Claire Matthews

Practice
Claire Matthews works across the South Eastern Circuit, with an exclusively criminal law practice.

With a practice almost equally divided between prosecuting and defending, she has been instructed in cases including armed robbery, serious violence, firearms, child abuse, serious sexual offences, major drugs, and mental health cases. She is regularly instructed in criminal cases involving expert evidence,  complex third party issues, and cases with a particular emphasis on infant death/serious injury/neglect.

She has also been instructed as junior counsel in cases of murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, firearms offences, serious fraud and money laundering.

She has recently both prosecuted and defended parents/guardians in murder and manslaughter cases of alleged 'Shaken Baby Syndrome', and has a professional interest in medico-legal evidence.

Notable Cases

R v Ali & Ors
Defence counsel in the case of a significant and widespread "crash for cash" conspiracy whereby staged car accidents formed the basis of a £500,000 fraud on various insurance companies over the course of several years.

R v P
Prosecuted woman who befriended and seduced a twelve year old boy. Huge media interest – see links below

1. Daily Mail
2. Express
3. The Sun
4. Mirror
5. Cambridge News
6. Cambridge News

R v Acas
Junior counsel (led by Karim Khalil QC) for the defence. Murder by repeatedly stamping on victim. The body was then hidden under a mattress at the same address.

1. BBC
2. Cambridge Times
3. BBC

R v S
Junior defence counsel in extremely complex baby murder case. Case involved complex medico-legal issues concerning genetic disorders in infants.

R v C
Junior defence counsel representing woman charged with the murder of her partner. Case involved interesting issues of previous domestic violence and complex bad character issues.

R v F
Defence counsel for lead defendant in multi-handed manslaughter, involving the alleged killing of a prisoner by fellow inmates within a prison environment. Expert evidence relating to previous medical condition of the deceased and likely impact on the pathological findings.

R v A
Successful prosecution for campaign of historic rapes and serious sexual abuse of numerous children, spanning 20 year period, and involving special needs witnesses through the use of intermediary and picture/image evidence. Sentenced to 16 years imprisonment.

R v K
Junior counsel for the Crown in double child murder. Successfully prosecuted mother for murder of her two teenage daughters.

R v S
Junior Defence Counsel in complex immigration/people trafficking fraud.

R v P
Junior Defence Counsel in baby shaking case. Significant medical issues – defence of ‘over lay’.

R v B and C
Junior Crown Counsel. Conspiracy to Murder, two defendants successfully prosecuted for arranging the torture and execution of a man by shooting and setting body on fire. Extradition proceedings.

R v H
Prosecuted series of allegations of rape, false imprisonment, and strangulation by man against partner.

R v J
Junior Crown Counsel in Major Organised Crime/Fine Arts investigation into antiquarian book fraud. Repatriation of proceeds of crime from Cuba for confiscation proceedings in High Court.

R v H
Junior Defence counsel in ‘suicide pact’ murder.

R v G
Prosecuted evidentially difficult death by dangerous driving involving significant causative/novus actus issues.

R v N
Represented defendant charged with Causing Death by Dangerous Driving whilst under the influence of Amphetamine. Case involved challenge to toxicological evidence and to propriety of roadside impairment tests. Cross-examination lead to a change in the wording of the Code of Practice in roadside impairment tests. Defendant convicted and sentenced to 6 years, later reduced on appeal to 4 years.

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