Our established experts deal with hundreds of cases in courts throughout the UK every year. The key to our success is the acknowledged and well-respected repuatation that our experts have established.
Whether a case is a minor traffic offence through to a complex murder case you can be assured of the same degree of attention to detail and thoroughness that underpins all our work.
Recent Cases
Cannabis Cultivation
We currently deal with approximately forty cases of cannabis cultivation a year ranging from modest grows involving a handful of plants through to complex conspiracies involving 1000’s of plants at multiple sites.
In a case involving over 100 cannabis plants at various stages of growth we were able to assess the growing facilities and in particular the issue of yield. An initial valuation was provided based upon a single crop valuation in excess of £22,000 and that on an annual basis the facility had the potential to produce cannabis with a street value in excess of £176,000.
We were able to highlight a number of flaws in the evidence significantly reducing the value of a single crop to less than £1,000. Other significant factors had been overlooked including potential attrition rates amongst plants, inclusion of the weight of “waste material” in the valuation and the length of time taken for plants to reach full maturity.
Our evidence that this was a non-commercial growing facility was accepted.
Drink Driving
A female was arrested some hours after a Road Traffic Accident and was subsequently breathalysed. The reading was above the legal limit and she was charged with Driving with Excess Alcohol. We were asked to establish whether alcohol consumed after the incident was consistent with the results of the breathalysed procedure.
Our evidence confirmed that the quantity of alcohol consumed after the incident would have resulted in such a high breathalyser reading and that the female was not necessarily intoxicated at the time of the accident. On the basis of the evidence provided she was acquitted of Driving with Excess Alcohol.
Drug Valuation – Proceeds of Crime Act
A male convicted of drug trafficking offences involving a significant quantity of cannabis was investigated under the Proceeds of Crime Act. The “Benefit Figure” in respect of the value of the drugs was disputed and we were contacted to provide an independent valuation. It was clear that the valuation that had been provided was based upon the cannabis recovered being of premium quality.
We highlighted that the cannabis was of poor quality and challenged the assessment of multiple kilograms valued in “Street Level” deals as being unrealistic. We were able to provide an alternative valuation for the court to consider significantly reducing the “Benefit Figure” from almost £250,000 to less than £45,000.
We are frequently called upon in cases involving identification involving fingerprint analysis and cases where the weight, quality or purity of illicit drugs is disputed.