New Park Court Chambers

Crime

Claire Anderson is a junior criminal practitioner, who prosecutes and defends, both on her own and as junior counsel. Claire is routinely instructed on behalf of the prosecution in complex and multi-handed cases across the full spectrum of criminal law. This includes serious violence, sexual offending, frauds and drug offences. She acts on behalf of a variety of agencies, including the Crown Prosecution Service, HMRC, the DWP, DVSA and the Environment Agency.

When defending, she is instructed to represent clients charged with serious allegations including matters of sexual and violent offending. Based in Newcastle, she is known for her thorough preparation and her friendly, honest and common-sense approach to her cases.

Claire has experience of being a ‘led-junior’ in a number of high-profile nationally reported cases, including R v MS (Prosecution junior in an attempted murder), R v OS (Prosecution junior in a six-week multi-handed trial involving numerous sexual allegations against vulnerable women) and R v LM (Defence junior in a murder/ conspiracy to commit GBH trial).

Claire predominantly prosecutes and defends in the Crown Court. She is a CPS Level 3 prosecutor with an established Crown Court practice. She has experience in a variety of offences including dishonesty and drugs offences, to sexual offending and violent offences including GBH and murder.

Example Cases

• R v SB (2026): Prosecution counsel in child cruelty matter. Case involved issues of causation and input from numerous medical professionals regarding a non-accidental injury to 2 year old child. Defendant convicted after trial.
• R v CJ (2026): Defendant charged with historic allegations of rape of a child. He suffered from autism and an extremely low IQ. Defendant acquitted on all counts after trial.
• R v AT (2025): Prosecution counsel in case where D charged with offences under the Explosives Act 1883. A “chemistry set” and guidance on how to make explosives was found at the Defendant’s home address, along with right wing literature. Case involved consideration of the Terrorism Act 2000 and the sentencing of defendant’s subject to the IPP regime.
• R v EB (2025): Represented Defendant charged with sexual offending against a student who attended a SEN school where he was employed.
• R v CH (2025): Prosecution junior in 3 week murder trial. Lengthy evidence from the pathologist about causation, including blunt force and sharp force injuries. Also involved complex evidence from Crime Scene Investigator about blood spatter patterns on the murder weapons and inside the property.