2DRJ

Barrister

• Called to the Bar in 1996
• Practice Area: Crime

Biography

Called to the bar in 1996, William Pope completed pupillage and then worked as a Duty Solicitor in criminal defence at various London firms until returning to the bar in 2011.  He brings a broad range of experience in having represented clients at every stage of the judicial process from police station representation to the Court of Appeal.   He now specialises in crown court trials appearing exclusively for the defence.

Criminal practice

William can be instructed to defend all allegations of criminal activity.  His usual workload consists of serious violent offences, rape, conspiracy, high end drug supply and fraud, however he can be found defending less serious allegations such as theft, assaults on emergency workers and racially or religiously aggravated offences.

William has excellent communication skills, putting clients at ease by his ability to explain complex legal and evidential issues in layman’s language.   William’s ability to sway a jury to an acquittal in his speeches has been praised by clients and members of the judiciary.

Cases of Note

X faced an allegation of Causing GBH with intent, contrary to S.18 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861. The alleged victim named the defendant as having stabbed him and assaulted him with a hammer. The defendant was unanimously acquitted by the jury. X was charged with being in possession of a loaded handgun. Three police officers gave evidence they had seen him with the gun, which he threw over a nearby wall and ran away. He was acquitted unanimously by the jury. Following a spate of "key entry" burglaries in South London, the police established that the common feature was that the same person was the cleaner for each property and had keys to the houses. Initially the cleaner was arrested, however it later transcribed that her 14 year old daughter had been seduced, supplied with class A drugs, and persuaded to supply the keys to the Cleaner's boyfriend in exchange for more drugs. A successful defence of duress achieved an acquittal in the daughter's case. She went on to recover from her addiction and is now happily married with children. X was accused of the gang rape of a woman in a public place. The defence of consent was accepted unanimously by the jury. X was a mini cab driver who was accused of being part of a large scale operation supplying cocaine to end users. Telephone evidence gathered by the police contained typical supply orders and payment confirmations, and established geographical locations consistent with this allegation. X pleaded guilty. He received a non-immediate custodial sentence. Mr X was stopped by police with £30,000 cash in a holdall in the back of his vehicle. He was interviewed and explained that this was to be used as a cash deposit to secure the purchase of a property abroad. He was charged with money laundering, and accused of being part of a large scale drugs supply criminal organisation. Ultimately after extensive legal argument, no evidence was offered by the prosecution in relation to the provenance of the money, and Mr X was acquitted of all charges.