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Homicide – causing the death of another person – is the most serious allegation a person can face. If convicted of murder, the penalty is life imprisonment. So, getting legal advice from criminal defence specialists is essential.
Our expert team of murder and manslaughter solicitors can provide strong advice and legal representation to defend you against the most serious allegations..
Whether you have been arrested, you are released under investigation or on bail, or you need representation at trial, we are here to help.
We can assist you at every stage of the criminal justice system, making sure your legal rights are respected and building a robust defence strategy.
With us on their side, many of our clients are able to get the charges against them reduced or dropped altogether or achieve a not guilty verdict at court.
Get in touch with our murder and manslaughter solicitors by giving us a call in Leicester or Loughborough, or by filling in our online enquiry form.
We deal with all types of homicide cases, including:
We have a strong track record of success and are often able to secure positive results for our clients, including:
We will support you at every stage of the criminal justice system, with our team including accredited police station representatives, duty solicitors, and higher courts advocates.
We will attend police stations to represent you during police interviews and provide expert defence services at all court levels including the Magistrates Court, Crown Court and appeal courts.
We also have expertise in representing youths and vulnerable adults, for example, people with mental health issues or learning difficulties.
Murder is when a person kills another person, and they have the intent to kill or cause very serious harm (grievous bodily harm (GBH)).
Attempted murder is where a person has the intention to kill even though the victim does not die. If a person only intends to cause GBH, they cannot be convicted of attempted murder, although if the person later dies of their injuries, a GBH charge may be upgraded to murder.
There are some defences to murder which can be broken down into two categories:
Complete defences include self-defence. If someone has a complete defence to murder, they can be acquitted.
Partial defences to murder are also referred to as voluntary manslaughter. If someone has a partial defence to murder, the offence can be reduced to voluntary manslaughter.
The two partial defences to murder are:
Diminished responsibility applies where someone kills while suffering from an ‘abnormality of mental functioning’ arising from a recognised medical condition that impaired their ability to understand what they were doing, form a rational judgment or exercise self-control.
Loss of control applies where someone kills after losing their control due to a qualifying trigger (such as a fear of serious violence). It must also be established that a person like the perpetrator in the same circumstances would do the same or a similar thing.
Involuntary manslaughter occurs where someone kills another person through dangerous acts or gross negligence, but they did not intend to kill or cause GBH.
There are two main types of involuntary manslaughter:
Unlawful act manslaughter occurs where someone commits an unlawful or dangerous act that results in death. For example, if someone throws a heavy object off a building which hits and kills a person below, they may be prosecuted for unlawful act manslaughter.
Gross negligence manslaughter occurs where someone owes a duty of care to the victim, they breach their duty, and that breach causes the victim’s death. The negligence must also be gross – i.e. showing significant disregard for others’ lives and safety. For example, if a doctor provides extremely poor care which results in the death of their patient, they may face gross negligence manslaughter charges.
At Johnson Astills, we take a proactive approach to criminal law, helping our clients with strong defences to serious criminal accusations.
Our goal is to bring criminal proceedings to an end as quickly as possible and minimise the impact on your life.
We’ve been awarded the Law Society Criminal Litigation Accreditation in recognition for our skills as well as the Lexcel legal practice quality mark for our client-centred approach and excellent legal practice management.
Get in touch with our murder and manslaughter solicitors by giving us a call in Leicester or Loughborough, or by filling in our online enquiry form.
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