Suspended Sentence in Lincoln Conspiracy for MMS client

Case study summary

Our client was one of six men charged with conspiracy to steal agricultural machinery in the Midlands. With a value of one million pounds, a prison sentence was highly likely. We were able to present exceptional mitigation which lead the judge to pass an exceptional sentence.

Case study

After being represented at the magistrates' court by another firm, our client applied to transfer legal aid to us. Having realised the seriousness of his case, he knew he needed a firm that he could trust.

Following a successful transfer application, we started work right away. Through several conferences with our client, it became apparent that he was someone who had experienced significant trauma. At 25 years old, he had endured two decades of emotional and physical abuse by both parents. Now a father to a young boy, he had set out to prove himself but in doing so landed him as part of a widespread conspiracy.

In preparation for his sentencing hearing, we instructed an expert psychologist who was able to comment on the impact of trauma as well as our client's emotional intelligence. The report gave great insight into the type of person our client is outside of this conspiracy.

At court, mitigation was presented by our client's expert barrister, Paul Williams of 33 Bedford Row. He asked the court to see that, while it is a submission often made, this truly is a person who wants to turn his life around. The judge sentenced our client away from the other 5 men and explained that he had been troubled by this case. While everything on the guidelines told the judge he should sentence our client to immediate imprisonment, he could not do so having read and heard the mitigation we presented.

As a result, the judge made an exceptional decision and imposed a suspended sentence. Our client was released from the crown court that evening and able to return to his partner and son just days before Christmas. He remains working with probation and is grateful for the chance to prove that he really does want to change.