Ian Fenny > Chambers of Anna Vigars KC > Bristol, England > Barrister Profile

Ian Fenny

Work Department

Crime.

Position

Ian Fenny was called to the Bar by Grays Inn in 1978. He is widely recognised as one of the leading criminal advocates on the Western Circuit for serious sexual offences, violent crimes and wider crimes against the person including fraud. Ian has unrivalled experience in dealing with young, old and all categories of vulnerable witnesses in the most challenging of prosecutions. He has held past advisory roles with Medical bodies and was a core trainer to his colleagues in the examination and cross examination of vulnerable witnesses. Ian has been a Category 4 prosecutor for over 25 years.

Ian has developed a strong reputation for his empathetic and sensitive approach to the needs of those disadvantaged by age (old or young), intellectual incapacity or physical disability. He has spent many years at the forefront of the development of measures designed to protect the vulnerabilities of witnesses and thus ensure that they are enfranchised by a system that might otherwise fail to protect them.

Ian’s lifelong enthusiasm and interest in motor vehicles has enabled him to develop a comprehensive understanding of the often-difficult issues that arise out of serious Road Traffic Offences.

Career

Ian has been a category 4 prosecutor since 1990.

His prosecution expertise includes:

• Multi complainant historical sexual abuse
• Paedophile ring allegations
• Sexual grooming/slavery allegations
• Exploitative relationship abuse including serious domestic violence
• Child cruelty
• Rape and other serious asexual allegations
• Carer Abuse within an institutional setting
• Violence toward children or vulnerable adults
• Fraud upon the vulnerable
• Serious Road Traffic Offences

Ian readily accepts Defence instructions in the following fields:

• Murder/Manslaughter
• Serious physical violence
• Serious Road Traffic Offences
• Supply of controlled Drugs

Ian was the legal advisor to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in their first gold standard publication ‘The physical signs of Sexual Abuse in Children’.

Ian Fenny regularly lectures police officers, medical professionals and lawyers upon the wider aspects of child abuse and offences against the vulnerable. He has been chosen prosecuting counsel in pilot schemes conducted on the Western Circuit and has recently assisted in advising a Jamaican Government delegation upon the implementation of Achieving Best Evidence principles and procedures in Jamaica.

Ian Fenny has extensive and relevant Court of Appeal experience and has appeared in numerous cases consequent upon his practice.

Memberships

• CBA
• COPPA
• HSLA