. Her appeal against sentence was successful and her minimum term was reduced by 11 years.

R v M and 2 others

Wolverhampton Crown Court: Murder
Prosecuted three defendants for the robbery and murder of a man in his own home. Issues centred around DNA, telephone evidence, CCTV evidence, involvement, participation and joint enterprise. CCTV footage showed one of the defendants scaling the wall to break into the victim’s flat through the window.

R v LG and 3 others

Liverpool Crown Court: Murder
Defended a 26-year-old who was accused of being jointly responsible for murder. The victim stole a moped from outside the flat of some drug dealers. They left the flat, gave chase in car, forced him off the road then chased and stabbed him to death. The defendant’s DNA was recovered from one of the murder weapons that was found nearby. Issues included a careful examination of DNA evidence, CCTV, telephone and joint participation.

R v LB

Reading Crown Court. Murder
The defendant believed that his wife was being unfaithful, and she wanted a divorce. In the early hours of Boxing Day morning, he armed himself with a knife while she slept and repeatedly stabbed her. One knife broke, so he returned downstairs, obtained another knife and continued his attack. He pleaded guilty to murder.

R v L and 3 others

Old Bailey: Conspiracy to Commit GBH
Defending in a 4 handed conspiracy to commit GBH and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. The defendant was accused of being on a ‘ride out’ with other gang members, seeking to attack members of an opposing gang in East London. A member of the public saw a group of men armed with a gun and machetes and called the police. The police saw the defendant’s car and gave chase, firing shots from their car towards the fleeing defendant’s car. The chase and the gunfire was recorded on the internal system of the police car. When the car was brought to a halt, the occupants were wearing masks and had a variety of weapons in the car.

R v I and 4 others

Old Bailey: Murder
Prosecuted 5 youths at the Old Bailey for the murder of a 17-year-old youth. Issues involved DNA, identification, CCTV evidence, telephone cell site evidence and joint enterprise. The defendant’s robbed a woman of her car to use in a ‘ride out’. They drove to the area of a rival gang where they saw the deceased. In what is thought to have been a case of mistaken identity, they ran him down in the car. He got up and ran for his life. They chased him in the car and when they caught up with him, they repeatedly stabbed him.

R v CS

Lewes Crown Court: Double Murder
Defended a man who stole a loaded firearm from a rifle range in Hastings before travelling to the home of his estranged wife. He shot his way into the house through a window and shot and killed her, her mother and the family dog.

R v MT

Old Bailey: Terrorism
Defended a client at the Old Bailey who was accused of being a member of ‘National Action’ post proscription. He was linked to a conspiracy involving his co-defendant to murder a sitting MP. Two juries failed to reach verdicts in the case of MT.

Memberships

South Eastern Circuit

Sussex Bar Mess (Chairman 2010-2019)